Rosalynn Carter died on Sunday at 96 years old. She married Jimmy Carter in 1946, making them the longest-married presidential couple.
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The former first lady of the United States Rosalynn Carter died at the age of 96 on Sunday, after 77 years of marriage to former President Jimmy Carter.
The Carters are among the great love stories of United States politics, with their affection for each other being a staple of both their careers in the public eye. They were also the longest-married presidential couple in US history.
Jimmy Carter said in a 2015 interview with The Carter Center that marrying Rosalynn was the "pinnacle" of his life.
"The best thing I ever did was marrying Rosalynn," he said.
The Carters got married in 1946 in their hometown of Plains, Georgia.
They have rarely shared photos of the event, though there is a picture from the Carters' nuptials at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, which opened in 1986.
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As seen in the black-and-white photo, the former president wore a white Navy uniform for the wedding, while Rosalynn donned a knee-length white dress.
Buttons lined the front of the dress, and she paired it with a black, short-sleeved top with a bow at her waist. A white hat, white gloves, and a flower on her lapel completed the simple bridal look.
Though it was more common for brides to wear simpler gowns when the Carters got married, Rosalynn's dress was particularly laid-back, especially when compared to the wedding gowns other first ladies wore, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
When she became first lady, Rosalynn's style remained relaxed, and she was more often seen in skirts and blouses than suits or ball gowns.
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Rosalynn was a life-long mental health advocate, serving on the Governor's Commission to Improve Services to the Mentally and Emotionally Handicapped when Jimmy Carter was Georgia's governor from 1971 to 1975. Later, she oversaw the President's Commission on Mental Health when she was first lady.
But the Associated Press reported that the Carters' grandson, Jason Carter, said his grandparents' love for each other and the world is how both Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter will be remembered.
"That word love is really the one that defines certainly their personal relationship, but also the way they approach this world," he said.
