Rosalynn Carter –August 18, 1927 (Plains, GA)
o Rosalynn Carter was only thirteen when her father died, and as the oldest of four, she helped her mother with her dressmaking business and with raising her younger siblings.
o She played a key role in Jimmy Carter’s Georgia gubernatorial and presidential campaigns often campaigning on her own.
o She created the position of Chief of Staff to the First Lady and was the first first lady to set up an office in the East Wing.
o Rosalynn Carter placed great emphasis on mental health as first lady, and she served as the honorary chairperson of the President’s Commission on Mental Health from 1977 to 1978. She also testified before Congress to promote the passage of the Mental Health Systems Act.
o She made a trip to the Latin America as the President’s personal representative visiting Costa Rica, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Columbia, and Venezuela where she attended policy meetings with South American leaders.
o After leaving office, Rosalynn Carter continued her work on mental health advocacy, and she and her husband remain volunteers for Habitat for Humanity.
o Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary on July 7, 2021, becoming the longest-married presidential couple.
Quote:
“You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don’t win, at least you can be satisfied that you’ve tried. If you don’t accept failure as a possibility, you don’t set high goals, you don’t branch out, you don’t try—you don’t take the risk.”