Carnahan, Jean Anne (1933-2024), a Democrat, represented Missouri in the United States Senate in 2001 and 2002. Carnahan was appointed to serve the first two years of a six-year Senate term after the death of her husband, Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan. When Mel Carnahan died, he had been running for the Senate seat to which his wife was later appointed. In 2002, Jean Carnahan campaigned to hold the seat for the remaining four years of the term but lost the election. She left office in November 2002.
Jean Anne Carpenter was born in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 20, 1933. She married Mel Carnahan in 1954, while she was a student at George Washington University. The couple had known each other since high school. She received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the university in 1955. The couple had four children: Russ, Tom, Robin, and Roger, called “Randy.”
Mel Carnahan was killed in an airplane crash less than a month before the 2000 election. His son Randy, the pilot of the plane, also died in the crash. According to Missouri law, Mel Carnahan died too late in the election to have his name removed from the ballot. Lieutenant Governor Roger B. Wilson was sworn in as governor after Carnahan’s death. Wilson said he would appoint Carnahan’s widow if the voters elected Carnahan. Governor Carnahan got more votes than his Republican opponent, John Ashcroft, another former governor. Governor Wilson then appointed Jean Carnahan to the Senate. She took office in January 2001.
Although Jean Carnahan had never previously held a political office, she had been a close political partner with her husband during their 46 years of marriage. As first lady of Missouri, she lobbied for such children’s issues as preschool education, day care, and immunization. Carnahan wrote several books, including If Walls Could Talk (1998), Don’t Let the Fire Go Out! (2004), and The Tide Always Comes Back (2009). Two of Carnahan’s children have been involved in politics. Her daughter, Robin, served as Missouri secretary of state, and her son Russ served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Jean Carnahan died on Jan. 30, 2024.
