Eleanor McGovern | Wife of former senator, 85

Eleanor McGovern, 85, the wife of former South Dakota Sen. George McGovern, died yesterday, according to a funeral home in Mitchell, S.D.

The Bittner Funeral Chapel did not give a cause of death. She had suffered heart problems for five years and underwent bypass surgery last year.

George McGovern, 84, represented South Dakota in the House from 1957 to 1961 and the Senate from 1963 to 1981. He was the 1972 Democratic presidential nominee, losing to Richard Nixon.

Ms. McGovern campaigned for her husband across the country. Her memoir, Uphill: A Personal Story, was published in 1973.

Eleanor Stegeberg was born Nov. 25, 1921, in Woonsocket, S.D. She was introduced to her future husband when her debate team defeated McGovern's while he was a student at Mitchell High School.

She is survived by her husband and four children.