Right Pundits

Meet Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former presidential hopeful John Edwards. Read her biography and see photos and a video of her below.

Elizabeth Edwards was conspicuous by her absence at her husband’s side when he endorsed Barack Obama for President. Elizabeth has been a vocal supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton’s health plan and has made no secret of chatting with Clinton on the phone since her husband’s endorsement of Obama. There are a lot of rumors that the Edwards are not in agreement on the endorsement.

Elizabeth Edwards is a strong willed, outspoken, professional woman who many people view as a strong advocate for health care and women’s issues.

Mary Elizabeth Anania was born on July 3, 1949 in Jacksonville, Florida. She is 58-years-old. Edwards is the daughter of Vincent Anania, who was a United States Naval pilot and spent most of her childhood in Japan where her father was stationed. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received all of her higher education. Her undergraduate and graduate degrees are in English. She went on to earn a J. D.

She met John Edwards while they were both students at the University of North Carolina. They married on July 30, 1977. They have four children; Wade, Catherine, Emma Claire and Jack. Their oldest son, Lucius Wade Edwards, was killed in a car accident in April 1996. Following his death, the Edwards decided to have more children. Emma Claire Edwards was born in 1998 when Elizabeth was 48 and Jack Edwards was born in 2000 when she was 50. The family lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They got some negative publicity due to the $6 million, 29,000-square-foot new home they built there.

Elizabeth retired from her career as an attorney in 1996 and has since devoted her time to a foundation the family set up and named for their son, the Wade Edwards Foundation, and assisting her husband with his political career. She was diagnosed with breast cancer on November 3, 2004, the same day that John Edwards and Presidential hopeful John Kerry conceded defeat in the 2004 presidential election. She has written a book on her struggles with dealing with her son’s death and having breast cancer, Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers.

The Edwardses reported that the cancer was in remission in 2006, but had to report that it had returned in March 2007. She is currently undergoing treatment for stage IV breast cancer that is reported to have metastasized to her lungs and bones. She has recently stated that she is not experiencing symptoms from her cancer and is continuing treatments.