Rosalynn Carter was born in 1927 in the town of Plains, Georgia. She met Jimmy Carter at a young age and the two tied the knot in 1946. The couple has four children together. Jimmy’s political career began in 1961 when he served in the Senate of Georgia and in 1970 he was elected governor of this state. Rosalynn also became politically active during this time and mainly focused on mental health care. Even when Jimmy Carter was elected President of the United States in 1976 and Rosalynn became First Lady, this subject remained her priority. The politically involved Rosalynn Carter fulfilled her role as First Lady far from traditionally…
Contents
- A childhood in Plains
- Marriage to Jimmy Carter
- Children and new careers
- In Georgia politics
- First Lady of the United States
- After the White House
A childhood in Plains
Eleanor Rosalynn Smith was born on August 18, 1927 in the town of Plains, Georgia. Rosalynn is the first child of Wilburn Edgar Smith and Allie Smith. Brother Jerry was born in 1929, Murray Lee in 1932 and in 1936 the family was completed with the birth of sister Lillian. Although Willburn and Allie have multiple jobs, the Smith family grew up in poverty, but according to Rosalynn, her brothers and sister did not notice much of it. In the environment in which they grew up, there were few people who lived in prosperity. Churches and schools were central to the community and Plains residents knew each other well. In her childhood, Rosalynn mainly played with boys on the street, because there were no girls her age living nearby. This led to her becoming interested in airplanes and she also enjoyed drawing buildings in her spare time. Rosalynn developed the ambition to later practice as an architect.
When she was thirteen, Wilburn’s father died of leukemia. This marks the end of her childhood for Rosalynn. As the eldest of the family, she helps her mother with the housework and raising the other children. Rosalynn graduated from Plains High School and attended Georgia Southwestern College. However, the young student soon had to drop out due to a lack of financial resources to continue her studies and obligations to her mother and brothers and sister.
Marriage to Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter also grew up in the Plains region. During her high school years, Jimmy and Rosalynn grow closer. Jimmy is the older brother of her best friend at the time. The two started dating and in December 1945 Jimmy proposed to Rosalynn. She refuses, because they have only been in a relationship for a short time. Two months later he makes another attempt and this time Rosalynn accepts the proposal. The couple was married on July 7, 1946. Rosalynn planned to return to school to study interior design at Georgia State College for Women. However, the marriage to Jimmy makes her decide to put an end to those plans. After the wedding, the couple moves to Norfolk, Virginia. It will be the first in a series of moves to take place, as Jimmy’s career in the Navy will take them to bases across the country over the next seven years.
Children and new careers
A year after the wedding, son John William, nicknamed Jack, was born in 1947. James Earl Chipp followed in 1950 and the last son, named Donnel Jeffrey, followed in 1952. Due to father Jimmy’s military obligations, the three sons were born in different places in the country. Rosalynn divides her time between raising the children and attending home studies. When Jimmy Carter’s father dies in 1953, the couple returns to Plains, Georgia, despite Rosalynn’s reluctance. Jimmy leaves the Navy and takes over the family business, a peanut farm. Rosalynn will take care of the company’s accounting. During this period, the couple longs for a fourth child, but they discover that this is no longer possible due to Rosalynn’s physical ailments. Only twelve years later, when a tumor is removed from her uterus and Jimmy is already politically active, do the couple have another child. In 1967, the Carter family was complete with the birth of daughter Amy Lynn.
In Georgia politics
Jimmy Carter took his first steps in politics in 1961 when he won a seat in the Georgia Senate. This means that there is greater responsibility on Rosalynn’s shoulders regarding the family business. She also handled Jimmy Carter’s political correspondence during his two terms in the Senate. In 1970, Carter was elected governor of Georgia and Rosalynn was allowed to call herself First Lady of Georgia. Prior to her husband’s election, she actively participated in the election campaign. During the conversations she has with voters, Rosalynn becomes increasingly interested in the topic of mental health.
