Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Mark 75th Wedding Anniversary

Former president Jimmy carter, the longest-serving president, has accomplished a lot in his 96 years, but his longest-serving accomplishment is his marriage to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. The couple celebrate their 75th anniversary on July 7, marking nearly eight decades of philanthropy, travel, family and love.

The Carers began dating in 1945 when Mr. Carter, then at the United States Naval Academy, needed a date while he was at home. His younger sister set him up with family friend Eleanor Rosalynn Smith – and Mr. Carter already had a crush on her, the Associated press reports.

Since that night, the Carers have become a Navy family, a farming family and then a first family.

“We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supplies business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics,” Ms. Carter, 93, told the AP in an interview before their anniversary. “I knew more on paper than he did about the business. He would take my advice on things.”

Mr Carter also said his wife was “much more political”.

“I love him,” she interjected. “I love campaigning. I had the best time. I was in every state in the United States. I campaigned every day the last time we ran.”

When her husband was elected president in 1977, Ms. Carter set a standard for first ladies by working alongside her husband’s assistants. She has contributed to key legislation, including healthcare and mental health.

And after leaving the Oval Office, Mr. Carter and his wife built the Carter Center in Atlanta. The center, founded in partnership with Emory University, is committed to human rights “and the alleviation of human suffering”.

The centre’s projects include health initiatives like the International Working Group for Disease Eradication and peace initiatives like the Conflict Resolution Program, which works to resolve conflicts in Syria, Palestine, Israel and in Sudan.

The couple is also personally involved in Habitat for Humanity and in 2018, they had spent 34 years building more than 4,000 homes in 14 countries.

In addition to all of their hard work, the Carter’s are also known to have been side by side for 75 years, making them the longest-married presidential couple in American history, according to the AP. The former president said their marriage was “a full partnership”.

The couple have four children together and as devout Christians read the Bible aloud every night. “My biggest secret is to marry the right person if you want to have a lasting marriage,” Carter told the AP. “Every day there must be reconciliation and communication between the two spouses,” said the former president. “We don’t fall asleep with a few differences remaining between us.” To mark their 60th anniversary in 2006, the couple threw a party in their hometown, after a trip to Nicaragua.

Likewise, the Carter’s will be having a party in Plains, Georgia this week to mark their 75th wedding anniversary. “We have too many people invited,” Ms. Carter told the AP, laughing. “I actually pray for refusals and regrets.”