Rosalynn Carter | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1977 | |
| First Lady of the United States | |
| In role January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Betty Ford |
| Succeeded by | Nancy Reagan |
| First Lady of Georgia | |
| In role January 12, 1971 – January 14, 1975 | |
| Governor | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Hattie Cox |
| Succeeded by | Mary Busbee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eleanor Rosalynn Smith August 18, 1927 Plains, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | November 19, 2023 (aged 96) Plains, Georgia, U.S. |
| Resting place | 209 Woodland Drive, Plains |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, including Jack and Amy |
| Education | Georgia Southwestern College |
| Signature |  |
Eleanor Rosalynn Carter (/ˈroʊzəlɪn/ ROH-zə-lin; née Smith; August 18, 1927 – November 19, 2023) was an American writer, activist, and humanitarian who served as the first lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981, as the wife of president Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States.[1] Throughout her decades of public service she was a leading advocate for women's rights and mental health.[2]
Carter was born and raised in Plains, Georgia, graduated as valedictorian[3] of Plains High School, and soon after attended Georgia Southwestern College, where she graduated in 1946. She first became attracted to her future husband, also from Plains, after seeing a picture of him in his U.S. Naval Academy uniform, and they married in 1946. Carter helped her husband win the governorship of Georgia in 1970, and decided to focus her attention in the field of mental health when she was that state's first lady. She campaigned for him during his successful bid to become president of the United States in the 1976 election, defeating incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford.
Carter was politically active during her husband's presidency, though she declared that she had no intention of being a traditional first lady. During his term of office, Carter supported her husband's public policies as well as his social and personal life. To remain fully informed, she sat in on Cabinet meetings at the invitation of the President. Carter also represented her husband in meetings with domestic and foreign leaders, including as an envoy to Latin America in 1977. He found her to be an equal partner. She campaigned for his failed re-election bid in the 1980 election in which he lost in a landslide to Republican nominee Ronald Reagan.
After leaving the White House in 1981, Carter continued to advocate for mental health and other causes, wrote several books, and became involved in the national and international work of the Carter Center. She and her husband also contributed to the expansion of the nonprofit housing organization Habitat for Humanity. In 1987, she founded the Institute for Caregivers, to inform and support the efforts of caregivers. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom alongside her husband in 1999.
- ^ Mckay, Rich; Allen, Jonathan (November 29, 2023). "Mourners honor former US first lady Rosalynn Carter's humanitarian work". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ^ Carballo, Rebecca (November 20, 2023). "Rosalynn Carter Lauded for Humanitarian Work, Mental Health Advocacy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Vejnoska, Jill. "Obituary: Rosalynn Carter, former first lady of U.S. and Georgia, dies at 96". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.