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After decades out of the public eye, former president Jimmy Carter’s family—including his youngest child, Amy Carter, who was just nine years old when her father was elected—is back in the spotlight once more for his state funeral. Amy, now 57, lives in the Atlanta area with her family; husband John Joseph “Jay” Kelly and sons Hugo (b. 1999) and Errol (b. 2010).
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Amy Carter makes a heart with her hands as her father’s casket is carried into the US Capitol Rotunda.
Here’s what to know about her post-White House life:
She attended Brown University, the Memphis College of Art, and Tulane University.
After her father’s presidency, the Carters moved back to Georgia, where Amy finished high school at Woodward Academy. After, she went to Brown University, but was reportedly academically dismissed after her sophomore year “for failing to keep up with her coursework” in 1987. Amy denied reports she was expelled or dismissed, saying, “They told me to take a semester off. I wasn’t expelled. I don’t have to reapply to get back in.”
She subsequently graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Memphis College of Art in 1991, and then a master’s degree in art history from Tulane in 1996.
Amy was politically active in the 80s protesting apartheid.
Carly Simon, Abbie Hoffman and Amy Carter in March 1987.
Carter was arrested during the 80s for protests against the CIA and the apartheid regime in South Africa. “Amy is a very shy girl, contrary to the image you see projected in the news media,” Carter said at the time. “But she believes very strongly in what she’s doing.”
In another interview, he said, “she’s been arrested four times for trying to bring some realization for the gravities of apartheid and the Nicaraguan war. She represented the same thing I felt. But not because I felt it. Because she believed it.”
She co-wrote a children’s book with her father.
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Former president Carter and his daughter Amy Carter in August 1995.
In 1995, Jimmy and Amy published The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer, based on a story Jimmy used to tell her when she was a child. “Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jeremy who lived with his mother in a small house near the sea. His mother earned a bare living for the two of them by washing clothes for some of the wealthy families in their town. Jeremy loved her very much….” Amy did the illustrations for the book.
The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer
She taught art at the Paideia School.
According to the New York Times, “she has taught art, part time, at the Paideia School, a private school in Atlanta that her two sons have attended.”
She married twice.
Amy Carter weds Jim Wentzel, September 1996.
Amy married James “Jim” Wentzel in September 1996; they divorced in 2005, and have one son, Hugo Wentzel (b. 1999).
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Amy and her husband John Joseph “Jay” Kelly in 2023.
In 2007, she remarried John Joseph “Jay” Kelly, and they have a son, Errol (b. 2010).
Her son Hugo was on the reality TV competition Claim to Fame.
ABC
Hugo was eliminated in the seventh episode.
Hugo competed on the second season of Claim to Fame, a reality competition series featuring relatives of famous faces.
While Amy has yet to comment publicly on her father’s passing, Hugo took to Instagram to pay tribute to him. “He was the most selfless person I’ve ever met in my entire life, and I’m not even joking when I say probably one of the most selfless humans in history. I am so, so grateful to be his grandson,” Hugo wrote.
He continued, “I wanted to highlight him as an incredible grandfather and someone who took the time for his family even while doing all that AMAZING stuff. When I was younger (and sick), he personally taught me how to fly fish, hunt, cook, and chop down numerous Christmas trees. I remember in middle school he would come with the entire secret service just to spend time with me. He took so much time out of his days to teach me life lessons (and care for family in general nonstop), even while accomplishing the coolest things in history. He would always tell me to always believe in myself and never stop working, ever. He was an incredible governer [sic], president, business owner, and most importantly family man. I love you so much papa. Thank you so much for everything. I will do everything to keep your legacy alive.”
Amy spoke at her mother’s funeral in November 2023.
Amy at her mother Rosalynn’s funeral in November 2023.
“My mom spent most of her life in love with my dad,” she said. “Their partnership and love story was a defining feature of her life. Because he isn’t able to speak to you today, I’m going to share some of his words about loving and missing her.”
She then read a letter that Jimmy wrote Rosalynn while 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 am 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.”
You can watch her full eulogy here.
Senior News Editor
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
