ATLANTA — Monday, July 7 would have marked former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter’s 79th wedding anniversary.
Last year was the first time Jimmy Carter didn’t have Rosalynn, who died in 2023, by his side for their anniversary. This year marks the first anniversary without both of them after the former president’s death in December.
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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter knew each for most of their lives growing up in the small town of Plains, Ga. Rosalynn was friends with Jimmy’s sister, Ruth.
It wasn’t until the summer of 1945 when 20-year-old Jimmy Carter, home from the US Naval Academy, had his first date with 17-year-old Eleanor Rosalynn Smith at the Rylander Theatre in nearby Americus.
After their first date, Jimmy told his mother that he wanted to marry Rosalynn. She didn’t accept his proposal at first, but eventually said yes.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter exchanged wedding vows on July 7, 1946 in their hometown. On his 75th birthday in 1999, Jimmy Carter said the most important decision he ever made in his life was “marrying Rosalynn.”
The Carters were married for 77 years until Rosalynn died on Nov. 19, 2023. Jimmy Carter died on Dec. 29, 2024, nearly three months after he celebrated his 100th birthday.
The couple are buried next to each other at their home in Plains with their graves surrounded by a memorial garden Rosalynn designed to overlook the pond.
MORE ON THE CARTERS:
- First look at former President and first lady Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s burial site
- Jimmy Carter: 1924-2024
- Former President Jimmy Carter caught on Kiss Cam at Braves game
- Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter the longest-married presidential couple
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