Longest-Married Presidential Couple Jimmy And Rosalynn Carter Commemorate Historic 74th Anniversary

Jul 17, 2020 by apost team

The longest-married presidential couple in United States history, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, celebrated their 74th year anniversary earlier this month.

The Carters became the longest-married presidential couple this October, surpassing President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush’s marriage, which lasted 73 years and 111 days until Barbara’s death in 2018.

Former President Jimmy Carter, who turned 95 this October, married Rosalynn Smith, now 92, on July 7, 1946 in Plains, Georgia, the couple’s hometown — and as you might expect for such a long-lasting couple, the story behind their marriage is unbelievably romantic. According to People, Rosalynn and Jimmy had known each other their entire lives given Plains’ small size. But it wasn’t until Jimmy was 18 and on a month-long break from the Naval Academy that he and Rosalynn would go on a proper date.

People reports that at the time Jimmy had a lot of girlfriends, but on one particular night his then-girlfriend was at a family reunion, and so Jimmy found himself without a date on one of the last nights of his break from the naval academy.

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“I was cruising around with my sister Ruth and her boyfriend, just looking for a date, and I picked up Rosalynn in front of the Methodist church,” former President Carter says in What Makes a Marriage Last, which was published earlier this year.

"She was beautiful and innocent, and there was a resonance,” he continues in the book. “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. I never was doubtful about her, and that Christmas, I told her I loved her and asked her to marry me."

According to People, Jimmy decided to marry Rosalynn the next morning, a month later he proposed, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Offering their congratulations, the Carter Center even made an announcement on Twitter back when the Carters officially broke the record for the longest-married presidential couple, noting that they had been “going strong at 26,765 days” of marriage.

And as of this month, as of the couple’s 74th wedding anniversary, that astounding number has climbed even higher — a staggering 27,010 days. For those of us who are married, that raises the question: how do they manage to do it? Former President Carter says that his faith plays a large role in maintaining their bond, especially given that they are often apart due to travel.

"We read the Bible together every night," Carter says in What Makes A Marriage Last. "And when I’m overseas, or when Rosalynn is traveling, we still read the same chapter, even though we might be five thousand miles apart. We share the same text, and it keeps us connected."

Beyond holding the title for the longest-married presidential couple, former President Carter is also the oldest living president.

Happy anniversary! What do you think of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's 74-year-long marriage? Do you have any tips for a long-lasting marriage? Let us know and pass this beautiful love story on to friends and family members.