Janette Howard (b. 1943), wife of former prime minister the Hon. John Howard OM AC, was born in Sydney. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales, she worked as a high school English teacher. A member of the Vaucluse Young Liberals, she met John at a Liberal Party function on Valentine's Day in 1970. They married the following year and had three children. Following surgery for cervical cancer in 1996, Janette was an advocate for early screening for breast cancer as a patron of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. She was the National Portrait Gallery's first chief patron, from 1999 to 2007. John described Janette as the 'love of his life' and his 'rock'.
Updated 2021
