Governor Mike DeWine released a statement on the passing of Rosalynn Carter on Sunday night on social media.
Fran and I are saddened to learn about the death of First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Over the decades, she has been a strong advocate for increased access to mental health services, and her passion truly brought this issue into focus across the nation. Our prayers are with President Carter and the entire Carter family.
Senator Sherrod Brown called the former first lady a public servant guided by both “faith and her love for family and country.”
Rosalynn Carter was a public servant whose life was guided by faith and her love for family and country. Connie and I are holding President Carter and his entire family in our prayers.
Other state leaders expressed their condolences on social media.
Rep. Joyce Beatty called Carter “a beacon of hope and light.”
First Lady Rosalynn Carter was a beacon of hope and light—using her platform for humanitarian causes to make our world a better place. I send my heartfelt prayers and steadfast support to President Carter and the entire Carter family. May she rest in perfect peace.
Rep. Dave Joyce said Carter “was a remarkable humanitarian.”
Rosalynn Carter was a remarkable humanitarian. Her life of service to our nation and contributions to the mental health community will be remembered for generations to come. Kelly and I are praying for President Carter and their family during this difficult time.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden shared a joint statement mourning the death of Rosalynn Carter, CBS News reported.
“First Lady Rosalynn Carter walked her own path, inspiring a nation and the world along the way,” the Bidens said. “Throughout her incredible life as First Lady of Georgia and the First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn did so much to address many of society’s greatest needs. She was a champion for equal rights and opportunities for women and girls; an advocate for mental health and wellness for every person; and a supporter of the often unseen and uncompensated caregivers of our children, aging loved ones, and people with disabilities.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement that Carter “lived a life of service, faith, compassion, and unmatched moral leadership.
During her time in the White House, Rosalynn Carter redefined the role of First Lady. Through her courageous advocacy, Mrs. Carter helped bring the issue of mental health out from the shadows into the national spotlight and served as a champion for America’s caregivers. On her trips abroad, Mrs. Carter worked to advance human rights and human dignity. After leaving the White House, Mrs. Carter continued to serve our nation and the world—in particular, through her leadership of the Carter Center, which she founded with President Jimmy Carter to promote peace, improve public health, and support freedom and democracy around the globe. As a humanitarian, a public servant, and a global leader, Mrs. Carter improved the lives of millions—and inspired countless more to dedicate their lives to service. Her legacy will be a beacon for generations to come. Doug and I send our prayers to President Carter and the entire Carter family.
Funeral services for the former first lady will be held on November 29 in her hometown of Plains, Georgia.
For more information about the funeral, visit this website.
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary NEW YORK - JULY 16, 1974: Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn Carter wave to the delegates at the 1977 Democratic National Convention after Carter was nominated to run for President. (Photo by PL Gould/Images Press/Getty Images) (Images Press/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary American politician and US Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, celebrate victory in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary election, New Hampshire, February 24, 1976. (Photo by Mikki Ansin/Getty Images) (Mikki Ansin/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary FILE - In this July 10, 1976 file photo Jimmy Carter, his wife Rosalynn and daughter Amy, lower left, respond to a huge crowd that welcomed them to New York. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo, File) (Anonymous/AP)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary FILE - In this Dec. 13, 1978, file photo, President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn lead their guests in dancing at the annual Congressional Christmas Ball at the White House in Washington. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz, File) (Ira Schwarz/AP)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary ATLANTA - December 12: Former President Jimmy Carter with Former First Lady Rosalynn join Willie Nelson and perform at The Omni Coliseum in Atlanta Georgia. December 12, 1982 (Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images) (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Married couple, former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter pose for photographers during a book signing event, San Francisco, California, 1987. Several members of the Secret Service can be seen behind them. The couple were promoting their book, 'Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life'. (Photo by Bromberger Hoover Photo/Getty Images) (Bromberger Hoover Photography/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Atlanta - Circa October 1994; Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and Jimmy Carter attend Former President Jimmy Carter surprise 70th. birthday party at The Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta Georgia October, 1994 (Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images) (Rick Diamond)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2001, file photo former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, left, and his wife Rosalynn help build a house for the Jimmy Carter Work Project 2001, at Asan near Chonan city, south of Seoul, South Korea. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Yun Jai-hyoung, File) (YUN JAI-HYOUNG/AP)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Rosalynn Carter and Former President Jimmy Carter during Habitat for Humanity - 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project - Day 2 at Benton Harbor in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States. ***Exclusive*** (Photo by R. Diamond/WireImage) (R. Diamond/WireImage)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2009, file photo former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn look at a new interactive exhibit at the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrate their 75th anniversary this week on Thursday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) (John Bazemore/AP)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Jimmy Carter, Democratic presidential candidate, and his wife, Rosalynn, share a moment aboard his campaign plane (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 06: Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter arrive at the 2015 MusiCares Person of The Year honoring Bob Dylan held at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic) (Michael Tran/FilmMagic)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary WASHINGTON DC - JANUARY 1977; President Jimmy Carter with wife Rosalyn Carter, takes the oath of office from Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Warren Burger on stage in front of the White House in January 1977; (Photo by Nik Wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images) (nik wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary American politician and US Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, talk on the telephone after his victory in the Pennsylvania Primary election, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 27, 1976. (Photo by Mikki Ansin/Getty Images) (Mikki Ansin/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Outgoing US President Jimmy Carter (left) and First Lady Rosalynn Carter (second left) receive President-Elect Ronald Reagan and (future First Lady) Nancy Reagan at the White House, Washington DC, November 20, 1980. Reagan had just defeated Carted in the 1980 Presidential Election. (Photo by Diana Walker/Getty Images) (Diana Walker/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary American (future First Lady) Rosalynn Carter and her husband, politician (and future US President) Jimmy Carter on the day after 1976 Democratic National Convention, New York, New York, July 16, 1976. (Photo by Brownie Harris/Corbis via Getty Images) (BROWNIE HARRIS/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary ATLANTA - February 14: Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter attend Former Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter's fundraiser for his 1976 Presidential run at Royal Coach Inn Atlanta Georgia February 14, 1976 (Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images) (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary American politician and US Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter (center, right) and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, smile after his victory in the Pennsylvania Primary election, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 27, 1976. (Photo by Mikki Ansin/Getty Images) (Mikki Ansin/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Washington, D.C.: Amy Carter with her father Jimmy and mother Rosalynn Carter in a family suite at the Americana Hotel in Washington, D.C. on July 14, 1976. (Photo by Dick Yarwood/Newsday RM via Getty Images) (Newsday LLC/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter during Habitat for Humanity - 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project - Day 5 at Janette St. & Tecumseh St. West in Windsor, Canada. (Photo by R. Diamond/WireImage) (R. Diamond/WireImage)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary Jimmy Carter with his wife, Rosalynn, after a talk with the press in the woods near his home in Plains, Georgia (Owen Franken/Corbis via Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary NEWARK, NJ - 1996: MANDATORY CREDIT Bill Tompkins/Getty Images Former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalyn Carter working with Habitat for Humanity restoring homes May 1996 in Newark. (Photo by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images) (Bill Tompkins/Getty Images)
Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter: 75th wedding anniversary In this April 30, 2021, photo released by The White House, former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter pose for a photo with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the home of the Carter's in Plains Ga. (Adam Schultz, The White House via AP) (Adam Schultz/AP)
The Carters celebrated their 76th wedding anniversary on July 7, 2022. Here are images from their amazing life together.
1946: Ensign Jimmy Carter gets help with his epaulets from fiancee Rosalynn, at left, and his mother Miss Lillian, right, when graduating from the Naval Academy. Jimmy and Rosalynn began dating in 1945 and married one month after this photo.
1946: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter pose on their wedding day. The couple, who had both attended Plains High School, met through a mutual friend when Jimmy Carter was serving in the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.
Jimmy Carter's active naval service lasted from 1946-1953. During that time, they lived in Norfolk, Va., and John, James and Jeffrey were born. In 1953, they took over the family peanut business in Plains, Ga. Daughter Amy was born in 1967.
Carter became a Georgia state senator in 1963, an office he would hold until 1967. In 1966, he ran for governor but lost the Democratic primary election. The couple are seen here, in 1966, on that otherwise disappointing election night.
Four years later, Jimmy Carter would be elected governor in 1970, on his second try. Here, he celebrates on election night with Rosalynn and his mother Miss Lillian.
Gov. Jimmy Carter and Georgia's new First Lady Rosalynn Carter dance at the 1971 inaugural ball at the Regency Hotel in downtown Atlanta.
Georgia's First Couple travel through South America in 1972. Decades later the couple would put their wanderlust to good use through the Carter Center.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter greet the crowd during the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden. They are joined by Walter Mondale and his wife Joan.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are all smiles at Jimmy's 1977 Presidential Inauguration. At their side is the outgoing President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty.
Jimmy, Amy, and Rosalynn Carter walk down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House after the 1977 inauguration ceremony.
The nation's First Couple poses on the White House lawn with daughter Amy in 1977.
In 1980, the last year of his term, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter attend Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains.
In 1982, the Carters founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to "improve life for people in more than 80 countries." Here, they are seen in Indonesia in 1999, on a trip to observe elections.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in their Plains home in 2002.
In 2007, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter wear traditional Ghanaian attire, a gift from the chief of Tingoli village in northern Ghana, during a field trip to assess Carter Center disease prevention work in Africa.
Former president Jimmy Carter gets a kiss from Rosalynn on his 85th birthday, in 2009, during the reopening of the Carter Presidential Museum after a major renovation.
Rosalynn Carter gets emotional during a dedication ceremony and birthday celebration with staff and guests at the Day Chapel of the Ivan Allen III Pavilion at the Carter Center, in 2014.
President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter join in the Festival Dance on Main Street during the 18th Annual Plains Peanut Festival onSept. 27, 2014, in Plains.
Jimmy Carter, 89, and his wife Rosalynn, 86, hold hands as they leave the Maranatha Baptist Church following church services on Sunday, June 15, 2014, in Plains.
Jimmy Carter sneaks a kiss with Rosalynn while the couple works on a Habitat for Humanity build in Memphis in 2015.
Jimmy Carter kisses Rosalynn on the "Kiss Cam" during a baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays in Atlanta in 2015. Carter had recently announced his cancer diagnosis.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter talk about their years together in his office at the Carter Center in Atlanta in June 2016. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary July 7, 2016.