ByDebbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Jimmy Carter and his family FILE PHOTO: Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter kissing, surrounded by family including Amy Carter and Lillian Carter, at Democratic National Convention, New York City, New York, USA, Warren K. Leffler, July 15, 1976. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Universal History Archive/Universal History Archive/Univer)
ByDebbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Jimmy Carter was home on a visit from the U.S. Naval Academy when he asked his sister Ruth’s friend Rosalynn Smith out on a date.
The date went well.
It went so well that he told his mother, Lillian, “She’s the girl I want to marry.”
The two grew close quickly, and they married a year later.
A year after that, in 1947, Carter was serving in the U.S. Navy and Rosalynn was pregnant. Their child, the first of four for the couple, was born the day before the July 4 holiday.
Here’s a look at Carter’s children, Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy, and what they have accomplished in the years following their father’s presidency.
John William “Jack” Carter (born July 3, 1947) – The Carter’s eldest son, Jack, was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, when his father was serving in the U.S. Navy. In 1953, when Jack was 6, the family moved to Plains, Georgia, after the death of his grandfather, Earl Carter. Jack worked on the family farm when he was a child, making .10 cents an hour in the peanut farm warehouse.
He went to Georgia Tech, his father’s alma mater, in 1965, then went to Emory and Georgia Southwestern State University before he followed his father into the Navy in April 1968.
After being discharged from the Navy, Jack went back to college, earning a degree in nuclear physics from Georgia Tech. He went on to earn a law degree from the University of
Georgia in 1975, a year before his father would be elected president.
He married Juliet Langford and had two children, Jason and Sarah. The marriage did not last, and after the couple divorced, Jack married Elizabeth Brasfield in 1992. He has two stepchildren from that marriage.
Jack worked for the Chicago Board of Trade and Citibank before he started an investment company while living in Bermuda. He formed the Carter Global consulting firm in 2003 when the family moved to Nevada. He won the Democratic nomination for Nevada’s U.S. Senate seat in 2006, but lost in the general election.
James Earl “Chip” Carter III (born April 12, 1950) – Chip Carter, his father’s namesake, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Like his brother Jack, Chip worked in the family’s peanut business. He attended Georgia Southwestern State University and in 1973 married Caron Griffin. The couple had one child, James Earl Carter IV, and divorced in 1980.
Before his father was elected president, he worked for the Georgia State Energy Office. He worked on his father’s campaign, and while his father was in office he often served as his emissary, representing the president at events and meetings across the United States and in foreign countries. He and his family lived in the White House and he worked for the Democratic National Committee.
After his father lost the 1980 presidential election, Chip formed Carter/Smith and Associates, a firm that specialized in helping run political campaigns. He worked as a consultant specializing in establishing relationships between corporations and government, political, and corporate leaders in Africa, the Middle East, and China.
In 1995, he began work at Friendship Force International, a not-for-profit organization running an international exchange program with clubs in 57 countries. The program was founded by his parents. He volunteered for other causes his parents supported, such as Habitat for Humanity.
He married a second time and he and his wife, the former Ginger Hedges, had a daughter, Margaret Alicia. That marriage also ended in divorce. He married a third time to the former Becky Payne.
Donnel Jeffrey “Jeff” Carter (born Aug. 18, 1952) – Jeff Carter was born in New London, Connecticut on his mother’s birthday. He earned a degree in geography from George Washington University. He co-founded Computer Mapping Consultants, a company that by 1978 was doing business with the World Bank. He married Annette Davis in 1975 and lived with his parents in the White House during his father’s term.
The couple had three children, Joshua, Jeremy and James. Jeremy died in 2015 of a suspected heart attack.
Amy Lynn Carter Wentzel (born Oct. 19, 1967) – Amy was born in Plains, Georgia. She was 9 years old when her family moved into the White House, and much of her early life was documented by the press. She roller skated in the White House, had a pet cat, and was criticized for reading a book at a state dinner. Her father famously said during a debate with Ronald Reagan that he had asked her what the most pressing issue was in the 1980 election and said her response was “the control of nuclear arms.”
After her family left the White House, she finished grade school in Atlanta and enrolled in Brown University. She went on to earn and bachelor’s degree from Memphis College of Art and a master’s degree in art history from Tulane University. Carter illustrated her father’s children’s book, The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer, which was released in 1996.
She married James Wentzel in 1996, and the couple has one child.
