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  5. Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife have 4 kids and a total of 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Meet their family.

Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife have 4 kids and a total of 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Meet their family.

Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife have 4 kids and a total of 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Meet their family.
A portrait of President Jimmy Carter and his extended family. Left to right: his daughter-in-law Judy Carter, grandson Jason James Carter; son Jack Carter, daughter in law Annette Carter, son Jeff Carter, wife Rosalynn Carter, daughter Amy Carter, Jimmy Carter, daughter-in-law Caron Griffin Carter holding James Earl Carter IV, and son Chip Carter.CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Smith Carter, have been married for 76 years.

Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Smith Carter, have been married for 76 years.
President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn lead their guests in dancing at the annual Congressional Christmas Ball at the White House on December 13, 1978.      AP Photo/Ira Schwarz, File

Jimmy and Rosalynn's families were friends and neighbors growing up in Plains, Georgia. The two began dating in 1945, while Rosalynn was a student at Georgia Southwestern College and while Jimmy was enrolled at the US Naval Academy.

After their first date, Jimmy told his mother, "She's the girl I want to marry," according to the White House.

They wed on July 7, 1946.

As first lady, Rosalynn championed mental-health research, and she continued her advocacy after leaving the White House.

As first lady, Rosalynn championed mental-health research, and she continued her advocacy after leaving the White House.
Rosalynn Carter speaks to the press at conference at The Carter Center in 2019.      Ron Harris, File/AP

Rosalynn served as the honorary chair of the President's Commission on Mental Health from 1977 to 1978, which helped pass the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980.

After her time in the White House, she remained active in humanitarian work with the establishment of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers and longtime partnership with Habitat for Humanity. She's also written five books.

Rosalynn celebrated her 95th birthday in August.

They have four children: Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy.

They have four children: Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy.
A portrait of President Jimmy Carter and his extended family. Left to right: his daughter-in-law Judy Carter, grandson Jason James Carter; son Jack Carter, daughter in law Annette Carter, son Jeff Carter, wife Rosalynn Carter, daughter Amy Carter, Jimmy Carter, daughter-in-law Caron Griffin Carter holding James Earl Carter IV, and son Chip Carter.      CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

They had 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Jimmy told CNN's Jake Tapper in 2015. In 2018, their grandson Jeremy died of a suspected heart attack.

Their oldest son, 75-year-old John William "Jack" Carter, followed his father into politics.

Their oldest son, 75-year-old John William "Jack" Carter, followed his father into politics.
Jack Carter.      John Locher/AP

Jack and his first wife, Judy Langford, had two children. Their son Jason James, born in 1975, was a toddler when Carter took office in 1977. Their daughter, Sarah Rosemary, was born in 1978. They eventually divorced, and he married Elizabeth Brasfield in 1992, gaining two stepchildren.

In 2006, Jack ran for a Nevada seat in the US Senate, the first major office the Carter family has sought since 1980. He earned the Democratic nomination but was unsuccessful against an incumbent Republican senator in the general election.

Jack holds a law degree from the University of Georgia, but he spent most of his career in the investment and finance industry.

James Earl "Chip" Carter, 72, worked for his family's peanut-farming business and has participated in the Democratic National Committee.

James Earl "Chip" Carter, 72, worked for his family
Chip Carter.      John Bazemore/AP

Chip worked as vice president, then president and CEO, at Friendship Force, a not-for-profit that organized international exchanges for adult home stays. He also served as a member of Plains City Council in Georgia.

He has been married three times and has a son, James Carter IV, and a daughter, Margaret Alicia Carter.

Donnel Jeffrey "Jeff" Carter, 70, launched a computer-electronics company.

Donnel Jeffrey "Jeff" Carter, 70, launched a computer-electronics company.
Jeff Carter.      R. Diamond/WireImage/Getty Images

Jeff and his wife, Annette, met at Georgia Southwestern University. They wed in 1975 during Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign and spent the first years of their married life living in the White House.

"While living in the White House, Jeff and Annette helped host everybody from Bob Dylan to Pope John Paul II," their son Josh wrote in Annette's obituary in September 2021. "In some of Annette's favorite White House memories, she greeted the cast of Star Wars after the release of 'A New Hope' and John Travolta after he starred in 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Grease.' These experiences were quite extraordinary for Jeff and Annette's first few years of marriage."

Jeff co-founded Computer Mapping Consultants, a firm that became a consultancy for the World Bank in 1978 and held foreign government contracts.

He and Annette had three children together. In 2018, their 28-year-old son Jeremy died from a suspected heart attack.

A former political activist, 55-year-old Amy Carter sits on the board of the Carter Center, the nonprofit founded by her father.

A former political activist, 55-year-old Amy Carter sits on the board of the Carter Center, the nonprofit founded by her father.
Amy Carter with husband Jay Kelly and son Hugo Carter in 2008.      Rick Diamond/Staff/WireImage/Getty Images

Amy was 9 years old when her father's presidency began. She had a pet Siamese cat named Misty who accompanied her to Camp David and took up residence in her doll house.

Amy became a political activist in the '80s and '90s, and she was even arrested at a CIA recruitment protest. She later received a master's degree from Tulane in art history and wed computer consultant James Wentzel in 1996. At her wedding ceremony she was not given away, saying she did not belong to anyone. She had one child with Wentzel, a son named Hugo James Wentzel. They later divorced, and she married John Joseph "Jay" Kelly in 2007. They share another son, Errol Carter Kelly.

Amy worked with her dad on the 1995 children's book "The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer," which Jimmy wrote and she illustrated, about a boy who befriends a monster. She remains a a board member of the Carter Center, but she has otherwise stayed out of public life.

The Carters have 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The Carters have 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Jason Carter speaks during a campaign event with his grandparents, former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter in 2014.      Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Among their grandchildren is Jack's son Jason James Carter, 47, (pictured) a former Georgia state senator who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2014.

His sister, Sarah Rosemary, 44, earned a PhD in neuroscience from the University of California San Francisco in 2007 and works as the principal at Science Policy Consulting LLC, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Jack also has two stepchildren: Sarah Chuldenko, a painter, and John Chuldenko, a filmmaker.

Chip's son James Carter IV, 45, works as an opposition researcher. He made headlines during the 2012 presidential election, after he helped unearth the infamous "47%" video that ostracized nominee Mitt Romney. He later received a thank-you note from former President Barack Obama.

Chip's daughter Margaret, 35, has remained out of the public eye.

Jeff's oldest son, 38-year-old Joshua Jeffery Carter, hosts a podcast called "Unchanging Principles," a reference to a line from Jimmy's inaugural address.

In 2018, Jeff's son Jeremy died from a suspected heart attack at 28.

Jeff's youngest, 31-year-old James "Jamie" Carlton Carter, married his longtime girlfriend Anna in a backyard pandemic wedding in October 2021, then held a larger ceremony a year later at the Carter Center, according to their wedding website.

Amy's son, Hugo James Wentzel, 23, and stepson, Errol Carter Kelly, have attended public events with their grandparents, but they have otherwise kept a low profile.


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