Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were married for 77 years, the longest marriage for a presidential couple in U.S. history.
Their romance began when they fell in love as teenagers and became husband and wife in 1946. It ended only when she died in 2023 at 96. He passed away on Sunday at the age of 100.
Carter called his wife an equal partner in everything he did and said that as long as she was in the world, he always knew somebody loved and supported him.
“The best thing I ever did was marrying Rosalynn. That’s the pinnacle of my life,” the former president said in 2015. “That’s the best thing that happened to me.”
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Rosalynn Carter called their relationship “exciting, loving, interesting, unpredictable, challenging” and “a wonderful romance.”
“Over the years, we became not only friends and lovers, but partners,” she said in 2014.
They seemed inseparable, traveling and volunteering together long after Jimmy Carter left the White House. Their deep love and romantic connection came with a sense of fun — the couple embraced for “kiss cams” at sporting events when they were in their 80s and 90s.
Experts say Jimmy Carter’s happy marriage was among factors that contributed to his longevity.
A poignant cartoon posted by Mike Luckovich, the cartoonist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, shows the couple reunited after his death, with Rosalynn Carter embracing her husband as he arrives in heaven.
— mike luckovich (@mluckovichajc) December 29, 2024
Here’s what the Carters said about their secrets to marriage success:
Have respect for each other
“Early in our marriage, we developed respect for what the other could do,” Rosalynn Carter said. “He has always thought I could do anything, and because of that, I, and we, have had some wonderful adventures.”
The couple raised four children and ran a farm supply business together. She campaigned for her husband when he ran for president, was a key adviser during his political career and has been called his “secret weapon.”
“I am proud of him,” she said.
Happy couples still feel their partner is worthy of respect even during times of frustration, according to the Gottman Institute, which studies marriage and relationships. Feeling contempt, on the other hand, is the No. 1 predictor of divorce, the institute’s research has found.
Give each other space
Let your spouse have a full life with their own interests.
“We found out a long time ago that disagreements are inevitable between two strong-willed people,” Jimmy Carter said when the couple was interviewed for the book “What Makes a Marriage Last.”
“But we decided early on to give each other plenty of space. If Rosalynn is interested in something, she does it her own way, accepting my help when she needs it. And she gives me plenty of space to work on my own projects but helps me when I need it.”
Realize there will be tough times
The couple agreed to write a book together, “Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life,” but Rosalynn Carter called the joint project a “disaster.” They ended up not talking to each other for a while and resorted to writing “ugly letters,” she recalled.
“We really did have a terrible time writing the book,” Rosalynn Carter told TODAY in 1987.
“We thought perhaps the last chapter would be about our divorce,” Jimmy Carter added.
But they got through it and realized such brief times of strife “get lost in the good life we have,” she said.
Don’t go to bed angry
After that stressful period, the couple always tried to overcome their differences and settle any conflict at night — no matter what happened during the day.
“We also make up and give each other a kiss before we go to sleep,” Jimmy Carter told PBS in 2021.
“We really try to become completely reconciled each night.”
Always look for new things to do together
The couple learned to downhill ski when she was 59 and he was 62, Rosalynn Carter recalled, and there were other adventures they explored together.
“We climbed mountains. We climbed in Nepal. We climbed Mount Fuji,” she recalled when her husband turned 90.
“I became a fly fisher. He was already a fly fisher, but I wanted to learn because we do these things together. Fly fisher. Birder.”
One study found married couples who take part in such “shared exciting activities” every week have significantly higher levels of romantic excitement and relationship satisfaction.
“By trying new and exciting activities together, couples can rekindle feelings similar to ones they once had,” Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, told the American Psychological Association.
Jimmy Carter's life in pictures
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