Jean Carnahan

Jean Anne Carnahan (née Carpenter; born December 20, 1933) is an American politician and writer who was the First Lady of Missouri from 1993 to 2000, and served as the state's junior United States senator from 2001 to 2002. A Democrat, she was appointed to fill the Senate seat of her husband Mel Carnahan, who had been posthumously elected, becoming the first woman to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate.

Jean Carnahan
United States Senator
from Missouri
In office
January 3, 2001 – November 23, 2002
Appointed byRoger B. Wilson
Preceded byMel Carnahan (elect)
John Ashcroft
Succeeded byJim Talent
First Lady of Missouri
In role
January 11, 1993 – October 16, 2000
GovernorMel Carnahan
Preceded byJanet Ashcroft
Succeeded byPatricia Wilson
Personal details
Born
Jean Anne Carpenter

(1933-12-20) December 20, 1933
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1954; died 2000)​
Children4, including Russ and Robin
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)

Early life

Born Jean Anne Carpenter in Washington, D.C., to a working-class family, Carnahan was determined to go to college. She and her future husband, Mel, both went to Anacostia High School where they sat next to each other in class.[1] Jean worked through the year while attending George Washington University. She graduated in 1955 with a degree in Business and Public Administration, the first in her family to graduate from high school and college. She is an alumna of Kappa Delta sorority.[2]

She married Mel Carnahan in 1954 and two years later they moved to his home state of Missouri.

Career

As her husband entered politics, she became his political partner, taking an active role writing his speeches and helping run all 20 of his campaigns.[3][4] She was also active in her own right, leading petition drives for mental health and school bonds in Rolla.[5]

First Lady of Missouri

He was elected Governor of Missouri, serving from 1993 to 2000. She was an activist First Lady: an advocate for on-site daycare centers for working families, childhood immunization,[6] abuse centers, the arts, and Habitat for Humanity.[4][7] She also made a priority of restoring the Governor's mansion to make it more open to the public.[8] During her tenure she wrote two books about Missouri history, including If Walls Could Talk: The Story of Missouri's First Families in 1998, and Christmas at the Mansion in 1999. She also wrote Will You Say a Few Words? , a compilation of speeches she gave, in 2000.[9][10]

U.S. Senate
Main articles: 2000 United States Senate election in Missouri and 2002 United States Senate special election in Missouri

In 2000, Governor Carnahan ran for a Senate seat from Missouri against incumbent Republican John Ashcroft in a hotly contested battle, in which senate control was on the line. Three weeks before election day, the governor was killed in an airplane crash, along with their son Randy (who piloted the plane) and Chris Sifford, the governor's chief of staff and campaign advisor. Due to the short amount of time before the election, Missouri election law did not allow his name to be removed from the ballot. Acting Governor Roger B. Wilson announced that he would appoint Jean Carnahan if her husband were to posthumously win the election, making her effectively the Democratic candidate by proxy.[1]

Jean Carnahan initially was unsure whether she was up for running for the seat. But as she saw an outpouring of support from Missouri voters, and wanting to continue her husband's work, Carnahan announced her intent to accept Wilson's appointment.[11][12]

The race had been close before the accident, and Mel Carnahan posthumously won (51%–48%), receiving 1.19 million votes out of 2.36 million cast. Jean Carnahan was appointed to the Senate in 2001, but under Missouri law, she would serve only until a special election could be held in 2002.[13]

Tenure
Senator Jean Carnahan meeting with South Korean President Kim Dae-jung

Upon her swearing in, Carnahan became the first women to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate. The defeated Ashcroft was subsequently nominated by President George W. Bush to be the United States Attorney General. Carnahan had offered praise to him and opposed a proposed effort to filibuster his nomination, but ultimately voted against Ashcroft's nomination.[14] The move was seen as an 'act of conscience' but was a point of contention among Republicans.[15]

Carnahan also took a lead on other issues. She supported the merger between Trans World Airlines, who had 12,000 employees in St. Louis, and American Airlines,[16] calling it a "rescue mission" and persuaded fellow senators to not intervene.[17] She also sponsored legislation to provide economic benefits and health care for laid off airline workers post-9/11.[18] She voted in favor of the Bush Tax Cuts.[19]

On the evening of September 8, 2001, Carnahan was at her house in Rolla when it caught fire. According to her chief of staff, she had "heard a noise" prior to learning about the fire from her brother-in-law. Carnahan was not harmed and was able to get out of the house.[11]

