President Jimmy Carter’s legacy includes not only his work as a politician, but also the large family he founded with his beloved wife, Rosalynn, to whom he was married for nearly eight decades.

The 39th President of the United States died on December 29, 2024 at the age of 100 surrounded by his family. As the longest-living president in U.S. history, serving from 1977 to 1981, Jimmy Carter is known for his foreign policy leadership, humanitarian work and advocacy. After his presidency he founded the Carter Center for Expanding Human Rights around the world and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

The former commander-in-chief was also a devoted family man. And that love and admiration was always reciprocated. “My father was a hero, not just to me, but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and selfless love,” his son Chip Carter said in an interview opinion. “My brothers, my sister and I shared it with the rest of the world through this common faith. The world is our family because he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

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Read on to learn all about President Carter’s long marriage to his wife Rosalynn and their large, loving family full of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Jimmy Carter was married to his wife Rosalynn for 77 years

While the former president knew after one date that he wanted to marry his hometown sweetheart, Rosalynn rejected his first proposal. She told ABC News She had promised her father that she would complete her college education.

“She said no,” Jimmy told Winfrey about his first marriage proposal less than a year after their first date. “From then until the end of May, she stuck to ‘no.’ I kept trying and finally she said ‘OK’.”

The Carters tied the knot July 7, 1946 in their hometown of Georgia and celebrated their 77th marriage anniversary in 2023. Rosalynn deceased a few months later, on November 19, 2023 at the age of 96.

Jimmy said on his 75th birthday that “marrying Rosalynn” was the most important thing he had ever done. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew that someone loved me and supported me,” he said in an interview statement after her death.

The former president will take office on January 9, 2025 buried next to his wife in Plains, Georgia.

John William “Jack” Carter

Jack Carter, now 77, followed in his father’s military footsteps and served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. Following his service, Jack worked for INVESCOan investment management company, and subsequently acted as an advisor to the Chicago Board of Trade in Illinois. He later ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in Nevada in 2006, but lost to the Republican incumbent, Sen. John Ensign.

Jack has two children, son James and daughter Sarah, with his first wife Judy Langford. He is also stepfather to his wife Elizabeth Brasfield’s two children from a previous marriage, Sarah and John.

James Earl “Chip” Carter III

Chip Carter, now 74, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii his father was stationed there during his service in the Navy. And that’s how he got his nickname as “Chip” is Hawaiian and means “baby”. Along with his brothers, Chip worked for Family peanut business and was later involved in his father’s political career, which began when he was 16 years old University of Georgia. He was previously president of Friendship Powera nonprofit organization founded in 1977 by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.

“He taught us the value of hard work, the importance of community and the power of love,” Chip said said at his father’s memorial service at the Carter Center. “We will continue this.”

Chip has two children: son James Earl IV with his first wife Caron Griffin and daughter Margaret Alicia with his second wife Ginger Hodges.

Donnel Jeffrey “Jeff” Carter

Donnel Jeffrey “Jeff” Carter, now 72, studied geography and computer cartography at George Washington University and later co-founded a company called Computer Mapping Consultants, according to an archive from TIME. Today, Jeff has been living with Parkinson’s disease for some time, said his son Josh People in 2024, but lives independently.

Jeff has three children – sons Joshua, Jeremy and James – with his wife Annette passed away in 2021. Jeremy also sadly passed away in 2015 at the age of 28.

Amy Lynn Carter

Amy Carter grew up in the White House for many years during her father’s presidency. She was politically active and made headlines in the 1980s Protest against CIA recruitment And apartheid. In 1985, her father said he was proud of Amy’s political activism L.A. Times Archive. Amy later illustrated her father’s 1995 children’s book. The little baby Snoogle Fleejer.

Amy has two children. She has a son, Hugo James, with her ex-husband James Gregory Wentzel and welcomed her second child, son Errol Carter, with her husband Joseph “Jay” Kelly.

In conversation with Atlanta News First In January 2025, after his grandfather’s death, Jimmy’s first and eldest grandson, Jason Carter, spoke about how he tried to follow in his footsteps.

“As time goes on, I try to emulate his respect for other people,” he said. “He never looked down on anyone, no matter what job you had, no matter where you came from, no matter what condition you were in, and that’s true, which is what I’m trying to do.”