An Inside Look at the Presidential Wedding: Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Say 'I Do'

James Earl Carter Jr., better known as Jimmy Carter, met his future wife, Eleanor Rosalyn Smith, when he was almost 3 years old and she was only a day old. What a fun way to start your love story.

Jimmy was born on October 1, 1924 and just over 3 years later Rosalyn was born on 

August 18,1927. From that first meeting there was no interaction until Jimmy was home on a break from the Naval Academy in 1945. Rosalyn was friends with his sister, Ruth, when he asked her to a movie. He knew right away that she was the one for him, and she had always thought he was so handsome.  When he proposed the first time she said no. She had promised her dying father to not marry until she was done with her studies. So he was somewhat patient and waited. He wrote to her at school and dated whenever they could. In February of 1946 she went with his parents to visit him in Annapolis. He asked her again and she said yes. They scheduled it for the following July. They kept it a secret until she had to tell her mother that she had chosen to marry instead of finishing her studies.

They were married on July 7, 1946, at the Plains Methodist Church in Plains, Georgia. It was a small intimate ceremony. Jimmy was dressed in his naval uniform. Rosalyn wore a white mid-length dress with gold buttons on a black top with a low scoop neckline. She added a wide-brimmed white hat and white gloves. She chose a corsage instead of a bouquet.  He gifted her with a compact, engrave with - 'ILYTG' which stood for "I love you the goodest", and inside saying in their family.

They went to Rutherford County, Tennessee, to visit Chimney Rock. From there they moved to Norfolk, Virginia for Jimmy’s first naval assignment. Subsequent deployments took the family to Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, before they put down roots in New York. 

When Jimmy’s father died in 1954, they moved back to Plains, Georgia to run the family peanut farm. He became Governor of Georgia in 1970. In 1976, he ran for President of the United States and defeated Gerald Ford. He served one term with Rosalyn always by his side. They continued doing everything together. 

Carter’s 1980 reelection defeat was devastating to both Jimmy and Rosalynn. They returned home to Georgia to the modest two-bedroom ranch house in Plains where they’d lived before Carter had scaled the political heights. The couple continued to champion their causes and humanitarian efforts, through both the Carter Center and their work with Habitat for Humanity, through which they built more than 4,000 homes around the world. In 2002, Jimmy was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his decades of work supporting democracy and human rights.

The Carter’s were married for 77 years. The longest marriage of any President. They beat the George H. W. and Barbara Bush marriage by 4 years.  They really were a relationship goals couple. Rosalyn Carter passed away on November 19, 2023. Jimmy is still around and just turned 100.

When Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter say 'I Do', their remarkable life together began. It reflected a partnership grounded in love, faith, and service to others. Their relationship stands as a testament to enduring commitment and mutual support, even in the face of public scrutiny.