Former President Jimmy Carter dies at 100: What to know about his kids, grandkids
The former president was a father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Jimmy Carter, America's oldest living president, died on Dec. 29, 2024, at age 100.
The former president, who was born on Oct. 1, 1924, was the head of a large, extended family, many of whom accompanied his remains on a flight from Georgia’s Dobbins Air Reserve Base to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 7, for the late president’s final journey to the nation’s capital.
The Carter family was also front and center on Jan. 9, at Washington National Cathedral, where the state funeral for the former president was held.
Near the start of the service, Carter’s grandson Josh Carter recalled his grandfather’s weekly packed Sunday school classes in Plains, Georgia, saying, in part, "My grandfather spent the entire time I've known him helping those in need. He built houses for people that needed homes. He eliminated diseases. ... He waged peace. … He loved people."
Carter's eldest grandchild, Jason Carter, remembered the former president in a eulogy as the "definition of integrity," and said his house, like other southern grandparents', was filled with fishing trophies, a phone with a landline and a fridge covered with photos of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter's wife of 77 years, predeceased her husband.
She died on Nov. 19, 2023, two days after the Carter family announced publicly that their matriarch had started hospice care as well. She was later honored at a memorial service held at Emory University's Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta, where Jimmy Carter made a rare appearance.
"Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished," former President Jimmy Carter said in a statement at the time. "She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me."
Rosalynn Carter had been diagnosed with dementia in her final year of life.
Together, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter had four children and around two dozen grandchildren and great-grandchildren, according to the Jimmy Carter Library.
After Jimmy Carter's death, Jason Carter, remembered the former president as a grandfather first.
"He was my grandfather so I have a lot of memories, like others do, of him taking me fishing or sitting around and talking about what I should do in my life," Jason Carter told "Good Morning America" on Dec. 31. "When I graduated from college, he and I sat down and I said, 'What would you do if you were me?,' and he said, 'I would go to Africa and join the Peace Corps,' and so I did that."
Meet Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter's family
Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter, who were married for over seven decades, were parents to three sons -- John William, James Earl III, Donnel Jeffrey -- and one daughter, Amy Lynn.
In addition to their four children, the Carters were grandparents of 12 (one deceased) and great-grandparents to 14 children, according to the Jimmy Carter Library.
The Carters grew up together as neighbors and schoolmates in Plains, Georgia, and went on to become the longest-married couple in presidential history. They married on July 7, 1946.
Jimmy Carter told ABC News in 2021 that the key to their long and happy marriage included taking the time to both "share as much as we possibly can" and giving each other permission to pursue separate interests.
"We've survived this long together because first of all, we give each other plenty of space to do our own thing," he said at the time.
"We're always looking to do things or find things we can do together, like fly fishing and bird watching and just going out to the pond," Rosalynn Carter also added.
Learn more about the Carters’ children.
Jack Carter
Jack Carter was born in Virginia in July 1947, nearly a year after his parents' marriage.
He owns an investment company and lives in Las Vegas.
The eldest Carter son was previously a lawyer and a businessman and in 2016, followed his father’s footsteps into politics. He ran as a Democratic candidate for the Senate in Nevada but lost to incumbent Republican Sen. John Ensign.
He was previously married to Juliette "Judy" Langford and they share two children – son Jason James and daughter Sarah Rosemary, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, which is run by the University of Georgia. Jack Carter has been married to Elizabeth Brasfield since 1992.
Jason Carter delivered the eulogy at the memorial service of his late grandmother Rosalynn Carter.
In an interview on "Good Morning America" on Dec. 31, Jason Carter described his grandparents' 77-year marriage as "one of the great American love stories."
He also described his closeness with his grandfather, saying of the former president, ""He’s an interesting guy, but he really was a grandfather to me first."
Chip Carter
James Earl Carter III, named after his father, was born in Hawaii in April 1950.
The second Carter son also grew up in his father's hometown of Plains but in a 2008 interview with the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, he said his nickname Chip was given to him while he was still in Honolulu.
"'Chip' is Hawaiian for 'baby' and my blue armband when I was born had 'Chip Carter' written on it, which meant 'baby Carter' and that's how I got the name Chip," he said.
Chip Carter was married in 1973 to Caron Griffin and they had a son named James Earl Carter IV. The couple divorced in 1980. Chip Carter would later marry Ginger Hodges and they had a daughter named Margaret Alicia Carter. Today, Chip Carter is married to Becky Payne, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
Chip Carter welcomed guests to the late Rosalynn Carter’s memorial service and called his mother his "hero."
"I will always love my mother. I will cherish how she and Dad raised their children. They'd given us such a great example of how a couple should relate. Let me finish by saying that my mother, Rosalynn Carter, was the most beautiful woman I've ever met and pretty to look at, too. Thank you," he said.
Jeff Carter
Donnel Jeffrey Carter is the youngest son and third child of the former president and former first lady.
Jeff Carter was born in August 1952 in Connecticut and attended Georgia Southwestern State University, where he would meet his future wife, the late Annette Davis Carter.
The couple married in 1975, lived at the White House and, later, had three children – sons Joshua, Jeremy and James. Jeremy Carter died in 2015 after an apparent heart attack, according to the biography "His Very Best Jimmy Carter, a Life," by Jonathan Alter.
In "Caregiving: Generations," a short documentary released in October 2024, Joshua Carter opened up about his personal experience caregiving for his sons Charlie and Jonathan and his family, especially his grandmother Rosalynn Carter's advocacy for caregiving on the national level.
Amy Carter
Amy Lynn Carter is the youngest of the Carter kids and was born in Plains in October 19, 1967.
Amy was one of the speakers at her late mother’s memorial service and read letters her father Jimmy had written to her mother Rosalynn.
"My mom spent most of her life in love with my dad. Their partnership and love story was a defining feature of her life," Amy Carter said. "Because he isn't able to speak to you today. I am going to share some of his words about loving and missing her."
"This is from a letter he wrote 75 years ago while he was serving in the Navy. 'My darling, every time I have ever been away from you, I have been thrilled when I returned to discover just how wonderful you are. While I'm away, I try to convince myself that you really are not, could not be as sweet and beautiful as I remember. But when I see you, I fall in love with you all over again. Does that seem strange to you? It doesn't to me. Goodbye, darling. Until tomorrow, Jimmy,'" she finished.
Amy Carter spent her young teenage years in the White House when her father was president and her mother was first lady, between 1977 and 1981.
In 1996, Amy Carter married James Wentzel and the couple had a son, Hugo James Wentzel, who was born on July 29, 1999. The couple later divorced and Amy Carter remarried Jay Kelly. They also welcomed a son, named Errol Carter Kelly.
In the summer of 2023, Hugo James Wentzel appeared on the second season of the reality competition show "Claim to Fame," which features celebrity relatives, and revealed he was one of the Carters' grandchildren.
"He's an amazing grandpa, honestly. I love him so much. I call him Papa," Wentzel said of the former president. "He led America and my family very well. I stand for everything he stands for. He believes in equality for everyone, regardless of race, class, gender, anything. He's just an amazing person. I aspire to be like him one day."
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