Tributes Pour in for Former 1st Lady Rosalynn Carter: "A Compassionate and Committed Champion"

Rosalynn Carter, the wife and partner of Jimmy Carter, is being hailed as a champion of the overlooked and unrepresented after her death at age 96 was announced Sunday.

Tributes poured in Monday to former first lady Rosalynn Carter, a lifelong spokeswoman for those in need and women's rights. Her death at age 96 was announced Sunday, just days after she entered hospice care.

The wife of former President Jimmy Carter was a leader in her own right, from her very public support for the Equal Rights Amendment to her private work with charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.

"Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished," her husband said in a 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."

Jimmy Carter, 99, had entered hospice care earlier this year at the couple's house in Georgia. On Friday, the family announced that Rosalynn, who had earlier been diagnosed with dementia, began receiving the same care at their home.

"Rosalynn Carter's life is a reminder that no matter who we are, our legacies are best measured not in awards or accolades, but in the lives we touch," said former President Barack Obama. "We send our thoughts and prayers to Jimmy and the entire Carter family during this difficult time."

Former first lady Michelle Obama wrote, "Guided by her abiding faith and her commitment to service, Mrs. Carter used her platform in profoundly meaningful ways.

"Her groundbreaking work to combat the stigma faced by those struggling with their mental health brought light to so many suffering in silence. She advocated for better care for the elderly. She advanced women's rights," said Michelle Obama.

Bill and Hillary Clinton released a joint statement, saying "Rosalynn Carter was a compassionate and committed champion for human dignity everywhere," the Clintons said. "She was an unwavering voice for the overlooked and underrepresented."

Rosalynn Carter was the second longest-lived first lady. Bess Truman, the widow of President Harry S. Truman, died in 1987 at age 97.

The Carters are the longest-married couple in White House history. They were wed for 77 years.

Born in 1927 in Plains, the same Georgia hamlet that was home to Jimmy Carter, Eleanor Rosalynn Smith was delivered by her future husband's mother, who was a nurse. Jimmy was 3, and was taken to see the tiny town's new arrival.

They were wed in 1946 and from the beginning, both considered their marriage a union of equals. Rosalynn Carter would become the first lady of Georgia when her husband was elected governor.

At the White House, she carried a briefcase and attended cabinet meetings, National Security Council briefings and had a working lunch with her husband once a week to discuss presidential policies.

After Carter served one term and lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980, the couple immersed themselves in philanthropic work, notably donning construction helmets and tool belts to help build affordable housing for Habitat for Humanity.

"We are deeply saddened to learn that Rosalynn Carter has died," the organization said on social media. "She was a compassionate and committed champion of #HabitatforHumanity and worked fiercely to help families around the world."

The former first lady's funeral services will be held Nov. 29 at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains. The public is invited to a public viewing at  the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum on Nov. 28.

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