Paul Ryan
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019
Rosalynn Carter was a remarkable American figure who served as the First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981. She was a passionate advocate for women’s rights and mental health, and continued her public service long after leaving the White House. Her life and achievements are both inspiring and fascinating.
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About the Rosalynn Carter
Eleanor Rosalynn Carterwas 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. Throughout her decades of public service she was a leading advocate for women’s rights and mental health.
Carter was born and raised in Plains, Georgia, graduated as valedictorian 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rosalynn Carter was born on August 18, 1927 in Plains, Georgia.
As First Lady, Rosalynn Carter was a leading advocate for women’s rights and mental health, and she represented her husband in meetings with domestic and foreign leaders.
Rosalynn Carter first became attracted to her future husband after seeing a picture of him in his U.S. Naval Academy uniform, and they married in 1946.
After leaving the White House in 1981, Rosalynn Carter continued to advocate for mental health and other causes, wrote several books, and became involved in the work of the Carter Center.
Rosalynn Carter and her husband, President Jimmy Carter, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999.
Rosalynn Carter helped her husband win the governorship of Georgia in 1970 and decided to focus her attention on the field of mental health when she was that state’s first lady.
During her husband’s presidency, Rosalynn Carter was politically active, supporting his public policies and social and personal life. She also sat in on Cabinet meetings and represented her husband in meetings with domestic and foreign leaders.
7 Quotes by Rosalynn Carter
- 1.
You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.
Rosalynn CarterFirst Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981
- 2.
Don’t worry about polls, but if you do, don’t admit it.
Rosalynn CarterFirst Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981
- 3.
Do what you can to show you care about other people, and you will make our world a better place.
Rosalynn CarterFirst Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981
- 4.
A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.
Rosalynn CarterFirst Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981
- 5.
There is nothing more important than a good, safe, secure home.
Rosalynn CarterFirst Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981
- 6.
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.
Rosalynn CarterFirst Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981
- 7.
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.
Rosalynn CarterFirst Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981