Eleanor Rosalynn Smith Carter ( born August 18 , 1927 ) is the wife of President Jimmy Carter . As the wife of one of the presidents of the USA , she was the First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981 . Rosalynn Carter ( nÃ e Eleanor Rosalynn Smith born August 18 , 1927 ) is the wife of the former President of the United States Jimmy Carter and in that capacity served as the First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981 .