Former Missouri Sen. Jean Carnahan, the first woman to represent the state in the Senate, has died at age 90.

Carnahan took her seat in the Senate in a unique and tragic scenario — her husband, former Gov. Mel Carnahan, was elected to the Senate posthumously after being killed in a plane crash weeks before the election. His wife was appointed in his stead and held the position for nearly two years until being ousted in a special election, losing by a narrow margin.

Her death was announced in a statement from her family.

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

Jean Carnahan, a Democrat, never ran for office again after her 2002 loss, opting instead to carry out activism and write books.