A statement issued by the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, marked the Dec. 29, 2024, death of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and mistakenly extended condolences to former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died in 2023.
A rumor circulating online claimed the office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott mistakenly sent condolences to deceased former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter following the Dec. 29, 2024, death of her husband, former President Jimmy Carter. Rosalynn Carter died at 96 on Nov. 19, 2023. Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, died at 100 on Dec. 29, 2024, and holds the title of the oldest-ever U.S. president.
One reader emailed Snopes, “Did Gov. Abbott really send condolences to Rosalynn Carter on Jimmy’s death even though she’s been dead over a year?” Another reader sent, “Did Texas Governor Gregg Abbot send condolences to Rosalynn Carter on Jimmy Carter’s passing even though she’s deceased?” The second reader included a link to a Yahoo-hosted article published by The Daily Beast, reading, “Texas Gov Mistakenly Sends Condolences to Jimmy Carter’s Dead Wife.”
Our search of Abbott’s X profile located a post offering “prayers and deepest condolences to the entire Carter family.” The post also featured a link to a full statement on the website for Abbott’s gubernatorial office.
A search for the same statement link on the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine — a tool archiving previous versions of websites — revealed Abbott’s office truly did mistakenly originally offer “prayers and deepest condolences to First Lady Rosalynn Carter and the entire Carter family.”
The original statement read:
Cecilia and I mourn the loss of former President Jimmy Carter alongside millions of Americans across the country. Our nation remains the greatest beacon of freedom and opportunity in the world because of our fearless chief executives who are our guiding force through the best and worst of times. For that, we owe President Carter our enduring gratitude for his service as the 39th President of the United States. Having led a life marked by selfless service to the American people, President Carter leaves behind a great legacy as a husband, father, naval officer, governor, and Nobel prize winner, and he will be greatly missed by many. Cecilia and I send our prayers and deepest condolences to First Lady Rosalynn Carter and the entire Carter family.
We contacted Abbott’s office to inquire about the error. Our email asked if they prepared the statement prior to Rosalynn Carter’s death, similar to how some news organizations write what the Poytner Institute calls “advance obituaries” for prominent figures years before their deaths. We will update this story if we receive a response.
Sources
Barrow, Bill, and Alex Sanz. “Jimmy Carter, the 39th US President, Has Died at 100.” The Associated Press, 29 Dec. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-carter-dies-18c198c20352c835bca3eec276020dd7.
“Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter Passes Away at Age 96.” The Carter Center, 19 Nov. 2023, https://www.cartercenter.org/news/pr/2023/statement-rosalynn-carter-111923.html.
Fu, Angela. “Some News Organizations Have Hundreds of Obituaries Ready to Publish.” Poynter, 26 Sept. 2022, https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2022/why-newspapers-write-publish-advance-prewritten-obits/.
“Governor Abbott Statement On Passing Of Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.” Office of the Texas Governor | Greg Abbott, 29 Dec. 2024, https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-statement-on-passing-of-former-u.s-president-jimmy-carter.
“—.” Internet Archive Wayback Machine, Office of the Texas Governor | Greg Abbott, 29 Dec. 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/20241230011429/https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-statement-on-passing-of-former-u.s-president-jimmy-carter.
Marchionni, Doreen. “Jimmy Carter, Longest-Lived US President, Dead at 100.” Snopes, 29 Dec. 2024, https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/12/29/jimmy-carter-dead-at-age-100/.
Murphy, Joe. “The 10 Presidents Who Lived the Longest — and the Shortest.” NBC News, 29 Dec. 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/10-presidents-lived-longest-shortest-rcna72540.