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Jimmy Carter and his family Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. (C) flanked by pres. candidate Jimmy Carter (R) & his mother Lillian, at the Democratic National Convention. (Photo by Ted Thai/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images) (Ted Thai/The LIFE Images Collection via G)
Jimmy Carter and his family Democratic Presidential front runner Jimmy Carter and his 8 year old daughter Amy Carter have a moment alone, though they are in the midst of about 30 visitors to Amy's drink stand outside the Carter home, June 12, 1976, Plains, Ga. (AP Photo/Joe Holloway Jr.) (JOE HOLLOWAY JR./AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family "Show 'em how grandpa smiles," President Jimmy Carter told his grandson, Jason, after the first family arrived in Calhoun, Ga. on Friday, April 8, 1977 for a visit. And Jason, son of Jack and Judy Carter, showed his teeth. The Carters will spend the Easter weekend in Calhoun. (AP Photo/Jim Bourdier) (Jim Bourdier/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family Former President Jimmy Carter, right, talks with his wife Rosalynn at a Habitat for Humanity project in Leogane, Haiti, Monday, Nov. 26, 2012. The former president and former first lady were both taking an active part Monday in the construction of 100 one-room houses on about 14 acres which families will live in rent-free for five years and then pay a modest annual rent to the government. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) (Dieu Nalio Chery/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family WASHINGTON, D.C. - JANUARY 19: Amy Carter, 9 years old, behind bullet proof glass with her father, President Jimmy Carter, at his Inauguration Parade. Carter was inaugurated the 39th President of the United States, January 19, 1977. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) (CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and his family President-elect Jimmy Carter with his wife, Rosalynn, and daughter, Amy, 9, at their home in Plains, Georgia o Dec. 5, 1976. (AP Photo/CWH) (CWH/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Jimmy Carter and his family Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter is pictured with his wife, Rosalynn, right, and their son, Jeff, left and his wife Annette at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1976 just after the close of Carter's second debate with President Ford. (AP Photo) (UNCREDITED/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family Former Pres. Jimmy Carter gets a hug from his mother Lillian Carter, as he arrives home, Jan. 20, 1981, Plains, Ga. He went into town and spoke to the crowd assembled for a big "covered dish supper" in his honor. (AP Photo/Joe Holloway Jr.) (JOE HOLLOWAY JR./AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family President-elect Jimmy Carter and his family wave to supporters at a celebration in Atlanta, Ga., following Carter's victory over incumbent Pres. Gerald Ford, Nov. 3, 1976. At center is daughter Amy and at right, wife Rosalynn. (AP Photo) (AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family Jimmy Carter, wife Rosalynn Carter and daughter Amy Carter attend Jimmy Carter Inauguration Parade on January 20, 1977 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty)
Jimmy Carter and his family Governor-elect Jimmy Carter, left, holds his daughter Amy, 3, as Georgia Gov. Lester Maddox holds his granddaughter Lynn Maddox, 14 months, as the two leaders of Georgia pose for photographers during the changing of the governor's office in Atlanta, Jan. 12, 1971. Carter will be inaugurated as governor at noon today, and Maddox as Lt. Governor. (AP Photo) (Anonymous/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Carter smiles from the top deck of a cabin cruiser boat as it left the marina at St. Simons Island, Ga., for fishing off the coast in the very early morning of May 29, 1977. The Carter family is staying on the Island during a working holiday vacation. (AP Photo/Charles Harrity) (Charles Harrity/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Jimmy Carter waves to members of the press and spectators as he leaves the home of his mother-in-law in Plains, Georgia on Dec. 25, 1978. Walking with him is first lady Rosalynn Carter and in the background is his mother-in-law, Mrs. Allie Smith (wearing glasses) and members of the family and friends. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi) (Charles Tasnadi/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Jimmy Carter and his family New York, N.Y.: Jimmy Carter holds daughter Amy aloft while wife Rosalynn waves, and his mother Lillian Gordy Carter (next to Amy) smiles, on the podium of Madison Square Garden in Manhattan after his speech accepting the Democratic nomination for President on July 15, 1976. (Newsday LLC/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Jimmy Carter rides his bicycle with grandson Jason as a passenger as the first family has an outing at Cunningham, Falls State Park, Md., Nov. 24, 1978. The Carters spent Thanksgiving at Camp David, Md., which is near the park. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma) (Barry Thumma/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Jimmy Carter and his family Miss Lillian Carter in wheelchair, being assisted by her son, President-elect Jimmy Carter, waves to waiting newsmen in the lobby of the Sumpter County Hospital, Jan.1, 1977, Americus, Ga. She'd been confined there through the holidays and this was her first meeting with the press. The rest of the group is unidentified. (AP Photo) (Anonymous/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Jimmy Carter wishes everybody a Merry Christmas as he leaves the home of his mother-in-law in Plains, Georgia on Dec. 25, 1978. From left: Rosalynn Carter, Amy Carter, Mrs. Allie Smith, his mother-in-law, wearing glasses, and president. Others in the background are unidentified family members and friends. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi) (Charles Tasnadi/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, guide their horses towards the corral after a day of horseback riding near Jenny Lake in Wyoming, Aug. 30, 1978. The president and his family will leave on Wednesday for Washington, D.C. (AP Photo) (AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Jimmy Carter waves to the crowd while walking with his wife, Rosalynn, and their daughter, Amy, along Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House following his inauguration in Washington, Jan. 20, 1977. (AP Photo/Suzanne Vlamis) (Suzanne Vlamis/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Jimmy Carter, daughter-in-law, Caron Carter as his wife Rosalynn joins the group outside the Carter home in Plains, Georgia Wednesday, Dec. 21, 1977. Caron is the wife of Chip Carter. The President and his family will spend Christmas at home. (AP Photo/DC) (DC/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family Guide Norm Guth steers a 20-foot diameter rubber raft carrying President Jimmy Carter and the president's family down the rushing water of Middle Fork of Idaho's Salmon River, Aug. 22, 1978. Carter and his family spent three days on the Idaho wilderness stream. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck) (Harry Cabluck/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Jimmy Carter and his family Amy Carter reaches out to help nephew Jason as President Jimmy Carter jumps from rock to rock while crossing a creek during an outing at Cunningham Falls State Park, Maryland, Nov. 24, 1978. The park is near the presidential retreat Camp David where the first family spent Thanksgiving. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma) (Barry Thumma/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Jimmy Carter embraces his daughter-in-law Judy Carter as his son, Jack, watches first lady Rosalynn Carter play with her grandson, Jason. T he first family had just arrived in Calhoun to spend Easter weekend with Jack and Judy, April 8, 1977. (AP Photo/Jim Bourdier) (Jim Bourdier/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family Jimmy Carter and his mother, Lillian view the proceedings at the Democratic National Conventional via television, July 14, 1976 in New York at the Americana Hotel. (AP Photo) (UNCREDITED/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 1976: President Elect Jimmy Carter, governor and peanut farmer, gives victory speech with family and supporters on dais after election victory over ex-President Gerald Ford in Atlanta Georgia in November 1976.
(Photo by Nik Wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images) (nik wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Jimmy Carter carries his grandson James Earl Carter IV, as his daughter Amy walks beside him upon their arrival at the White House, May 16, 1977. The Carters spent the weekend in Camp David, the presidential retreat. First lady Rosalynn Carter is at right. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi) (Charles Tasnadi/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family View of future First Lady Rosalynn Carter (fore left), daughter Amy, and husband, US President-Elect Jimmy Carter, as they wave from the stage at the Georgia World Congress Center where the latter had delivered his Presidential acceptance speech, Atlanta, Georgia, November 3, 1976. Pictured behind them are, from left, daughter-in law Annette Davis Carter (extreme left), daughter-in-law Carol Griffin Carter and her husband, son James Earl 'Chip' Carter III, and daughter-in-law Judy Langford Carter and her husband, son John William Carter. (Photo by Benjamin E. 'Gene' Forte/CNP/Getty Images) (Benjamin E. "Gene" Forte/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Jimmy Carter, first lady Rosalynn Carter and daughter Amy visit the graves of five sailors who were members of Commodore Perry's flagship, June 27, 1979. At left is Buddist priest Yodo Murakami, priest of the Gyokusenji Temple. (AP Photo) (Anonymous/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Jimmy Carter and his family Portrait of the US First Family as they pose in front of the Christmas tree located in the Blue Room of the White House, Washington DC, December 20, 1977. Pictured are (rear) US First Lady Rosalynn Carter and President Jimmy Carter, with their daughter, Amy Carter. (Photo by Karl Schumacher - White House via CNP/Getty Images) (Karl Schumacher - White House via CNP/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and his family The family graveyard of President Jimmy Carter is shown in Plains, Ga., June 1977. (AP Photo) (AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Carter talks with newsmen at the airport in Brunswick, Ga., as he arrived to start a working holiday vacation, May 27, 1977. The president and his family will vacation on St. Simons Island, Ga. Air Force One can be seen in the background. (AP Photo) (AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family The Carter warehouse and peanut processing plant in Plains, Ga., which is owned by President Jimmy Carter and his family, has been taken over by the Gold Kist, Inc., who will manage the plant while Carter is president, shown Aug. 27, 1977. The business will remain in the Carter family. (AP Photo/Joe Holloway, Jr.) (Joe Holloway, Jr./AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family American President Jimmy Carter (centre) with his brother Billy (1937 - 1988, left) on St. Simons Island, Georgia, 1977. (Photo by Pictorial Parade/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Pictorial Parade/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter and his family President Jimmy Carter and his younger brother Billy take a walk through the woods around their mother's pond house near Plains, Ga., June 1, 1977. The president paid a brief visit to his home town Tuesday. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma) (Barry Thumma/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Jimmy Carter and his family FILE - In this July 4, 1981 file photo, Former President Jimmy Carter his wife Rosalynn Carter, right, and daughter Amy Carter, wave to the crowd along Peachtree Street as they lead a parade through the streets in Atlanta, Ga. Carter was the Grand Marshal in the Independence Day celebration. (AP Photo/Gary Gardiner) (Gary Gardiner/AP)
Jimmy Carter and his family Plains - August 21: President Carter and Amy Carter photo shoot for their new children's book, "The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer," in Plains Georgia on August 21, 1995 (Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images) (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)