Former Denton County Judge inducted into Texas Women’s Hall of Fame

Mary Horn, the first female and longest-serving Denton County Judge, was posthumously inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame last week.

Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott delivered the keynote address celebrating the contributions and leadership of the 2023 honorees in the fields of athletics, public and community service, civic leadership, business, science and education, according to a news release from Gov. Greg Abbott’s office.

“We celebrate this year’s eight remarkable honorees not only for their individual achievements, but also for their contributions to an even brighter Texas of tomorrow,” Cecilia Abbott said. “As women of vision, tenacity, and generosity, they are an inspiration for the next generation of leaders who will follow them. In Texas, we believe in the unlimited potential of women, and I join Greg in sharing our sincere thanks to each of the new inductees to the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame for their leadership and for sharing their gifts with others.”

One of the eight inductees was Horn for her public service, “in posthumous recognition of her legacy of dedicated public service in 26 years of elected office, including as the longest-serving Denton County Judge, carefully stewarding taxpayer resources while administering necessary services in one of the fastest-growing counties,” said a statement from the governor’s office.

Horn served as Denton County’s tax assessor-collector from 1993 to 2002, and then she served four consecutive terms as Denton County Judge, from 2002 to Jan. 1, 2019. She died April 21 at the age of 77.