As First Lady of Georgia, she decides to fully focus her attention on this subject. Rosalynn is appointed to the Governor’s Commission to Improve Services for the Mentally and Emotionally Handicapped. Many recommendations made by this committee were adopted and enshrined in law. In 1971, Carter took part in a state tour that introduced her to several mental health facilities in Georgia. Rosalynn also volunteers at Georgia Regional Hospital in Atlanta during her husband’s tenure and has served as honorary chair of the Georgia Special Olympics for four years. In addition to her commitment to mental health, Rosalynn Carter also performs the traditional duties of a First Lady, such as serving as hostess. However, Carter also takes care of the accounting of the governor’s mansion and takes care of the landscaping around the house.
First Lady of the United States
When Jimmy Carter’s term as governor is over, the Carter family returns to Plains. Jimmy Carter decides to run for office in the 1976 American presidential elections. Once again the couple works closely together. Rosalynn campaigns on behalf of Jimmy alone in 41 states to introduce the American people to her husband. She is also the first future First Lady ever to make a promise that she wants to keep in her position. Rosalynn Carter promises that as first lady she will make the well-being of the nation’s mentally ill her priority. During the campaign, she was admitted to the board of directors of the National Association of Mental Health. The election campaign is a success, in 1976 Jimmy Carter is elected American president by the people. Jimmy, Rosalynn and youngest daughter Amy leave Plains to move into the White House in Washington.
Source: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons (PD)
Rosalynn Carter fulfills her role as First Lady far from traditionally. Carter always supports her husband’s political policies and to stay well informed she attends cabinet meetings. President Jimmy Carter also called his wife the perfect extension of himself. In addition to her celebrated mental health work, Rosalynn is committed to overhauling federal programs for older adults and supported the Equal Rights Amendment, a law that established equal rights for men and women.
Yet mental health care remains at the top of her priority list. Rosalynn Carter served as chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health. Carter’s goal was to make it possible for anyone with mental health problems to seek and get help and to remove the taboo on the subject so that mental health problems are talked about more. During her period as First Lady, Rosalynn Carter also makes a number of trips abroad, including Latin America and Thailand, where she represents the US government. In 1979, Time magazine named Rosalynn Carter the second most powerful person in the United States. Carter is the first First Lady to have her own office in the East Wing of the White House.
After the White House
Elections were held again in 1980. Jimmy Carter will initially be challenged by Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, but Carter will ultimately attempt to retain the presidency on behalf of the Democrats. Once again Rosalynn Carter is playing an active role in the election campaign. Jimmy Carter ultimately loses the election to Republican Ronald Reagan in November 1980. Jimmy and Rosalynn will leave the White House after one presidential term. This does not mean that it is time for the former First Lady to sit still.
In 1982, the former presidential couple founded The Carter Center. This is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that focuses on improving human rights around the world. Even after Jimmy Carter’s presidency, Rosalynn remains committed to American mental health care. In 1984 she was named an honorary member of the American Psychiatric Association and in 1985 she initiated the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, a symposium bringing together leaders in the field of mental health from around the world. In 1987, Rosalynn became president of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, which focuses its work on both family and professional caregivers for individuals with chronic diseases and disabilities, disabilities associated with aging, and other health problems that arise throughout the lifespan.
In addition to her work for the American healthcare system, Rosalynn Carter is also the author of five books, including her autobiography First Lady from Plains. In 1999, Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter both received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton. This is the highest award given to American citizens. After the death of Barbara Bush on April 17, 2018, Rosalynn Carter is the oldest living former First Lady of the United States in 2023. Her husband and former president Jimmy Carter is also still alive in 2023. However, in February 2023, it was announced that Jimmy Carter’s health was in poor condition. The former president is receiving hospice care and will spend what time he has left at home with his family. On May 30, 2023, the Carter family released a statement revealing that former first lady Rosalynn Carter has been diagnosed with dementia. On November 19, 2023, the former first lady passed away at her home in Plains, Georgia. Jimmy Carter is still alive at that time, even though he is seriously ill. The marriage between the former president and first lady lasted 77 years.