Eleanor Rosalynn Smith Carter (born August 18, 1927), commonly known as Rosalynn Carter, is the wife of the former President of the United States Jimmy Carter, and in that capacity served as the First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981. As First Lady and after, she was a leading advocate for numerous causes, perhaps most prominently for mental health research. She was politically active in her White House years as her husband's closest adviser as well, and sat in on Cabinet and policy meetings. She also served as an envoy abroad, most prominently to Latin America.
In January 1975, when his gubernatorial term was over, Mr. Carter, along with Rosalynn and Amy, went back to Plains. He had already announced his plans to run for President of the United States. Rosalynn returned to the campaign trail, this time in a national quest for support for her husband. She campaigned alone on his behalf in 41 states.

During the months she was campaigning across the country, Rosalynn was elected to the board of directors of the National Association of Mental Health; she was honored by the National Organization for Women with an Award of Merit for her vigorous support for the Equal Rights Amendment; and she received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Southwestern Association of Volunteer Services.

During her years in the White House, Rosalynn was honored by many organizations and received numerous awards. She served as honorary chair of the President's Commission on Mental Health, the work of which resulted in the 'passage of the Mental Health Systems Act. She was named the Volunteer of the Decade by the National Mental Health Association. Rosalynn also received two honorary degrees as First Lady: a Doctor of Humanities degree from Tift College and a Doctor of Humane Letters degree 'from Morehouse College.

Since returning to Plains, Mrs. Carter has received the Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association, the Distinguished Service Award for Leadership in Christian Social Ethics from the Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and in August of 1983, she was elected to the board of directors of the Gannett Company, Inc. In April of 1984, Mrs. Carter became a member of the board of advisors of Habitat for Humanity, Inc.

Her autobiography, FIRST LADY FROM PLAINS, was published in May of 1984. That same month, she was made an Honorary Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and is also board member emeritus of the National Mental Health Association. She is also co-author of EVERYTHING TO GAIN: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Live, 1987. Mrs. Carter's most recent book, HELPING YOURSELF HELP OTHERS, explores how we can learn to "approach care giving as a blessing as well as a challenging task." It draws on her personal experiences and those of she has encountered both as First Lady and as the Director of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Human Development.

Rosalynn Carter quotes:

“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.”

“You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.”

“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.”

“If we have not achieved our early dreams, we must either find new ones or see what we can salvage from the old. If we have accomplished what we set out to do in our youth, we need not weep like Alexander the Great that we have no more worlds to conqu”

“Do what you can to show you care about other people, and you will make our world a better place.”

“Don't worry about polls, but if you do, don't admit it.”

“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.”

“Informed journalists can have a significant impact on public understanding of mental health issues, as they shape debate and trends with the words and pictures they convey, ... They influence their peers and stimulate discussion among the general public, and an informed public can reduce stigma and discrimination.”

“There was no way I could understand our defeat. I had to grieve over our loss before I could look to the future. Where could our lives possibly be as meaningful as they might have been in the White House?”




tags: rosalynn carter, jimmy carter, rube goldberg, richard nixon, watergate, george bush