Jean Carnahan represented Missouri in the U.S. Senate and was the former first lady of Missouri.
- Died: January 30, 2024 (Who else died on January 30?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospice facility in St. Louis County, Missouri after a brief illness at the age of 90.
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Jean Carnahan’s legacy
Carnahan was the wife of Mel Carnahan, who served as governor of Missouri from 1993 to 2000. She took an active role in his political life, helping run his campaigns and co-writing his speeches. As first lady, she was an advocate for families, calling for more accessible childcare and supporting shelters for domestic abuse victims. She also wrote books of Missouri history while in the governor’s mansion: “If Walls Could Talk: The Story of Missouri’s First Families” and “Christmas at the Mansion.”
Governor Carnahan made his bid for national politics in 2000, running for U.S. Senate as a Democrat. But just three weeks before the election, tragedy struck as he was killed in a plane crash along with their son, Randy, and the governor’s chief of staff. It was too late to mount a new campaign, so Acting Governor Roger B. Wilson announced that Carnahan would be appointed senator if her husband posthumously won. That win happened, and she became Missouri’s first female senator.
Under Missouri law, Carnahan wouldn’t automatically serve an entire six-year term but would only serve until a special election could be held. When that election was held in 2002, Carnahan ran, but she lost by a narrow margin, ultimately serving just under two years in the Senate. Only one other woman has represented Missouri in the Senate since then, Democrat Claire McCaskill.
After her time in national politics, Carnahan continued writing, publishing a food blog as well as such books as “Don’t Let the Fire Go Out.”
Notable quote
“When I was a kid, I used to read Superman comics. I always wanted to be Lois Lane. I really wanted to be a newspaper reporter.” —from a 2017 interview for Riverfront Times
Tributes to Jean Carnahan
Full obituary: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
