jimmy and rosalynn carter.Photo: Yvonne Hemsey/Liason Agency/Getty
President Jimmy Carterand wifeRosalynn Carterare celebrating 77 years of marriage in the same small town in which they tied the knot.
A source tells PEOPLE the couple is “spending their 77th anniversary together quietly in Plains with family.”
The couple, who have the longest marriage in the history of U.S. presidents and first ladies, exchanged vows in 1946 in their Georgia hometown — where they have lived since leaving the White House in 1981.
“Wishing Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter a joyful 77th wedding anniversary! The Carters married on this day in 1946 in their hometown of Plains, GA,” The Carter Center wrote in a post shared to Twitter, alongside a vintage photo of the couple.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander said, “Celebrating 77 years of love is an inspiration for us all. President and Mrs. Carter have shown that same commitment to the world, which is the legacy we continue to carry forward through the work of The Carter Center.”
Their anniversary celebration comes months after the former president beganreceiving hospice careand the former first lady announced herdementiadiagnosis.
The couple met when Jimmy, now 98, was just 3 years old and Rosalynn, now 95, was a newborn.
Sparks flew early and, after their first date in the summer of 1945, the future president told his mother hewanted to marry Rosalynn.
Theytied the knotone year later, on July 7, 1946, mere weeks after Jimmy graduated from the Naval Academy. The newlyweds moved to Norfolk, Virginia, shortly after their nuptials for Jimmy’s first naval assignment. The family would move several times in accordance with his military postings, including to California, Hawaii, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
But the Carters — who have four children, 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren — returned to their humble beginnings after their presidency, and continue to live in the house they built in 1961.
The Carters have spoken openly about their marriage, with the Nobel Peace Prize winner saying in a 2015 interview, “Thebest thing I ever didwas marrying Rosalynn. That’s the pinnacle of my life.”
Ahead of their 75th anniversary in 2021, Jimmy toldGood Morning Americathat the secret to his and Rosalynn’s marriage is having lives separate from one another whilebalancing shared interests.
“We’ve survived this long together because first of all, we give each other plenty of space to do our own thing,” Jimmy said, adding that they share plenty of common interests.
Rosalynn also chimed in, saying: “We’re always looking to do things or find things we can do together, like fly fishing and bird watching and just going out to the pond, catch a fish.”
In February 2023,Jimmy entered hospice careafter a series of short hospital stays.
Then, in May, the Carter family announced that Rosalynn has beendiagnosed with dementia. A statement from her family read that the former first lady “continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones.”
source: people.com
