Former President Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100 on Sunday, a little over a year after his beloved wife Rosalynn Carter passed away.
Newsweek reached out to The Carter Center via email for comment on Sunday evening.
Why It Matters
Jimmy and Rosalynn were not only the 39th president and first lady but also leading human rights advocates through their Atlanta nonprofit, The Carter Center, created after the two left the White House.
Also remarkable is the length of their love story. The two were married for 77 years before Rosalynn died in November 2023, the longest marriage in presidential history. The former first lady reportedly was Jimmy’s closest adviser during his presidency and thereafter.
What To Know
Jimmy and Rosalynn, both from Plains, Georgia, wed on July 7, 1946, a year after their first date. In the summer of 1945, Jimmy, then-20 years old, asked Rosalynn, then-17 years old, out to the movies on a whim, People magazine reported.
Jimmy originally popped the question in the winter of 1945, but Rosalynn was concerned about the speed at which their relationship was progressing and wanted to finish her education first, so she said no, according to Biography.com. But in the spring of that year, she agreed to marry him and Jimmy gave her a compact engraved with the letters “ILYTG,” which stood for, “I love you the goodest,” Biography.com reported.
“The best thing I ever did was marrying Rosalynn,” Jimmy said during an interview at The Carter Center in 2015. “That’s the pinnacle of my life.”
The pair went on to have four children—Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy— as well as 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Jimmy and Rosalynn in the White House
Jimmy, a Democrat, was elected to the White House in November 1976, thanks to the help of who people called his “secret weapon,” Rosalynn, according to People magazine.
Rosalynn told People in 1976, “I’ve made as many as 12 speeches a day in one community. I enjoy it. But sometimes I want to stop and wash my hair.”
Jimmy served one term as president from 1977 to 1981. Jimmy was credited with encouraging a peace agreement in the Middle East that ultimately resulted in the Camp David Accords, which the Office of the Historian at the U.S. Department of State described as “historic.”
The White House archives lists the Panama Canal treaties and an agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union restricting nuclear weapon production as some of Carter’s biggest victories overseas. In the U.S., Carter pursued deregulation in a handful of industries, including energy and transportation, and pushed for new environmental protections. The U.S. Department of Education also launched during his time in office.
Rosalynn was also busy in the White House, representing the administration during visits with Central and South American leaders, fundraising for displaced Cambodians, and sponsoring poetry and jazz festivals at the White House. She was also a vocal advocate for mental health, women’s rights, and human rights.
Post-Presidency Humanitarian Work
In 1982, Jimmy and Rosalynn created The Carter Center in partnership with Emory University. The former first lady was Carter’s “full partner” in their efforts at the nonprofit and she also created and chaired its Mental Health Task Force.
The Carter Center was created “on a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering” and describes its continuing mission as seeking “to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.”
Rosalynn was also president of the board of directors for the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, which supports those who care for loved ones with chronic illness and disabilities.
Until 2020, Jimmy and Rosalynn volunteered one week a year for the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, which helps renovate and build homes for those in need.
Jimmy was recognized “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development” with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Rosalynn and Jimmy’s Deaths
Rosalynn died at the age of 96 on November 19, 2023, while in hospice care at her Plains, Georgia, home, months after The Carter Center announced that she suffered from dementia.
Jimmy, who had been in hospice care since February 2023, died Sunday.
What People Are Saying
Jimmy said in a statement released by The Carter Center when Rosalynn died, “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished.”
He added: “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.”
Chip Carter, Jimmy and Rosalynn’s second eldest son who is now 72 years old, said in a statement released by The Carter Center Sunday, “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love.”
He continued: “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”
What Happens Next
There will be public funeral observances for the former president in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., as long as a private interment in Plains, Georgia. Final arrangements for his state funeral are still pending.
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