Jan. 30 (UPI) — Jean Carnahan , the first woman senator for Missouri and the state’s former first lady, died Tuesday evening at the age of 90, her family said.
Carnahan died at a hospital in St. Louis following a brief illness, according to the 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.”
Jean Carnahan became Missouri’s first lady when her husband, Mel Carnahan , was elected the state’s governor in 1992. During her time in Missouri’s mansion, she focused on improving the lives of children through advocating for on-site daycare centers for working families and childhood immunization, among other issues, according to her biography on the Missouri State University website .
Tragically, her husband, a Democrat, died along with their eldest son, Randy, in a plane crash in October of 2000 as he was campaigning to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate — a seat that he would win posthumously.