Did you know that the Carters are officially the longest married presidential couple?
When they got married, Jimmy was 21 and Rosalynn 18. This happened on the 7th of July, 1946 in Plains, Georgia or 74 years ago.
Jimmy Carter was the 39th president of the US and he is now 95 years old and the oldest living president in the history of the US.
The Longest Living Married Presidential Couple
The previous record holders of the longest marriage of a presidential couple was held by George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush who were married for 73 years and 102 days until Barbara passed away 2 years ago.
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library featured numerous photos of the couple throughout their life of marriage.
According to the Carter Center, a non-profit founded by Jimmy himself, they’re now the longest married presidential couple and still going strong at 26,765 days.
The couple said their “I do’s” at the Methodist church in their hometown after Carter graduated from the US Naval Academy.
The couple has known each other their entire lives-his sister Ruth was best friends with Rosalynn.
I’ve Known Her since the Day She Was Born
Carter said in the What Makes a Marriage Last book by Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue that he had practically known her since the day she was born as they were next-door neighbors.
Rosalynn admitted that the feeling was mutual and the she actually fell in love with Jimmy when she saw a photo of him on the bedroom wall at Ruth’s.
Carter always said he just felt compatible with Rosalynn-he found her beautiful and innocent and they resonated quickly. They rode in the rumble seat of a Ford pickup with Ruth and her boyfriend in the front and he kissed her on that first date and remembers it until this day.
He never had doubts about her and that Christmas he told her he loved her and that he wanted to marry her. Jimmy said in one interview back in 2015 that the best thing he ever did was marrying her.
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