Former US President Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn Carter celebrate 76 years of marriage

The Carters are the longest-married presidential couple.

Former United States President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter celebrated 76 years of marriage on Thursday.

As noted on the Twitter account for the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, the oldest living president, 97, has been married for over seven decades.

Carter and his wife, 94, have been married longer than all other presidential couples in history.

“Happy 76th Wedding Anniversary to our favourite couple!,” the tweet reads.  “They are setting a new record every day as the longest-married presidential couple!!!”

Fans on Twitter have congratulated the couple on their momentous anniversary and praised them for “setting a great example of marriage”.

“Canadians thank you for setting such a high moral bar for US Presidents to follow along with your fellow countrymen,” one wrote.

“President Carter and First Lady Rosalynn are role models of mine,” another added. “This is incredible. Goals. Happy anniversary!”

The pair have previously opened up about how they’ve maintained their relationship and how it first began, more than 70 years ago.

During an interview with the AP in July 2021, the former midshipman in the US Naval Academy recalled how his younger sister, Ruth, set him up on his first date with Rosalynn. Ruth and Rosalynn had been close friends. However, according to Jimmy, he had a crush on his now-wife before their first date even occurred.

The 39th president of the US went on to share that “reconciliation and communication” have been key components in his marriage.

“My biggest secret is to marry the right person if you want to have a long-lasting marriage,” he said.

“Every day there needs to be reconciliation and communication between the two spouses,” he added, as he explained that he and his wife are both devout Christians and read the Bible out loud together every night. “We don’t go to sleep with some remaining differences between us.”

Rosalynn agreed with her husband’s sentiment, while noting the importance of both spending time together and giving each other space.

“Jimmy and I are always looking for things to do together,” she explained. “Each (person) should have some space. That’s really important.”

The couple acknowledged how they’ve done a lot of travelling across the world with each other, both throughout and after Jimmy’s time in office.

As first lady, Rosalynn worked along her husband in the West Wing of the White House, as she helped with key laws regarding the country’s health care and mental health.

Following their years in out of the office, they founded the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. According to its official website, the organisation is based on “a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering”.

Throughout almost 80 years together, Jimmy and Rosalynn welcomed four children: Jack, 75, James, 72, Donnel, 69, and Amy, 54.