One big happy family. Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, have built quite the family over the course of their decades-long marriage.
Tying the knot in 1946, the couple went on to welcome a combined total of 22 kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. Jimmy and Rosalynn welcomed their eldest, John William “Jack” Carter, in 1947, followed by their son, James “Chip” Carter, in 1950. The streak of boys continued with the birth of Donnel Jeffrey “Jeff” Carter in 1952 but was broken upon welcoming their youngest, daughter Amy Carter, in 1967.
His family’s tight bond is something Jimmy credits to his strong relationship with his wife. “We try to be reconciled before we go to sleep at night, and try to find everything we can think of that we like to do together. So, we have a lot of good times,” he said in a July 2015 interview on CNN’s The Lead With Jake Tapper. “We have a big family now. We have 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, 38 of us in all. So, we try to hold our family together and just enjoy the family life.”
Jimmy and Rosalynn gave more insight into their decades-long relationship while chatting to Good Morning America in July 2021 in celebration of their 75th wedding anniversary. “We’ve survived this long because first of all, we give each other plenty of space to do our own thing,” he shared, adding that they also try to “share as much as we possibly can” with each other.
“We’re always looking to do things or find things we can do together,” Rosalynn noted, “like fly fishing and bird watching and just going out to the pond, catch a fish.”
It was with the support of his family that the politician made the decision to enter hospice care, announcing the news via a statement from his and Rosalynn’s foundation The Carter Center in February 2023.
“After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter today decide to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical attention,” read the statement. “He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.”
Sharing the announcement on Twitter, Jimmy’s grandson Jason Carter — the son of Jack and ex-wife Juliet Langford — gave an update on his family that same day. “I saw both of my grandparents yesterday,” the former Georgia state senator wrote. “They are at peace and — as always — their home is full of love. Thank you all for your kind words.”
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Scroll down to get to know the Carter extended family:
Paige Strout
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