Rosalynn Carter passed away at 96 on November 19, 2023, at her home in Plains, Georgia. Her death comes only two days after The Carter Center announced that she entered home hospice care. In May of 2023, the Carter Center publicly stated that she had dementia.
Rosalynn Carter, along with her husband, former United States President Jimmy Carter, heavily advocated for mental health, human rights and overall humanitarian change. In 1977, Mrs. Carter became the honorary chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health, which her husband established during his presidency. In this role, she accomplished great things, such as holding hearings across America, testifying before Congress and leading the way to the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980.
In 1982, the Carters founded The Carter Center in Atlanta to help “improve the quality of life for people in more than 80 countries”. To further promote the importance of mental health, Mrs. Carter began the Carter Center’s Mental Health Program. In addition to this, she also created the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism to ensure and encourage precise, in-depth reporting on mental health-related issues. Mrs. Carter also shed light on the importance of caregivers.
In her personal life, Rosalynn Carter was an individual of faith and was an active member, and deacon, at Maranatha Baptist Church. Aside from her time in the White House, Mrs. Carter was a lifelong resident of Plains, Georgia. She took pride in her hometown and cared greatly for Plain’s history. She served on the board of the Plains Historical Preservation Trust, as well as the Friends of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park board. Mrs. Carter has written five books on varying topics, such as life after Jimmy Carter’s presidency, mental health and helping others. The Carters had four children and 12 grandchildren.
Various ceremonies celebrating the life of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter were held from Monday, November 27 through Wednesday, November 29. The ceremonies took place in Sumter County, Georgia and Atlanta, Georgia.
“Do what you can to show you care about others, and you will make our world a better place.” — Rosalynn Carter
