Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Jimmy Carter during his one term as U.S. president, has died at the age of 96.
The Carter Center said she died Sunday after living with dementia and suffering many months of declining health. The statement announcing her death said she “died peacefully, with family by her side” at 2:10 p.m. at her home in the rural south Georgia community of Plains.
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” Carter said in the statement. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
The Carters were married for more than 77 years, forging what they both described as a “full partnership.” Unlike many previous first ladies, Rosalynn sat in on Cabinet meetings, spoke out on controversial issues and represented her husband on foreign trips. Aides to President Carter sometimes referred to her — privately — as “co-president.”
FILE – Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter pose for a photo during their wedding July 7, 1946, in Plains, Georgia. Jimmy and Rosalynn are celebrating their 77th wedding anniversary, Friday, July 7, 2023. (The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Carter Family Collection via AP, File)
FILE – In this Sept. 15, 1966, file photo, then Georgia State Sen. Jimmy Carter hugs his wife, Rosalynn, at his Atlanta campaign headquarters. Jimmy and Rosalynn are celebrating their 77th wedding anniversary, Friday, July 7, 2023. (AP Photo/File)
FILE – Georgia Gov.-elect Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, celebrate his election win, Nov. 3, 1970, in Atlanta. Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Jimmy Carter during his one term as U.S. president and their four decades thereafter as global humanitarians, died Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. She was 96. (Billy Downs/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)
FILE – In this July 10, 1976, file photo Jimmy Carter, his wife Rosalynn and daughter Amy, lower left, respond to a huge crowd that welcomed them to New York. (AP Photo, File)
FILE – Jimmy Carter gives a victory sign as his wife, Rosalynn Carter, holds a newspaper after winning the Wisconsin’s Democratic presidential primary, April 7, 1976, Milwaukee. Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Jimmy Carter during his one term as U.S. president and their four decades thereafter as global humanitarians, died Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. She was 96. (AP Photo/Paul Shane, File)
FILE – Jimmy Carter, second from left, receives a hug from his wife, Rosalynn Carter, after the third presidential debate ended, Oct. 22, 1976, in Williamsburg, Va. First lady Betty Ford, center, and moderator Barbara Walters, right, can be seen in the background. Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Jimmy Carter during his one term as U.S. president and their four decades thereafter as global humanitarians, died Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. She was 96. (AP Photo, File)
FILE – Jimmy Carter, right, and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, wave together at the National Convention in Madison Square Garden, July 15, 1976, in New York. Rosalynn Carter, the closest …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
