398540 06: Gov. Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware attends a press briefing after meeting with President Bushs administration officials to discuss homeland security December 12, 2001 at the National Governors Association in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wo DOVER, Del. - Ruth Ann Minner, a sharecropper’s daughter who became the only woman to serve as Delaware’s governor, has died.
She was 86.Minner, who served as governor from 2001 to 2009, passed away Thursday morning, according to Agriculture Secretary Michael Scuse, a friend who once served as her chief of staff."She was a true leader, a great role model for women and those that have had it not so easy in life, to show that if you work hard, are honest, you can make it to the top," Scuse said.A.