Times Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Proved Their Real-Life Relationship Was Better Than A Romance Movie The List
Former president and first lady Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter had a 77-year-long marriage that inspired millions. What made their relationship so special?
By Feb. 9, 2025 7:00 pm EST
Throughout their decades of marriage, Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter raised the bar when it comes to heartwarming and successful relationships. The incredible and inspiring couple holds the record for the longest presidential marriage, having tied the knot over 77 years before Rosalynn's death in November 2023 at the age of 96. One year later, in December 2024, Jimmy joined his late wife, dying at age 100, and both are buried side-by-side on the family's farm, under a willow tree, in the small town of Plains, Georgia.
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It's a fitting place of eternal rest for the beloved couple, considering their love story began nearly a century earlier in that same small town, which once was home to only 600 people at the time of Jimmy's birth in 1925. After being friends and neighbors throughout childhood, the pair sparked a romance in college that would blossom into an enviable love story that lasted the rest of their lives.
"I think the best explanation for that is to marry the best spouse," Jimmy told People when asked about the secret to their long and happy marriage, "Someone who will take care of you and engage and do things to challenge you and keep you alive and interested in life." Time and time again, Jimmy and Rosalynn persevered through tragedy and hardship, proving they'd both married their perfect partner, and showed the world how their relationship and partnership was cuter, sweeter, and more rewarding than any Hollywood love story.
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Rosalynn Carter and Jimmy Carter knew each other since they were babiesCalling Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's romance a life-long relationship is more literal and accurate than many might realize. The pair both came from families who lived in Plains, Georgia, and both families were already close friends. Jimmy's parents lived close to Rosalynn's parents – Edgar and Allie Smith — and in a town of only 600 people at the time, it's not hard to imagine just how interconnected the families in Plains likely were. In fact, Jimmy's mother, Lillian Carter, was a nurse who helped deliver Rosalynn.
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Jimmy — then 3 years old – first met his future wife when she was only a few days old. Rosalynn and Jimmy's lives were intertwined since that moment on. Rosalynn became a close friend to Jimmy's younger sister, Ruth Carter. Additionally, Rosalynn's younger sister, Lillian, was named in honor of Jimmy's mother. Despite the family connections, however, it would take 17 years before Jimmy and Rosalynn sparked any romantic connection.
Jimmy Carter knew he wanted to marry Rosalynn Carter after their very first dateAfter high school, Jimmy Carter went on to attend college and eventually was appointed to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1945, during a return home on vacation from his training at the age of 20, Jimmy crossed paths with a 17-year-old Rosalynn, who had just started her studies at Georgia Southwestern College. Jimmy was instantly enamored with Rosalynn and asked her out to go see a movie, which she accepted.
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"I just felt compatible with her," Jimmy said when interviewed for Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas' book "What Makes a Marriage Last," published in 2020. Jimmy recalled, "She was beautiful and innocent, and there was a resonance. We rode in the rumble seat of a Ford pickup ... and I kissed her on that first date. I remember that vividly." Jimmy also recalled telling his mother that he was sure he wanted to marry Rosalynn after that first date. He didn't wait long, either, first popping the question just months after they began dating.
Jimmy Carter had a sweet, secret coded message he shared with his beloved wifeAfter turning down Jimmy Carter's first marriage proposal because she wanted to focus on her studies and not rush into marriage, Rosalynn joined Jimmy's parents on a visit to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis the following spring, giving Jimmy another chance to pop the question, now that some time had passed. This time, Rosalynn decided to accept, and Jimmy presented her with a special compact that was engraved with a particularly adorable acronym, "ILYTG" which meant "I love you the goodest," a term of endearment Jimmy's parents had expressed to one another, and which Jimmy adopted to use for Rosalynn.
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The acronym remained in use between the couple and passed down to their own children and grandkids. "Now all our children do the same thing — ILYTG on the phone or in emails. They generally just put the initials," Jimmy told People in a joint interview with his wife in 2014. The compact Jimmy gifted Rosalynn when they first got engaged with its heartfelt initials engraved on the lid, can still be seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.
Jimmy Carter said the best thing he's ever done in his life was marry Rosalynn CarterThroughout his life and career, Jimmy Carter has accomplished a great deal, from being the governor of Georgia to the president of the United States to winning the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize and authoring numerous books. However, in Jimmy's eyes, his marriage and enduring relationship with Rosalynn Carter has been his greatest and most significant achievement. "The best thing I ever did was marrying Rosalynn. That's the pinnacle of my life," Jimmy told reporters at a press conference at The Carter Center in Atlanta back in 2015. "We've had 69 years together, and so that's the best thing that's happened to me."
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Rosalynn was as effusive in her praise for her husband and often credited him for his support and love during their time together. Rosalynn opened up in an interview for the book "What Makes a Marriage Last" and shared, "Jimmy gave me the confidence to do things I was afraid of." The former first lady explained, "Jimmy has always thought I could do anything. Always. And so I've done everything."
Together, Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter devoted their lives to making the world a better placeAfter Jimmy Carter lost reelection to Ronald Reagan in 1980, he and Rosalynn Carter were stunned and heartbroken. Carter recounted the loss — and how it gave them a new direction in life — in the book "What Makes a Marriage Last" back in 2020. "I was just fifty-six years old, I told her, and she was just fifty-three, so we had at least twenty-five years of life ahead of us. That's when the Carter Center was born," Jimmy shared. It has been a wonderful challenge." Together, the pair started The Carter Center, an organization devoted to solving international conflicts, combating hunger and disease, and advancing universal human rights and world peace.
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However, The Carter Center was just one of the many ways in which Jimmy and Rosalynn strived to improve the world and the lives of others. The couple were also staunch supporters of Habitat for Humanity and spent decades advocating and supporting the organization, as well as physically getting their hands dirty and putting in hours of work to help build homes for those who need them in underserved areas of the United States and other nations.
Even in his declining health and final years, Carter could often be seen putting working in an effort to leave a positive mark on the planet. "I'd say peace and human rights and treating everybody the same has been what I hope will be my legacy, along with Habitat, proving that I wanted to help other people," Carter once said of his work with Habitat for Humanity. "One of the best ways to practice my faith as a Christian is to participate in Habitat projects every year" (via NPR).
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