Eleanor McGovern, the wife of former Sen. George McGovern, died Thursday, according to a funeral home. She was 85.

Bittner Funeral Chapel in Mitchell did not give a cause of death. Eleanor McGovern 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 49 states to Richard Nixon.

Eleanor McGovern campaigned for her husband across the country and appeared frequently on television and radio programs on national and international issues.

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.

Her memoir, "Uphill: A Personal Story," was published in 1973.

She is survived by her husband and four children. A funeral service was planned for Saturday in Mitchell.