Born Eleanor Rosalynn Smith in Plains, Georgia, on Aug. 18, 1927, the future first lady wasthe oldest of four children, and took on many of the family responsibilities after her father died of leukemia when she was just 13.
Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter on their wedding day.Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP
Throughout the early years of their marriage, the Carters traveled while Jimmy was stationed with the Navy around the country — from Virginia to Hawaii to Connecticut.
In 1953, they returned back to Plains, when Jimmy left the Navy to take over his father’s peanut and fertilizer business with Rosalynn’s help.
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Rosalynn was a driving force behind her husband’s initial forays into politics, helping him eventually get elected as governor of Georgia in 1970.
As first lady during Jimmy’s eventual tenure as president, she served as the honorary chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health, eventually helping usher through the 1980 passage of the Mental Health Systems Act. She was also a champion of arts and arts programs and a frequent adviser to her husband.
Rosalynn Carter chairs a meeting for the President’s Commission on Mental Health in 1977.HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty
After leaving the White House, the Carters started nonprofit institutionThe Carter Center, a health and human rights organization. Rosalynn chaired the center’s Mental Health Task Force and served as a member of the Carter Center Board of Trustees.
She also served as a distinguished centennial lecturer at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, from 1988 to 1992.
Rosalynn Carter wielding a hammer for the Carter Work Project in partnership with Habitat for Humanity.Habitat for Humanity International
On the humanitarian front, Rosalynn was perhaps most visible for her and Jimmy’spartnership with Habitat for Humanity, called theCarter Work Project, which began in the ’80s and still operates.
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“For anybody who wants to get involved with an organization, there is nothing that they could do that would give them such a life-changing experience as Habitat,” Rosalynn once said. “This is something that brings together people who have everything they need and those who don’t have so many things we take for granted.”
Until recent years, Jimmy and Rosalynn were known to continue showing up to construction projects and helping out with hands-on work.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter work on a Habitat for Humanity project.Habitat for Humanity International
In 1991, Rosalynn began serving on the Policy Advisory Board ofThe Atlanta Project, working to address poverty in the state capital.
The same year, she launchedEvery Child By Two, a campaign geared toward raising awareness of the importance of timely infant immunizations (decades later, when the COVID-19 vaccination came out, she and the former presidentwere vocal about getting vaccinatedagainst the virus as misinformation spread through the country).
Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter wave to the audience at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.Scott Olson/Getty
Rosalynn wrote five books throughout her life, and was the recipient of numerous honors from organizations like the National Organization of Women and the National Mental Health Association.
PresidentBill Clintonawarded Rosalynn thePresidential Medal of Freedomalongside her husband in 1999, remarking, “Just as Eleanor Roosevelt will be remembered for her work on human rights, Rosalynn Carter will always be remembered as a pioneer on mental health and a champion of our children. … Thanks to her work, I believe we will see the day not too long away when mental illnesses are treated just like any other illnesses and covered just like any other illnesses.”
The former first lady was alsoinducted into the National Women’s Hall of Famein 2001.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter walk toward their home in Plains, Georgia.Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty
In 2014, the Carters sat down withPEOPLEto reflect on their life together, revealing one of the secrets of their enduring romance: They still read to each other every night in bed.
Said the former president, “We started 40 years ago, and we’ve never missed a night, I don’t think.”
source: people.com
