The marriage of the deceased US president

GĐXH - In his final days, former US President Jimmy Carter was transferred to hospice care at his private home in Georgia and passed away peacefully surrounded by his children, grandchildren and family.

According to the Carter Center, Jimmy Carter - who served as US President from 1977 - 1981, passed away on December 29 at his home.

"Our founder, former US President Jimmy Carter, died this afternoon (December 29) in Plains, Georgia," the Carter Center - the organization Mr. Carter founded a year after leaving the White House, said in a post on X.

Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday at his home last October.

Before his death, Jimmy Carter (100 years old) became the oldest living former US President after George HW Bush passed away in late 2018 at the age of 94.

Former President receives a kiss from his wife Rosalynn as she introduces him during the reopening ceremony of the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta on October 1, 2009. Photo: AP

The Nobel Committee recognized Mr. Carter's lifetime of dedication by awarding him the 2002 Peace Prize "for his many decades of tireless efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to promote democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."

"My father was a hero, not just to me but to all who believe in peace, human rights and love," said Chip Carter, the former president's son.

In his final days, Mr. Carter's family announced that the former President decided to "spend the rest of his time at home with his family and be transferred to hospice care instead of medical intervention" after years of declining health.

In recent years, Mr. Carter had suffered from health problems, including cancer that spread to his liver and brain. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died on November 19, 2023, at the age of 96.

Mr. Carter served only one term as President of the United States. He holds several records, including being the longest-lived president, having the longest post-presidency among commanders-in-chief, and being one of four US presidents to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Not only that, Mr. Carter had the longest marriage among US presidents. Mr. Carter and his wife Rosalynn were married for more than 75 years.

Former US President Carter's 75-year marriage

Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn before the football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals in Atlanta on September 30, 2018. Photo: AP

Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife first met while he was a student at the U.S. Naval Academy and living in Plains, Georgia. One evening, the young lieutenant returned home from the U.S. Naval Academy, his sister Ruth Carter introduced him to Eleanor Rosalynn Smith, his wife of nearly eight decades. After just one movie date, the former president knew Rosalyn was the one for him.

After 75 years of marriage, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter remain together in the small town where they were born, raised, and first traveled. During that time, in their roles as first Navy officers and military spouses, then U.S. president and First Lady, and finally ambassadors for human rights and public health, the couple have attended events together around the world.

On July 7, 2021, the couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. On this day in 1946, Carter married Rosalynn, after graduating from the Naval Academy in June. Carter was 21 and Rosalynn was 18. This will be another milestone for the longest-married presidential couple in American history.

At that time, even at the age of 96, former US President Jimmy Carter was the longest-lived of the 45 people who had ever held the position of president. However, even after reaching that pinnacle, Carter always talked about his wife as not only his "sleeper" but also his closest and most trusted advisor in his political career.

Former President Jimmy Carter holds hands with his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, as he works with other volunteers on the first day of the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Mishawaka, Indiana, on Aug. 27, 2018. Photo: AP

"My biggest secret to having a successful marriage is marrying the right person," Carter says.

The two fought side by side with Mr. Carter’s battle with brain cancer. In a 2020 article in The Washington Post, authors Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan said the couple still held hands when walking down the street and Mr. Carter affectionately called his wife “honey.”

The secret to the "ageless" marriage of former President Jimmy Carter and his wife

President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn dance at the annual Congressional Christmas Ball at the White House in Washington on December 13, 1978. Photo: AP

Sharing the secret to keeping the fire of happiness in marriage, the former president said: "Harmony and communication between husband and wife are essential every day." He also explained that he and his wife are both Christians, so for many years they always read the Bible together every night, even when they had to travel far apart.

Meanwhile, Rosalynn Carter notes the importance of finding common interests. Even now, she says, "Jimmy and I are always looking for things to do together." However, she notes, "It's really important for people to have their own space."

However, both also admitted that having a 75-year marriage is not easy.

A few years ago, Mr. Carter, then 94, shared with billionaire Bill and Melinda Gates the key to their happy marriage that has lasted more than 7 decades. It is by following the two rules below.

The first rule of marriage of former president Jimmy Carter and his wife

“We always give each other a lot of space. She has a lot of interests that I don’t know about. I have a lot of interests that she doesn’t like,” Carter said. He spends his mornings studying or swimming, while Rosalynn, 91, enjoys tai chi and meditation. “We see each other whenever we can,” he added. They often cook together and enjoy watching their home team, the Atlanta Braves, play baseball.

The second rule of marriage of former president Jimmy Carter and his wife

The two never let anger disturb their sleep. "This is a rule we follow quite strictly, sometimes with some considerable difficulty. We have 21 grandchildren and four children, so arguments are inevitable in our family. But we always try to resolve them thoroughly before going to bed," Carter says.

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