Jean Carnahan, first Missouri woman in U.S. Senate and former Missouri first lady, dies

Jean Carnahan, the first Missouri woman to serve in the U.S. Senate and a former Missouri first lady, died Tuesday. She was 90.

Carnahan died peacefully after a brief illness, a spokesperson for the family said in a statement.

“Mom passed peacefully after a long and rich life,” her family said. “She was a fearless trailblazer. She was brilliant, creative, compassionate and dedicated to her family and her fellow Missourians.”

Carnahan, a Democrat, was appointed to the Senate after her husband, Gov. Mel Carnahan, posthumously won election to the Senate after he was killed in a plane crash 22 days before the 2000 election.

She served two years in the Senate, from Jan. 3, 2001 to Nov. 25, 2002, where she championed issues such as education, children, seniors and working families.

The Carnahan family name is well-known and connected within Missouri politics. Numerous political figures across Missouri shared support for her family and remembrances after news of the death.

Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, said in a statement she will be remembered for “her deep, abundant love for the people of this great state.”

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas posted that “We won’t let the fire go out” — a nod to the title of Carnahan’s autobiography.

“Thank you to Jean Carnahan for a lifetime of love and service to the people of Missouri and our country,” he said. “My condolences to all who loved her and knew her.”

Former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, called Carnahan a “wonderful woman” on social media.

“Senator Jean Carnahan who survived tragedy with grit and grace, a woman who served others both in and out of the public eye,” McCaskill said. “I know her family will miss her terribly, along with all of us lucky enough to be her friend.”

While in the Senate, Carnahan was also only the fifth woman to ever serve on the Armed Services Committee. She pushed to improve conditions for military personnel, including securing health care benefits for returning National Guard personnel and reservists.

While first lady of Missouri, Carnahan supported on-site day care centers for families, domestic violence shelters and arts education. She also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, according to a news release.

Carnhan wrote seven books, including two that focused on the Missouri governor’s mansion. Her autobiography, “Don’t Let the Fire Go Out!”, detailed her time as first lady and senator.

Her daughter Robin Carnahan served as Missouri secretary of state from 2005 to 2013 and her son Russ Carnahan was in the U.S. House from 2005 to 2013. He now chairs the Missouri Democratic Party.

Carnahan, born Dec. 20, 1933, in Washington, D.C., is survived by three children and five grandchildren. Her eldest son, Roger “Randy” Carnahan, was also killed in the plane crash that killed her husband.

The family is planning a public celebration of her life in St. Louis, which will be announced at a later date, according to the news release. Her family will host a private ceremony at Carson Hill Cemetery near Ellsinore in southeastern Missouri, where she will be laid to rest next to her husband and son.