The Secret to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's Incredible 77-Year Marriage

After nearly 80 years together, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have one of the most endearing love stories of our time. The 39th president and first lady met when she was just one day old, and they were married on July 7, 1946. They shared 77 years of marriage until Rosalynn Carter's death on November 19, 2023—a rare feat for couples in the public eye today. In fact, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were the longest-married presidential couple of all time. (They surpassed the 73-year record held by George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush in 2019.)

Following his wife's passing, Carter released an emotional statement calling her "my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished," adding, "As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me." Although they endured their fair share of hardships, there's so much we can learn from Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's endearing partnership. We look back on their 77-year marriage, including their complete relationship timeline, sweet details from their wedding day, and the secret to how they made their romance last nearly eight decades.

In this article:

• Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's Relationship Timeline
• Inside Jimmy and Wife Rosalynn Carter's Wedding
• The Secret to The Carters' Marriage

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's Relationship Timeline

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1927: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Meet for the First Time

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's love story began in Plains, Georgia, a small town of 600 people. Rosalynn Carter never lived a day without knowing her husband, because their lives were intertwined from the very beginning. Jimmy Carter was born to parents James and Bessie "Lillian" Carter in 1924, while Rosalynn was born three years later in 1927. Not only were James and Lillian neighbors with Rosalynn's parents, Edgar and Allie Smith, Lillian was a nurse who helped deliver Rosalynn.

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Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter "met" just days after she was born. During her childhood, Rosalynn became friends with Jimmy's younger sister Ruth. She claimed that she first fell in love with Jimmy after seeing a photo of him in his navy uniform. In her memoir, First Lady from Plains, Rosalynn recalled her early feelings for Jimmy, writing, "I thought he was the most handsome young man I had ever seen." For years, she tried to catch his attention, but to no avail.

1945: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Have Their First Date

Despite knowing each other for their entire lives, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter didn't become romantically involved until the summer of 1945. While visiting home from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Jimmy's plans with another girl were canceled. When he saw his sister and his future wife spending time together, he asked Rosalynn (then a first-year student at Georgia Southwestern College) to the movies… and the rest was history.

In a 2015 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Jimmy recalled their first date, saying, "I can't really quantify it all, describe it in words. But I knew that she was quiet. She was extremely intelligent. She was very timid, by the way, beautiful, and there was just something about her that was irresistible." He wrote a poem about the experience in his 1995 book Always a Reckoning. "I'd pay to sit behind her / blind to what was on the screen / and watch the image flicker upon her hair." The morning after the movie, Jimmy told his mother that he was going to marry Rosalynn Smith.

1945: Jimmy Carter Proposes to Rosalynn—And She Says No

As the summer came to an end, the two were set to go their separate ways back to school. In an effort to keep their romance going strong, Jimmy Carter proposed to Rosalynn—but she didn't accept. When her father passed away in 1940, she promised him that she wouldn't marry anyone until she completed her studies. Keen to keep her word, Rosalynn declined the offer.

Alas, Jimmy was persistent in his efforts. He continued to call and write Rosalynn to assure her that he was intent on taking her hand in marriage. When Rosalynn visited Annapolis with his family in the spring, he proposed again. This time, she accepted. Upon their engagement, he gifted her an engraved compact mirror with the letters "ILYTG," a Carter family saying that means "I love you the goodest."

July 7, 1946: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Get Married

Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn were married on July 7, 1946, in Plains, Georgia. Although not many details have been shared about their big day, we break down everything we know about Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's wedding below.

1947-1967: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Welcome Four Children

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Between 1947 and 1967, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter welcomed four children together: John William "Jack" in 1947, James Earl "Chip" III in 1950, Donnel Jeffrey "Jeff" in 1952, and Amy Lynn in 1967.

During this time, Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn experienced a challenging point in their marriage. After Jimmy's father passed away in 1953, he left the Navy for his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to work on his family's peanut farm. (At the time, the Carters were living in New York, where Jimmy was stationed.) Rosalynn enjoyed being a Navy wife, and she told the New Yorker that she felt "resentful" of her husband's decision to uproot their family without consulting her first. In fact, she even said she didn't speak to him on the drive from New York to Georiga. But this is just one example of how Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter persevered and came out stronger in the end.

Rosalynn later told the Associated Press that the move was good for their relationship—and, ultimately, Jimmy's future political career. "We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supply business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics," she explained. "I knew more on paper about the business than he did. He would take my advice about things."

