Hance, Margaret, 1923-1990

Margaret Taylor Hance (July 2, 1923 – April 29, 1990) was an American entertainment producer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, she was the 52nd Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, the first woman to hold the office, serving from 1976 to 1984.

Born Margaret Taylor in Spirit Lake, Iowa, she moved with her family to Mesa, Arizona at the age of three, later re-locating to Phoenix. After attending the University of Arizona, she graduated from Scripps College in Claremont, California. After marrying and briefly moving to Amarillo, Texas, Hance returned to Phoenix. Heavily involved with volunteering work, she eventually began producing documentaries for a local PBS affiliate and a travel program for radio. Hance was also a director of the Valley National Bank. She was a member of the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board from 1967 to 1972 and a member of the Phoenix City Council from 1973 to 1976. At the close of her Council membership, she was serving as Acting Mayor. Hance was elected Mayor in 1976, serving four two-year terms. Among her first significant public initiatives was creating the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, for which she was unofficially known as the "Mother of Mountain Preserve." After retiring as mayor, Hance became a manager of Ronald Reagan's presidential re-election campaign in 1984. She performed a similar service during George Bush's presidential election campaign of 1988.

Hance died of cancer in Phoenix and was buried in Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery there.