Couples
Former President Jimmy Carter and Late Wife Rosalynn’s Love Story Was Sweet: Inside Their Marriage
Former President Jimmy Carter’s longtime wife, Rosalynn Carter, loved being by his side. The couple got married in 1946 and had a whirlwind romance that lasted more than seven decades before her death. Keep scrolling to learn more about his late spouse and their marriage.
How Did Jimmy Carter Meet Late Wife Rosalynn Carter?
Jimmy and Rosalynn grew up together in Plains, Georgia. Their families lived next door to each other throughout their childhoods. Their friendship blossomed into a romance in the summer of 1945 when they reconnected in their hometown. While hanging out with his sister and her boyfriend, he spotted Rosalynn standing in front of a church and decided to ask her on a date.
“The moon was full in the sky, conversation came easy and I was in love … and on the way home, he kissed me!” the former first lady gushed in her 1984 book, First Lady from Plains.
At the time, Jimmy was a midshipman in the Naval Academy. Though he had to travel a lot during the beginning stages of their relationship, the pair wrote letters to each other and kept the spark alive. Rosalynn loved to sew and helped out her mother, a dressmaker, with some of her work in Georgia.
The politician proposed to his beloved when she visited him at the Maryland-based academy. They were married soon after at the church in which he first asked her out.
Do Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Have Any Children Together?
During their first few years of married life, they lived on Naval bases in Hawaii, Virginia and California. The couple welcomed four children together: John “Jack” Carter, Donnel Carter, James Carter and Amy Carter. Their eldest three children arrived while their father was still in the Navy. He left active duty in 1953 due to his father’s death from pancreatic cancer.
The lovebirds eventually ended up taking over the Carter family’s peanut farm. Rosalynn became a full-time working mom. Jimmy ran for Senate in 1962 and later served as the Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975.
Rosalynn joined her hubby on the presidential trail beginning in 1974. Three years later, she was beaming at his presidential inauguration as they prepared to step into the White House. Amy was still a child and grew up there during her father’s presidency which lasted from 1977 to 1981.
After their time living in the White House, the couple continued to dedicate their time to human rights issues, advocating for mental health care and improving global health. Despite both facing medical issues of their own, Jimmy and Rosalynn prioritized spending time together and doing the things they loved.
“We found out a long time ago that we needed to share everything,” he told The Washington Post in July 2021. “I gave her plenty of space. She does what she wants to, and I do what I want to. But then we searched for things that we could do together.”
On November 19, 2023, The Carter Center announced Rosalynn’s death at age 96.
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” Jimmy said in a statement after his wife’s passing. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
