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Elizabeth Edwards biography

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Quick Facts

  • NAME: Elizabeth Edwards
  • OCCUPATION: Lawyer
  • BIRTH DATE: July 03, 1949
  • DEATH DATE: December 07, 2010
  • EDUCATION: Mary Washington College, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  • PLACE OF BIRTH: Jacksonville, Florida
  • PLACE OF DEATH: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
  • Originally: Mary Elizabeth Anania

Best Known For

Lawyer Elizabeth Edwards supported her husband John Edwards' presidential campaigns even when he admitted to infidelity. She died of breast cancer in 2010.

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In 2004, Edwards' husband began his next campaign - this time as the U.S. Vice Presidential nominee in partnership with United States Democratic Presidential nominee Senator John Kerry. Elizabeth devoted much of her time to helping her husband on the campaign trail. On November 3, 2004, the day Kerry conceded defeat in the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election, Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with breast cancer. After medical treatment,

Edwards went into remission.

Cancer

In 2007, however, the cancer returned. Elizabeth was helping her husband with his 2008 presidential bid at the time, and was considered one of his closest advisors. In spite of her diagnosis, Elizabeth made the decision to continue on with the campaign. But on August 8, 2008, Elizabeth was dealt another blow when her husband publicly admitted to an extramarital affair with campaign worker Rielle Hunter.

Experts speculate that the affair cost Edwards the campaign, and the public sided with Elizabeth, who continued to support her husband. After her husband lost the nomination to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, Elizabeth decided to serve as an advisor to Obama. Her husband also endorsed Obama during the later stages of the primary season.

In 2009, Elizabeth Edwards spoke out about the affair and life on the campaign trail in her book, Resilience. In it, she discusses the nausea she experienced after discovering the affair, and expressed her feelings about her husband's political aspirations.

Elizabeth passed away on December 7, 2010, after a long battle with breast cancer. She died surrounded by family and friends. In her final words, she said that "in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that, I am grateful."

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