Elise Winter

JACKSON — Her grace and strength, in fact, have been a visible presence in her husband’s long and prosperous political career.

“There is no governor or first lady in the history of Mississippi who has served this state so long and so well as (the Winters),” said David Sansing, Mississippi historian and Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Mississippi.

Elise, a native of Senatobia, has stood firmly and lovingly beside William since 1947, when he was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives. Embracing a life of politics, she married him three years later.

A proponent for positive change in Mississippi, William served as state tax collector, state treasurer and lieutenant governor. After two unsuccessful gubernatorial runs, William was elected as the 57th governor of Mississippi in 1979. During his term and with his wife fully supporting him, William successfully pushed legislators to pass the historic Mississippi Education Reform Act of 1982 and rewrote the state public utilities law with the Public Utilities Reform Act.

In his more than six decades of public service, William Winter has had buildings named for him, served as a member of President Bill Clinton’s Advisory Board on Race, received the Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and had the William Winter Institute of Racial Reconciliation at Ole Miss named in his honor.

Elise Winter has been right there the whole time.

“He is the most acclaimed public servant in the United States,” Sansing said. “He’s been in politics for more than 60 years, and she’s been with him every step of the way.

“In almost every picture of Gov. Winter (in any official capacity), there she is standing right by him. She brings truth to the living expression, ‘Behind every great man, there is a great woman.’”

The scrapbook gallery on a wall in the Winters’ home in Jackson is proof. Framed photos show the people and places the couple encountered during William’s decades in public office and capture Elise in perhaps her truest form, next to her husband, welcoming visitors to her beloved home state.

William and Elise stand with such notables as John F. Kennedy, Merle Haggard, Hank Aaron, Eudora Welty, Leontyne Price, Archbishop Tutu, comedian Jerry Clower and good friends, Bill and Hillary Clinton. The list goes on and on.

Old campaign buttons sporting such slogans as “Winter: He’s for Real” and other memorabilia document the former governor’s long political journey to create a vivid look into this power couple’s past. The wall of fame could ignite conversations for days about the fascinating lives the Winters have led.

Elise doesn’t seem to mind reflecting on her life with William, her husband of nearly 65 years. In fact, many of those memories are captured in her recent book, Once in a Lifetime: Reflections of a Mississippi First Lady, a collection of journal writings she kept when William was governor.

“During William’s administration, our days were so full and the journal was a way to record what we were doing and what we were thinking in real-time,” she said. “It was meant to be a personal account for our family.”

The journals offer an engaging behind-the-scenes look at Elise’s life during that important time in our state’s history — when education and prison reform along with budget deficits were at the fore. The book serves as a historic record through her firsthand accounts.

“William and I were getting ready to take the journal and some other papers to the (Mississippi Department of Archives and History) and a couple of friends read it and suggested that it be published,” Elise said. “Having it published was never my intention. I simply wanted to record as much as possible so our family would have some kind of a record of our days in the mansion.”

Elise’s writings embody her giving spirit.

“Although people know who she is, not many people know how she is,” said JoAnne Prichard Morris, widow of renowned author Willie Morris and editor of Elise’s book. “We were trying to allow people to see her as a human being — as a mother, as a wife and a friend.”

The book also helps outline her role in politics as first lady, a busy job Morris said Elise took very seriously.

“Every day was so different and so full,” Elise said of the four-year term. “One day, I could be traveling, making a speech somewhere in the state. The next day, we could be welcoming a delegation from China and a classroom of children from one of the local schools. The day would often end with a dinner for 60 — we were never bored!”

The Mississippi Governor’s Mansion on East Capitol Street in Jackson is the second oldest continuously occupied governor’s residence in the United States. It’s one of only two state gubernatorial residences to receive the honor of being a National Historic Landmark. The Winters moved in just as the Mississippi Department of Archives and History had placed new regulations on the Mansion to ensure proper care and preservation, something the Winters strongly supported.

The couple had a busy four years living and working inside what they considered a museum. Elise played a vital role in acquiring furnishings to fit the style of the Mansion and hosted many dinner parties and events, including regular tours, to showcase its grandeur.

“William and I felt strongly that the Governor’s Mansion should be open and accessible to every citizen,” Elise said. “It is an architectural gem. Every Mississippian should regard the Mansion with great pride. We felt incredibly privileged to live there and we enjoyed every minute.

