Don’t think about Rosalynn Carter as “Jimmy Carter’s wife.”
She is so much more.
She is not only his wife but also his best friend" (viaThe MacNeil/Lehrer Report).
That’s because Rosalynn Carter grew up with work to do.
She was born in 1927 on the eve ofThe Great Depression.
Her mother, Allethea, supported the family as a dressmaker.
Rosalynn grew up working at a hairdresser’s to save some money of her own.
Which is the way I think a lot of people live."
When Rosalynn took the reigns of the company, her marriage to Jimmy changed.
“It wasn’t long before I knew more about the business than he did.
So I could give him advice.
We learned to respect each other,” Rosalynn reflected toParade.
Sometimes, she did not even change for formal events.
AsFirst Lady,The New York Timesnoted in fascination that Rosalynn Carter once attended “Mark TwainTonight!”
But if high fashion wasn’t a priority, politics was.
Rosalynn Carter was a master campaigner.
“Politics has always brought our family close together,” she reflected toTheMacNeil/Lehrer Reporton the campaign trail.
She traveled the country, often alone, giving speeches that she herself had prepared.
Social events were the least of her concern.
Improving access to and the quality of mental health services soon became Carter’s number one priority.
“She’d do anything for patients,” one of her fellow volunteers toldThe Times.
Now in her 90s, she remains committed to helping find paths to recovery from mental illnesses.
As Carter explained toFoxin 2020, “Millions are still suffering, and it’s so sad to me.
The stigma is still so bad.
So I wanted people to know what I know…
It’s all biological.
The brain, the mind is all part of our body, and we’ve learned that.”