1970: Jimmy Carter Wins Governorship in Georgia

Rosalynn Carter played an instrumental role in her husband Jimmy's political career. After serving in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967, he was elected as Georgia's governor in 1970. During his tenure, Rosalynn used her platform to advocate for mental health. She once called her work with mentally disabled children as her "proudest accomplishment" as the First Lady of Georgia.

1976: Jimmy Carter Becomes President

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When his gubernatorial term ended in 1975, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter began their bid for the White House. Rosalynn campaigned for her husband in 41 states, and he ultimately won the election against incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford.

During Jimmy Carter's administration, Rosalynn Carter completely transformed the role of the first lady. She was the first presidential spouse to have her own office in the East Wing. She attended Cabinet meetings, she represented her husband in engagements with domestic and foreign leaders, and she fiercely supported his public policies, along with his social and personal life. In every sense of the word, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter saw each other as equals.

1981-2023: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Dedicate Their Lives to Public Service

Although he ran for a second presidential term, Jimmy Carter lost his re-election campaign to Ronald Reagan in 1980. It was a devastating blow to the couple, but their unwavering love for each other prevailed.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter went on to share a fruitful life in the modest Georgia home they lived in before their time in the White House. Unlike other former presidents, Jimmy Carter didn't pursue flashy engagements in the public eye. Instead, he and his wife dedicated their time to local community service efforts. They frequently volunteered at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Habitat for Humanity and their lifelong church. Together, they helped build over 4,000 homes around the world. In 2002, Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize for dedicating his life to advocacy, democracy and supporting human rights.

2023: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Care for Each Other Amid Health Scares

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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's love for each other reached new heights as they cared for each other amid health scares. After a cancer diagnosis in 2015, Jimmy Carter leaned on his wife for support. In subsequent years, they said that the experience brought them closer than ever. In February 2023, Jimmy Carter began receiving hospice care at home. A few months later in May, it was announced that Rosalynn Carter was diagnosed with dementia. Following the news, the couple's grandson Jason Carter said, "They're just meeting with family right now, but they're doing it in the best possible way: the two of them together at home. Their faith is really grounding in this moment."

November 19, 2023: Rosalynn Carter Dies

In their final years together, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter enjoyed their time exactly how they wanted. They enjoyed shared hobbies, such as playing tennis, bird-watching, turkey hunting, fly fishing, and skiing, and were often seen holding hands on daily walks through their neighborhood. On their milestone 75th wedding anniversary in 2021, they hosted a celebration at their high school. In the summer of 2023, the couple's grandson reported that Jimmy Carter was continuing to indulge in regular servings of ice cream. They watched fireworks together over the Fourth of July, and they rode in the annual Plains Plains Peanut Festival in September, mere weeks before Jimmy's 99th birthday.

Rosalynn Carter passed away on November 19, 2023. Despite the immense sadness of their long-lasting love story coming to an end, the couple had years to come to terms with their final moments together. While Jimmy was getting treatment for cancer in 2015, the childhood sweethearts determined they would be buried next to each other under a willow tree in the backyard of their Georgia home.

Inside Jimmy and Wife Rosalynn Carter's Wedding Day

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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter got married on July 7, 1946. The couple's wedding was a small and private affair, and it took place at the Plains Methodist Church in their hometown of Plains, Georgia.

Photos of Rosalynn Carter's wedding dress are rare, but the couple did pose with a large poster of their wedding portrait ahead of the opening of the Carter Presidential Center in 1986. In the image, Rosalynn can be seen wearing a white mid-length dress with gold buttons under a black top with a low scoop neckline. The bride completed her look with a large white hat, white gloves and a small boutonniere of flowers pinned to her top.

The Secret to President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter's Marriage

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It's no secret that making a marriage last in the public eye isn't an easy task. Plus, amid the "year of celebrity breakups" that took pop culture by storm in 2023, it's all the more heartwarming to read love stories of famous duos who manage to make their love thrive in the spotlight. So, how did Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter's marriage last nearly 80 years? According to the former president, it's quite simple. "My biggest secret is to marry the right person," he told the Associated Press in 2021.

In a 2021 interview with The New York Times on their 75th anniversary, Jimmy said, "It's been the best thing I've ever had happen to me–marrying Rosalynn and living together for so long, growing to know each other more and more intimately every day in married life." He continued, "I've been very happy. And I love her more now than I did to begin with—which is saying a lot, because I loved her a lot."

Following Rosalynn Carter's death, her husband released a statement that illustrated the love, respect and adoration they shared for each other throughout their lives. "Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished. She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it," he wrote. "As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me."