In 2002, the special election was held for the remainder of the six-year term. Carnahan formally announced her campaign April 28, 2002, and entered as one of the most vulnerable incumbents up that cycle.[20] She was defeated in a close race by Republican Jim Talent; the margin was only 22,000 votes (49.8–48.6%).[21]

Post-Senate

In 2004, Carnahan's son, Russ Carnahan, was elected to Congress, and her daughter Robin Carnahan was elected Missouri Secretary of State. Robin's bid to follow her mother as a United States senator failed, however, when she was defeated by Republican U.S. Representative Roy Blunt in the 2010 election to succeed retiring Republican Senator Kit Bond.[22] Russ Carnahan lost his House seat in the 2012 elections after his district was eliminated, forcing him to run in a Democratic primary against fellow incumbent William Lacy Clay, Jr., whose district encompassing inner-city St. Louis was kept largely intact.[23]

Since losing her Senate race, Jean Carnahan has continued as an activist and author. She has written six books and numerous opinion pieces. The title of her 2004 book is a phrase used during the 2000 campaign to elect her husband to the Senate after his death, Don't Let the Fire Go Out.

She is among the former Missouri First Ladies who have participated in the cherry blossom tree planting in Marshfield, Missouri.

Electoral history
  • 2000 race for U.S. Senate
  • 2002 race for U.S. Senate (special election to fill remainder of term)

Books
  • (1998) If Walls Could Talk: The Story of Missouri’s First Families. MMPI ISBN 978-0-9668992-0-7.
  • (1999) Christmas at the Mansion. MMPI ISBN 978-0-9668992-1-4.
  • (2000) Will You Say a Few Words?. Walsworth Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-8262-1513-0.
  • (2004) Don’t Let the Fire Go Out!. University of Missouri Press. ISBN 978-0-8262-1513-0.
  • (2009) The Tide Always Comes Back. Skyhorse Publishing ISBN 978-1-60239-744-6.
  • (2012) A Little Help from My Friends...and Other Hilarious Tales of Graying Graciously. Vantage Point Books ISBN 978-1-936467-23-5.

See also

References
  1. "Carnahan, Jean". Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  2. "Kappa Delta Sorority". February 19, 2009. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  3. Whitney, Catherine (2001). Nine and Counting: The Women of the Senate. Harper Perennial. p. 228.
  4. Missouri Secretary of State (2001). "Missouri State Manual 2001-2002" (PDF). Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  5. "Candidates wives would be active, visible". The Southeast Missourian. Associated Press. February 17, 1984. p. 17. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  6. "OnPolitics (washingtonpost.com)". The Washington Post. January 13, 2001. Archived from the original on January 13, 2001. Retrieved August 25, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. Mieszkowski, Katharine (November 10, 2000). "Behind every dead candidate ..." Salon. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  8. Romano, Lois (December 19, 2000). "Carrying On - The Washington Post". Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  9. "Books – Jean Carnahan". Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  10. "Jean Carnahan a die-hard Democrat". The Southeast Missourian. Associated Press. October 25, 2000. pp. 9A. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  11. "Sen. Jean Carnahan's house catches fire". CNN.com. September 9, 2001. Archived from the original on September 12, 2001. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  12. "Jean Carnahan Accepts Senate Offer - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. October 27, 2000. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  13. "OnPolitics -- Political Junkie". The Washington Post. August 4, 2016. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. "Carnahan Casts Difficult 'No' on Ashcroft - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. August 25, 2023. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. Charton, Scott (February 4, 2001). "Sen. Carnahan's 'act of conscience' criticized". The Southeast Missourian. pp. 4A. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  16. Davidson, Lee (February 7, 2001). "Is airline competition a killer?". Deseret News. Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  17. Zuckman, Jill (April 22, 2002). "A widow's deeds". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  18. "CNN.com - Democrats zero in on economic stimulus - November 17, 2001". www.cnn.com. November 17, 2001. Archived from the original on November 17, 2001. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  19. admin (May 23, 2001). "Bond And Carnahan Vote For Bush Tax Cut Package". Missourinet. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  20. Suhr, Jim (April 29, 2002). "Carnahan formally launches campaign". The Southeast Missourian. pp. 3A. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  21. "Talent Ousts Carnahan in Close Race". STLPR. November 6, 2002. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  22. "Missouri - Election Results 2010 - The New York Times". www.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  23. Miller, Jonathan (August 8, 2012). "Missouri: William Lacy Clay Shellacs Russ Carnahan in St. Louis-Area Democratic Primary". Roll Call. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
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