(CMR) Former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter, wife of President Jimmy Carter, died on Sunday at age 96, the Carter Center said. She reportedly died peacefully with her family by her side.
First Lady Carter was described by her husband as “an extension of myself” due to her prominent role in his administration, even as she tirelessly promoted the cause of mental health.
In May 2023, the Carter family had said she had dementia but was continuing to live happily at the couple's home in Plains, Georgia.
According to Reuters, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were the longest-married presidential couple, having wed in 1946 when he was 21 and she was 18. After his solo term ended in 1981, he also enjoyed more post-White House years than any president before him, and she played an instrumental role during those years, including as part of the nonprofit Carter Center and the Habitat for Humanity charity.
“The best thing I ever did was marry Rosalynn. That's the pinnacle of my life,” Carter told the C-SPAN cable TV channel in 2015.
Throughout the political career of her husband, Rosalynn Carter was his most fervent supporter, campaigning aggressively for him, and energizing supporters.
After her husband was elected president in 1976, Carter transformed the role of first lady into a full-time job.
She was the first presidential spouse to set up an office in the East Wing and hire a full staff. She was a trusted adviser to the president, a participant in foreign and domestic affairs and often set up weekly meetings with Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office, according to USA TODAY.
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