Pelosi: US mourns loss of ‘saintly and revered’ Rosalynn Carter

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) shared her condolences on the passing of former first lady Rosalynn Carter, saying the country is mourning the loss of a “saintly and revered public servant.” 

“Today, our nation mourns the loss of First Lady Rosalynn Carter, a saintly and revered public servant,” Pelosi said in a statement Sunday. “A leader deeply driven by her profound faith, compassion and kindness, First Lady Carter achieved transformational change that has brought hope and healing to countless families across America and all around the world.”

The former House Speaker touched on how Carter devoted her time being a humanitarian and an advocate for mental health, noting that she served as an honorary chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health. 

“At the same time, First Lady Carter was a powerful champion of our nation’s tens of millions of family and professional caregivers, a legacy carried on by the Georgia Southwestern State University Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving,” Pelosi said. 

Pelosi also described how Carter was an indispensable confidant and advisor to her husband, and she called Carter a pioneer as a first lady. 

She noted Carter’s diplomatic trip to Latin America in 1977 and her becoming the first sitting first lady to address the World Health Organization, where she spoke to the organization about the importance of mental health. 

“After leaving the White House, she remained an active and unwavering force for good.  Together, through their Carter Center and involvement in Habitat for Humanity, President and First Lady Carter have offered a beacon of light to every corner of the world. Their beautiful love and partnership was truly a wonder for all to behold,” Pelosi added. 

“May it be a comfort to President Carter, their children Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy, their many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and all of her loved ones that so many all over the globe are praying for them at this sad time.”

The Carter Center, a human rights nonprofit organization founded by Carter and her husband, former President Carter, announced Sunday afternoon that the former first lady passed away just after 2 p.m. Sunday at her home in Plains, Ga. Carter, 96, just entered hospice care two days ago.