Georgia Women: Their Lives and Times

Rosalynn Carter (1927– ): The President’s Partner

369 Rosalynn Carter (1927– ) The President’s Partner Scott Kaufman    During the past century, the first lady of the United States has adopted an increasingly activist role. Eleanor Roosevelt traveled overseas on goodwill missions and fought for greater rights for African Americans. Jacqueline Kennedy promoted the arts, while Lady Bird Johnson encouraged environmentalism. Pat Nixon endorsed volunteerism; Betty Ford fought for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (era) and greater awareness of the danger posed by breast cancer ; Nancy Reagan had influence over her husband’s schedule; Laura Bush denounced the nation of Myanmar for human rights violations. Yet of the nation’s first ladies since World War II—indeed, one could argue that of all first ladies— none was more involved in her husband’s administration than Rosalynn Carter. While in some respects she followed precedents set by her predecessors, such as endorsing policies of a maternalist nature, she broke new boundaries, involving herself in political and personnel decisions as no president’s wife had before her. In the process, she generated a debate over the proper role of the first lady. Eleanor Rosalynn Smith was born in August 1927 in Botsford, Georgia. Her father, William Edgar, worked as a bus driver and auto mechanic in the nearby town of Plains, while her mother, Frances Allethea (or simply “Allie” to those who knew her), was a seamstress. Living conditions for the Smiths—who by 1936 had added two more sons and a daughter to their family—were not easy. Edgar had lost his life savings in 1926 when the bank in Plains had failed. The family home lacked an indoor bathroom or central heating. Summertime heat and humidity required keeping the windows open; while this would not necessarily be a problem, it was for the Smiths, for cars or wind kicked up dust from a nearby road, which then blew into the house. Cleaning, thus, became all the Rosalynn Carter First Lady of the United States, First Lady of Georgia, author, reformer. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. Rosalynn Carter 371 more of a chore. Despite such difficulties, Rosalynn remembered a happy childhood . Though strict parents, Edgar and Allie doted on their children. Rosalynn herself spent her free time with her siblings and with other children in the neighborhood or, when alone, read, sewed, and played with her dolls. Religion and education became central to Rosalynn’s life. Allie, whose mother and father were devout churchgoers, insisted that her children attend church weekly. Edgar regretted his failure to get an education and did not want his kids to make the same mistake. To please her father, Rosalynn pushed herself hard in school. While there, she met two teachers who had a particularly strong influence upon her: Thelma MacArthur and Julia Coleman, Rosalynn’s seventh- and eight-grade instructors, respectively. MacArthur encouraged her students to read newspapers and listen to the radio. Coleman believed that a well-rounded pupil was one who knew not just the three Rs, but who also had an appreciation for music and art. From these teachers the future first lady began “to discover a world of interesting people and faraway places,” and developed an appreciation for cultural diversity. Rosalynn’s happy childhood came crashing down during her eighth-grade year when she learned her father had terminal cancer. “I was devastated. . . . My childhood really ended at that moment,” she recounted. Edgar passed away shortly thereafter, meaning that Allie and the Smith children had to assume new responsibilities, such as overseeing the family finances. Those duties grew the following year when Allie’s mother died and her father moved into the house. Though the Smiths had some money coming in from Edgar’s insurance and from renting out the farm, it was not enough to cover the bills. Allie thus got employment as a school lunchroom worker and then as a postmistress, leaving it up to Rosalynn to watch over her brothers and sister. Additionally, Allie used her oldest daughter as a sounding board, discussing with her matters ranging from money to jobs. Rosalynn had, in short, at the age of thirteen become the cohead of the household , acting as adviser to her mother and role model to her siblings. One can assume that role was not easy. On the one hand, she came from family in which, she later wrote, “the women always have worked, and worked hard.” Moreover, she looked up to her mother...