Former President Jimmy Carter’s Dec. 29 death has thrust his family back into the spotlight including his only daughter Amy Carter.
Carter served a single term as the 39th Commander-in-Chief. Amy was just nine years old when her dad was elected in 1977, delighting the American people who were thrilled to have a kid in the White House again. Amy is the youngest and only daughter of Carter and wife Rosalynn Carter.
Of her brothers, John William ‘Jack’ Carter, James Earl ‘Chip’ Carter III, and Donnel Jeffrey ‘Jeff’ Carter, only Chip lived with the family at the White House. However, at 28 years old, he was a young adult and didn’t have the youthful charisma that younger presidential children often bring.
It wasn’t easy for a reserved kid to be in the spotlight but Amy roller skated in the driveway, ate dinner with John Travolta, and snuggled her Siamese cat Misty Malarky Ying Yang so it wasn’t all bad. After her father’s tenure in office, she moved back home with her parents to Plains, Georgia. There she graduated from Woodward Academy before attending Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Although Amy is introverted she is also passionate about human rights. She was asked to leave Brown after focusing more on political activism than her studies. Her first act of civil disobedience came in 1985 when she protested apartheid at the South African Embassy in Washington. She repeated the offense while at Brown. She also was arrested for speaking out against the C.I.A.’s involvement in Nicaragua in Massachusetts.
Her father did not seem to mind his daughter’s run-ins with the law. “Amy is a very shy girl, contrary to the image you see projected in the news media,” he explained, adding that he agreed with her political positions. “She believes very strongly in what she’s doing.”
Amy eventually earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Memphis College of Art. She went on to study art history at Tulane University graduating in 1996. That same year, Amy married James Gregory Wentzel, a computer consultant. The couple met working at a bookstore in Atlanta. Although they divorced in 2005 they remained dedicated co-parents of their son, Hugo James Wentzel. He appeared on season 2 of the competition reality series, Claim to Fame.
Two years after her divorce, Amy married John Joseph “Jay” Kelly. The couple share a daughter, Errol Carter Kelly.
After her youthful activism, Amy stayed mostly out of the limelight. The exception to this came in 1995 when she partnered with her father on a children’s book. Amy illustrated The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer which was based on a story her dad told her as a kid. According to the New York Times, she would go on to teach art at the school both her kids attended.
When Rosalynn died in 2023, Amy stepped up for the family and gave the eulogy. “My mom spent most of her life in love with my dad,” she explained. “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.”
One can infer that after her father’s legacy is celebrated, Amy, now 57, will slip back out of the public eye. The former first daughter deserves to mourn in peace but will continue her family’s legacy as a member of the board of counselors for The Carter Center. Don’t mistake her for former Georgia House Rep. Amy Carter while she is out of the spotlight.
Published: Jan 10, 2025 04:20 am