Some politicians will promise anything to get elected, but few vow to put themselves out of work.

One who did was the Texas State Treasurer, Martha Whitehead. And she kept her word today, eliminating the State Treasury 150 years after it was established.

With a metal scraper, Mrs. Whitehead, a Democrat, removed her name from the glass front of the building, white paint dust flecking her red suit.

''This action marks the first time that a statewide elected official has eliminated her own office,'' she said. ''I have kept my promise to the people of Texas.''

The Treasury served as a political springboard to for such figures as Ann W. Richards, a Democrat who was later elected Governor, and Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Republican who is now a Senator.