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.”
Scroll below to relive Jimmy and Rosalynn’s decades-long relationship:
1927
Three-year-old Jimmy first met Rosalynn the day after she was born, as his mother, Lillian Carter, helped deliver his future wife. The two grew up together in Plains, Georgia, and Rosalynn became good friends with Jimmy’s younger sister, Ruth Carter Stapleton.
1945
Jimmy and Rosalynn went on their first date at the ages of 20 and 17, respectively. Not long after their movie date, Jimmy reportedly told his mother, “She’s the girl I want to marry.”
1946
Jimmy popped the question to Rosalynn not even a year after their first date, and they tied the knot on July 7, 1946.
1947
The couple welcomed their first child, son John William “Jack” Carter, nearly one year after their nuptials.
1950
Jack took on the title of big brother with the addition of Jimmy and Rosalynn’s second child, James “Chip” Carter.
1952
Three boys in a row! The Carters became a family of five with the birth of their third child, Donnel Jeffrey “Jeff” Carter.
1953
The family often moved around because of Jimmy’s work in the U.S. Navy, and eventually found themselves settling in New York. After the death of Jimmy’s father, James Earl Carter Sr., the family uprooted and moved to the couple’s Georgia hometown to take care of Jimmy’s family’s peanut farm. The move was not one Rosalynn was initially happy about, but one she grew to appreciate.
“We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supply business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics,” she told the Associated Press in a July 2021 interview. “I knew more on paper about the business than he did. He would take my advice about things,” she added, drawing a laugh and affirmation from her husband.
1962
Jimmy jumped into the world of politics upon his election as a Georgia state senator.
1967
During his time as a senator, Jimmy and Rosalynn welcomed their daughter, Amy Carter.
1970
Jimmy became the governor of Georgia a few years after losing his first gubernatorial campaign in 1966.
1976 to 1981
Winning the 1976 presidential race, Jimmy and Rosalynn were inaugurated as the President and first lady of the United States in 1977. The Georgia native later lost his re-election campaign and officially left office in 1981.
1984
The couple began their years-long work with Habitat for Humanity by gathering volunteers to help repair a six-story New York apartment building. Thanks to the creation of The Carter Work Project, Jimmy and Rosalynn helped repair over 4,000 homes with over 100,000-plus volunteers in 14 countries over the years.
2014
In an interview with People, the two revealed the sweet meaning behind “ILYTG,” the acronym Jimmy uses with his longtime love.
“‘I love you the goodest,'” the former president shared. “That’s what my mother and daddy used to say back and forth, and I picked it up with Rosa.”
He noted that their kids have picked up the term of endearment themselves, stating that they will put “’ILYTG on the phone or in emails.’”
2015
In August 2015, Jimmy was diagnosed with melanoma, which had spread to other parts of his body. “I’ve had a wonderful life,” he said during a press conference interview at the time. “I have thousands of friends … so I was surprisingly at ease, much more so than my wife was.”
That December, he announced that he had stopped treatment upon discovery that his cancer had cleared.
2021
The long-lasting couple went all out for their 75th wedding anniversary. Former President Bill Clinton and former first lady and secretary of state Hillary Clinton were among the couple’s anniversary party guests, as well as music stars Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and businessman Ted Turner.
“It’s wonderful to celebrate with so many friends,” Rosalynn said at the event. “It’s just so good to have you all here and I thank you for making it a good evening, a good time for us to be here and to be with friends we care about very much.”
Jimmy also took the mic to share a few words about his love, stating, “To my wife Rosalynn, I want to express a particular gratitude for being the right woman that I chose for my wife.”
2023
The couple’s charity The Carter Foundation revealed in a February 2023 statement that Jimmy had entered hospice care. “After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention,” the announcement read. “He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.”
2023
Rosalynn died “peacefully” on November 19, surrounded by their family three days after she entered hospice care.
“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.”