“The Mansion served multiple purposes. It was a living museum with guided tours going on every day, as well as the center for entertaining guests of every description. We welcomed a sitting president of the United States, two future presidents, numerous cabinet secretaries, two first ladies, ambassadors and foreign dignitaries, astronauts, nationally acclaimed figures in literature, sports and the arts. The Mansion provided an exquisite backdrop for entertaining. It also served as a working office for me and for William, due to the Capitol being closed for renovations at that time.”

She was not, however, always at the Mansion.

“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel around the state and see first-hand the challenges that so many people were facing in their day-to-day lives,” she said. “It was always refreshing to talk to people face-to-face. I was also struck by the fascinating ethnic and cultural diversity in the state.”

The four years in office brought a great deal of change for the Winters.

“On a personal level, we suffered the loss of both of our mothers while William was in office,” she said. “On the other end of the spectrum, we welcomed the birth of our first grandchild — the son of our oldest daughter, Anne, and her husband. We also had the privilege of seeing our middle daughter, Lele, married in a beautiful ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion.”

Through it all, family was top priority for the Winters. Elise was a devoted mother to their three daughters — Anne, Lele and Eleanor — and an active volunteer.

“I think I balanced my roles the way everybody else does — one day at a time,” she said. “The family always comes first, and everything else, with a little luck and hard work, usually falls into place.”

Sansing said Elise’s three grown daughters embody her devotion to family, as well as her grace and elegance.

“She has never abandoned her role,” Sansing explained. Her daughters “are living examples of what kind of mother she is.”

Sansing, a friend to the Winters since the 1960s, first met the family when he invited William, then serving as state tax collector, to speak to his American government class. The young professor was fascinated by the fact that a politician was trying to abolish his own post. William had opposed the position when he was a Legislator and, upon being elected as tax collector, the most lucrative of state-level government jobs at the time, urged legislators to abolish it. Its sole purpose, Sansing said, was to collect on an illegal alcohol tax.

“He was the only man in America in public office trying to get rid of his own job,” he said. “I didn’t know him, but I wrote him to ask if he would speak to my class. I was so impressed with this man that we became really, really good friends.”

Through his friendship with William Winter, Sansing came to know and respect Elise.

“You can’t be friends with William without being friends with Elise,” he said. “She’s so much a part of him.”

Even though Elise was a “busy first lady” who never sought the limelight or praise for her diligent work to improve the state’s prison system or to help reform education, the hard work didn’t stop when it was time to move out of the Mansion.

The duo’s work continues.

“Our days are full and we continue to be involved with the organizations we feel passionate about,” Elise said.

Each day, 92-year-old William goes to his law office at Jones Walker Law Firm in Jackson. He also travels across the state and country to give speeches. He is involved in the Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation and the building of the new Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History, both planned sites in Jackson.

Elise, always an avid gardener, spends time nurturing orchids in the greenhouse William built her. She goes on walks with Charlie Brown, the couple’s rescue schnauzer. She also remains heavily involved as a board member with Habitat for Humanity, which she helped organize in 1986 as the first of its kind in Mississippi.

“I have always had a keen interest in affordable housing and this was a cause I wanted to get more involved in,” she said. “Habitat is an extraordinary organization, and I am especially proud that we have just built our 600th house and we are still building!”

Much like her husband, Elise has put her heart into the things that matter to her. And, when it comes down to it, the thing that matters most is family. The couple has five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, including a set of twins.

“I hope I have been a good mother to my three girls and a loving partner to William,” she said. “I also hope, in some small fashion, I have given back in a meaningful way to the various causes I have cared deeply about.”

Elise knows her husband will long be remembered.

“My hope is that his legacy will be his support of public education, racial reconciliation and historic preservation,” she said. “Of course, he has been a marvelous husband and father to our girls.”

Despite her husband’s numerous achievements, Elise said she is most proud of his character.

“He has never compromised his values in order to be elected to any office,” she said. “In addition, he has a marvelous sense of humor and exemplifies grace under pressure. I am so proud of him!”

With the exception of country music and baseball (two things William loves), the Winters see eye-to-eye on most things. That, along with their undying love for their home state and family, is what makes them such a good team.

“I’ve never known another man and wife who were more dedicated and devoted to each other,” Sansing said.

STORY Lauchlin Fields
PHOTOGRAPHY Melanie Thortis