Jimmy Carter’s marriage to Rosalynn Carter spanned over 70 years, beginning in 1946 and encompassing a remarkable life together that included four years in the White House. Their union made them the longest-married presidential couple in American history. Rosalynn passed away on November 19, 2023, and Jimmy followed just over a year later, on December 29, 2024, at their home in Plains, Georgia, where they had tied the knot.
The couple’s love story began even earlier than their marriage; Rosalynn was delivered by Jimmy’s mother, a nurse, in 1927. According to biographer Jonathan Alter, Jimmy was introduced to Rosalynn shortly after her birth when he was just three years old. Their paths crossed again in 1945 when Jimmy, taking a break from the Naval Academy, asked Rosalynn, who had become close friends with his sister Ruth, on a date to the movies. In his book What Makes a Marriage Last, he reminisced about their first date: “She was beautiful and innocent, and there was a resonance.” He vividly recalled kissing her that night and later telling his mother he had found the woman he wanted to marry.
Less than a year later, while they were both still in school, Jimmy proposed to Rosalynn, but she initially declined, believing they should focus on their education. He proposed again in May 1946, and this time she accepted. It remains unclear whether he proposed with a ring, but he did give her a compact engraved with “ILYTG,” which stood for the family phrase “I love you the greatest.” This phrase later became a tradition within their family.
The couple married on July 17, 1946, at a church in their hometown of Plains, Georgia. Shortly after their wedding, they moved to Virginia when Jimmy received his first naval assignment. It’s likely that Rosalynn began wearing a chunky gold signet-style engagement ring, adorned with modest pavé diamonds, at this time. She would wear this ring throughout their marriage, which included the births of their four children—Jack, James, Donnel, and Amy—between 1947 and 1967. Their life together also encompassed Jimmy’s political career, which included his election as governor of Georgia in 1970 and his successful presidential campaign that began in 1976, leading to their time in the White House. After leaving politics, they focused on philanthropy and humanitarian efforts.
Following Rosalynn’s passing at the age of 96, the fate of her engagement ring remains uncertain. It is possible that she was buried with it, given that she rarely took it off, or she may have handed it to Jimmy as a keepsake. Now that both have passed away, it is likely that Rosalynn’s ring, along with their modest estate, will be inherited by their four children. Their only daughter, Amy, now in her 50s, could become the fortunate heir to her mother’s beloved ring. Meanwhile, their sons, Errol Carter Kelly and Hugo James Wentzel, may also see the ring as a potential piece to use in future proposals, continuing the legacy of love that defined their parents’ long and devoted marriage.