Jean Carnahan dead: First woman to represent Missouri in Senate dies

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.

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