Former President Jimmy Carter and Wife Rosalynn to Set New Record as Longest-Married Presidential Couple With 75th Anniversary

The couple got married on July 7, 1946, at a Methodist church in Plains, Georgia, and are now the longest-married Presidential couple.

Cover Image Source: Getty Images (L) Pool Photo/Newsmakers (R) Mark Wilson/Getty Images

By Devika Menon

June 17, 2021

Posted June 17, 2021

Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter will be ringing in their 75th wedding anniversary this summer. The two got married on July 7, 1946, at a Methodist church in Plains, Georgia. Apart from being the oldest living president in American history, Jimmy Carter and his wife are also the longest-married Presidential couple, having surpassed the record of 73 years and 111 days, set by former President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush.

Carter, 96, and Rosalynn, 93 apparently have some big plans to ring in their huge milestone, says grandson Jason Carter. "What they're really doing these days is planning their 75th-anniversary party for July," said Jason, according to PEOPLE. The couple plan on holding a party in their hometown of Plains, Georgia, added Jason, but not at their modest ranch. It will be held "at different sorts of locations," Jason says.

"The number of things that have to go right in your life to have a 75th anniversary," he says, "it's a truly incredible milestone." Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have stayed put at home, barely stepping out, over the last year on account of the Coronavirus pandemic. After the pair were vaccinated earlier this year, they made a few public appearances. Jason also mentioned the plan in July is for a private event that he says should be a "big party ... with a lot of their friends from over the years."

Carter, who got married to Rosalynn Smith when he was just 21, and she, 19, credits his marriage for his long and healthy life. "I think the best explanation for that is to marry the best spouse: someone who will take care of you and engage and do things to challenge you and keep you alive and interested in life. One of the things Jesus taught was: If you have any talents, try to utilize them for the benefit of others,” Carter told PEOPLE.

In fact, Carter has always maintained that his wife is the best thing that's ever happened to him. "That's the pinnacle of my life," he said of marrying his wife. Carter knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rosalynn after just one date. "I just felt compatible with her," said Carter.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter dances with his wife Rosalyn during the 200th anniversary of the White House dinner November 9, 2000 in Washington, D.C. (Pool Photo/Newsmakers)

"She was beautiful and innocent, and there was a resonance. We rode in the rumble seat of a Ford pickup — Ruth and her boyfriend in the front — and I kissed her on that first date. I remember that vividly." The very next day he told his mother that "Rosalynn was the one I wanted to marry."

A year after saying "I do", Rosalynn Carter gave birth to their first child together, Jack. They went on to have three more children: sons Chip and Jeff and, after a 14-year gap, daughter Amy. The former President even said that his wife played a major role in his elections.

“When she joined me in political campaigning — always appearing without me — she was effective in securing support from doubtful voters, and I soon realized that people were more inclined to express their beliefs or concerns to her than to me. … [S]he liked the entire political process more than I did,” he wrote in his autobiography A Full Life: Reflections At Ninety, reported The Daily Caller.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter (R) and former first lady Rosalynn Carter wave on stage during day one of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the Pepsi Center August 25, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. The DNC, where U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will be officially nominated as the Democratic candidate for U.S. president, starts today and finishes August 28th. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Apart from this, the couple has spent years helping build Habitat for Humanity houses in Nashville, Tennessee. They have worked on more than 4,000 homes spread across 36 years. Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 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."

The former first lady is the chair of the Carter Center mental health task force and has been a mental health advocate for more than 45 years. Here's hoping the lovely couple gets to mark more milestones together!