Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter’s relationship was the longest presidential marriage in U.S. history.
Long before Jimmy became the 39th president of the United States, he met his future wife when he was 3 years old, as his mother, Lillian Carter, helped deliver Rosalynn in 1927. The two got married in 1946 before welcoming four children.
Days before their 75th wedding anniversary in July 2021, Jimmy called his marriage to Rosalynn the “most important thing in my life” during an interview with Good Morning America.
“We’ve survived this long together because first of all, we give each other plenty of space to do our own thing,” he added. “[But, we still] share as much as we possibly can. … For 75 years of marriage, we’ve always gone deeper in our love for one another. I think that’s a kind of extraordinary thing. Doesn’t happen to very many couples, but it certainly happened to us.”
Rosalynn died in November 2023 surrounded by their loved ones. “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” Jimmy said in a statement at the time. “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.”
Jimmy died one year later at the age of 100.
Scroll below to relive Jimmy and Rosalynn’s decades-long relationship:
