{{Short description|American children's advocate (1943–2020)}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | caption = | term_label = In role | office = First Lady of New Jersey | governor = Thomas Kean | term_start = January 19, 1982 | term_end = January 16, 1990 | predecessor = Jean Byrne | successor = Lucinda Florio | birth_name = Deborah Elizabeth Bye | birth_date = {{Birth date|1943|5|15}} | birth_place = Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2020|4|24|1943|5|15}} | death_place = Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S. | party = Republican | spouse = {{marriage|Thomas Kean|1967}} | children = {{hlist|Thomas Jr.|Reed|Alexanda}} | alma_mater = Bennett College }}

'''Deborah Elizabeth''' "'''Debby'''" '''Kean''' (May 15, 1943 – April 24, 2020) was an American children's advocate. She served as the First Lady of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990 during the tenure of her husband, former Governor Thomas Kean.

Kean notably oversaw the conversion of Drumthwacket, a historic mansion in Princeton, New Jersey, into the official residence of the governor of New Jersey beginning in 1982.<ref name=njc>{{cite news |first=Sophie |last=Nieto-Munoz |title=Former N.J. First Lady Debby Kean dies at 76 |url=https://www.nj.com/politics/2020/04/former-nj-first-lady-debbie-kean-dies-at-76.html |work=NJ.com |date=2020-04-24 |access-date=2021-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206233027/https://www.nj.com/politics/2020/04/former-nj-first-lady-debbie-kean-dies-at-76.html |archive-date=2021-02-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=bcn>{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Deak |title=Deborah Kean, wife of former NJ Gov. Thomas Kean, dies |url=https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/people/2020/04/24/deborah-kean-wife-former-nj-gov-thomas-kean-dies/3022597001/ |work=Bridgewater Courier News |publisher=MyCentralJersey.com |date=2020-04-24 |access-date=2021-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130054702/https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/people/2020/04/24/deborah-kean-wife-former-nj-gov-thomas-kean-dies/3022597001/ |archive-date=2020-11-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=njg>{{cite news |first=David |last=Wildstein |title=Debby Kean, former First Lady, dies at 76 |url=https://newjerseyglobe.com/in-memoriam/debbie-kean-former-first-lady-dies-at-76/ |work=New Jersey Globe |publisher=|date=2020-04-24 |access-date=2021-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806110030/https://newjerseyglobe.com/in-memoriam/debbie-kean-former-first-lady-dies-at-76/ |archive-date=2020-08-06 |url-status=live}}</ref> The first lady also established the Drumthwacket Foundation, a non-profit responsible for the restoration and upkeep of Drumthwacket and its grounds.<ref name=njc/>

==Biography== Kean was born '''Deborah Elizabeth Bye''' on May 15, 1943, in Wilmington, Delaware.<ref name=njc/><ref name=bcn/> She was the only child of Robert Bye, a corporate executive, and Elizabeth (née Griffenberg) Bye.<ref name=bcn/> Kean attended Tower Hill School, a private college preparatory school in Wilmington.<ref name=bcn/> She graduated from Bennett College, a now defunct women's college located in Millbrook, New York.<ref name=njc/> Bye met her future husband, a businessman named Thomas Kean, at a party in Manhattan, New York City, and began dating in October 1966.<ref name=bcn/><ref name=njg/> Bye and Kean married on June 3, 1967, in a ceremony at the Old Drawyers Church in Odessa, Delaware.<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news |first=|last=|title=Delaware Nuptials For Deborah E. Bye |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/06/04/archives/delaware-nuptials-for-deborah-e-bye.html |work=New York Times |publisher=|date=1967-06-04 |access-date=2021-02-28 |archive-url= |archive-date= |url-status=}}</ref> They had three children: Thomas Jr., Reed, and Alexanda. The family moved to Livingston, New Jersey, in 1967 during her husband's first campaign for the New Jersey General Assembly.<ref name=njg/>

Debby Kean served as First Lady of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990 during Governor Tom Kean's tenure in office. She chose to remain outside of active state politics, choosing instead to focus on children's issues, the arts, and historic preservation. In 1985, Kean took part in an interview and profile for the ''Trenton Times'', provided that she not be asked about political issues.<ref name=njc/> However, she held benefits specifically for Republican female candidates.<ref name=njc/> [[File:Drumthwacket1.jpg|left|thumb|240px|Debby Kean oversaw the conversion of Drumthwacket into the New Jersey governors' residence.]]

New Jersey did not have an official Governors' residence when Governor Kean took office in 1982.<ref name=njc/> The state's previous governors' mansion, Morven, had been donated to the New Jersey Historical Society as its new headquarters.<ref name=bcn/> The nearby Drumthwacket mansion in Princeton had been sold to the state of New Jersey in 1966, under the agreement that it eventually replace Morven as the governors' mansion. Shortly after Governor Kean took office, First Lady Debby Kean began overseeing the conversion of Drumthwacket into the New Jersey's new official residence.<ref name=njc/><ref name=bcn/> In 1982, the first lady established the Drumthwacket Foundation, a non-profit responsible for the upkeep of the mansion and its grounds.<ref name=njc/><ref name=bcn/> She solicited the funds needed to complete the repairs and renovations on the mansion.<ref name=njc/> At the time, Drumthwacket was furnished with existing furniture that had been donated, much of which was older or unsuited for the home's new ceremonial role.<ref name=bcn/> Debby Kean replaced those furnishings with high quality, antique furniture and decor needed for the formal residence.<ref name=njc/><ref name=bcn/><ref name=njh/>

Kean also focused on children's and parenting issues during her tenure. She realized that many New Jersey state employees were struggling to obtain child care while they were working.<ref name=bcn/> She sought to establish new daycare facilities for the children of state, public employees and actively lobbied lawmakers for the funding.<ref name=bcn/> Several new childcare centers were opened across the state.<ref name=bcn/> She remains the namesake for the state's largest daycare center, the Deborah B. Kean Childcare Center in Trenton, which still operates, as of 2020.<ref name=njc/><ref name=bcn/> Additionally, the first lady served as the honorary chairperson of Governor Kean's commission on developmental disabilities.<ref name=njc/> Kean also sponsored New Jersey's performing and visual arts programs.<ref name=njc/>

Debby Kean died at her home in Bedminster, New Jersey, on April 24, 2020, at the age of 76.<ref name=njc/><ref name=bcn/><ref name=njh>{{cite news |first=|last=|title=Deborah Bye Kean, 76, wife of former governor, dies |url=https://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/deborah-bye-kean-76-wife-of-former-governor-dies/article_1fea921c-30e8-5a1d-aff4-41ce70d605f8.html |work=New Jersey Hills |publisher=|date=2020-04-25 |access-date=2021-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430021548/https://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/deborah-bye-kean-76-wife-of-former-governor-dies/article_1fea921c-30e8-5a1d-aff4-41ce70d605f8.html |archive-date=2020-04-30 |url-status=live}}</ref> She was survived by her husband of 52 years, former Governor Thomas Kean, their three children, and seven grandchildren.<ref name=njc/><ref name=bcn/>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kean, Deborah}} Category:1943 births Category:2020 deaths Category:First ladies and gentlemen of New Jersey Deborah Category:People from Bedminster, New Jersey Category:People from Livingston, New Jersey Category:Activists from Wilmington, Delaware