Eleanor Rosalynn Carter, the spouse of Jimmy Carter, is an active member of the political community. She was the First Lady from 1977 to 1981, in addition to being an ambassador abroad and a fervent advocate for a number of causes, including mental health research.
Rosalynn Carter parents: Meet Allie M. Smith, Wilburn Edgar Smith
Allethea Murray Smith and Wilburn Edgar Smith had four children total when Rosalynn was born in Plains on August 18, 1927. Her upbringing in a small town fostered close relationships with family and a commitment to the community and religion.
Her mother became a dressmaker to support the family after her father passed away when she was thirteen. Roselynn, the eldest kid, assisted her mother in the home by helping with housework, sewing, and childcare.
Rosalynn persevered through hard times to graduate from high school and enroll in Georgia Southwestern College in Americus. She first dated Jimmy Carter in 1945, following her first year, while he was on his way home from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. As their relationship developed, they were married in 1946.
