![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2011) |
Liz Carpenter | |
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![]() Liz Carpenter in 1987 | |
Born | Mary Elizabeth Sutherland September 1, 1920 Salado, Texas, U.S. |
Died | March 20, 2010 Austin, Texas, U.S. | (aged 89)
Occupation | Author, presidential advisor |
Alma mater | University of Texas |
Spouse |
Les Carpenter (m. 1944) |
Children | 2 |
Mary Elizabeth Sutherland Carpenter (September 1, 1920 – March 20, 2010) was a writer, feminist, reporter, media advisor, speechwriter, political humorist, and public relations expert.[1][2][3] As the first woman executive assistant to Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson from 1961 to 1963, and then as press secretary for First Lady Lady Bird Johnson from 1963 to 1969, Carpenter was a prominent member of the Johnson White House and also a close personal friend of the Johnsons.
Carpenter was an ardent supporter of the Women's Movement when it began and never wavered from her convictions. Her projects and causes ranged from supporting the Equal Rights Amendment to fighting cancer. Her lighthearted memoir of her time in the White House, Ruffles and Flourishes, published in 1969, was a national best-seller.[4] Often called the "funniest woman in politics", she was in demand as a public speaker until her death.