Hugo James Wentzel Is Amy Carter's Child & Jimmy Carter's Grandson
Hugo James Wentzel is Jimmy Carter's grandson from his youngest child. The boy has had a few involvements in his grandfather's political life.
Hugo James Wentzel is one of the youngest grandchildren from the 39th U.S. president Jimmy Carter's family. Although Jimmy is now in his 99th year of life and receiving hospice care from his home, Hugo vividly recalls cross-continental travels with his grandad for important political events.
Hugo's parents' wedding was unique in its own right, in a memory-filled location connected to the former president's mother, Lillian Carter. Though most of the elders in his family have been covered by the media because of their respectable association with the white house, Hugo's life has been reasonably private. Here is all there is to know about the 23-year-old.
Jimmy Carter walks with grandsons Jeremy Carter and Hugo Wentzel, during a picnic event in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 31, 2009. | Source: Getty Images
Hugo Came into the World in 1999
Former president Jimmy Carter welcomed his daughter Amy Lynn Carter on October 19, 1967, making her 55 this year. Amy went on to wed Gregory Wentzel in 1996, a year after she did illustrations for her father's book "The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer." On July 29, 1999, they welcomed Hugo James, their only child.
Hugo is 23 and has treasurable memories of attending prestigious events with his grandfather. Hugo and his late older cousin accompanied their grandfather to Istanbul, Turkey, in October 2009 when they participated in a climate change awareness picnic with seven world leaders (The Elders) and their grandchildren.
He was also present for the grand reopening of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum on his grandfather's 85th birthday. Hugo, his grandfather, and nephew, Henry Carter, cut the ribbon together. Hugo's parents put a limit on the amount of public exposure he received while growing up to protect him.
Jimmy Carter talks with grandsons Jeremy Carter and Hugo Wentzel, during a picnic event in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 31, 2009. | Source: Getty Images
Hugo Is the Son of a President's Daughter and a Computer Consultant
Hugo's parents' wedding occurred at an important family venue with 140 guests. His father was a University of New Orleans computer consultant and managed a bookstore in Atlanta that employed his mother. This was where his parents met and began their long-standing relationship.
Hugo's parents exchanged vows near a pond where his great-maternal grandmother used to fish. The Pond House was Hugo's mother's home while Jimmy ran for president in 1976. The wedding was conducted by Reverend Dan Ariail, the minister of Plains' Maranatha Baptist Church.
Although Hugo's mother only married once, she had been previously engaged to a Browns University boyfriend three years before the 1996 wedding. Jimmy commented on the union, saying, "I gained a son. I think we had a good melding of the two families last night. We had a toast. Amy's brothers told what Amy meant to them."
Amy Carter and Jim Wentzel's wedding. Pictured: Jimmy, Rosalyn, Amy Cater, Jim, Judy, and Jim Wentzel in Plains, Georgia, on September 1, 1996. | Source: Getty Images
Hugo Comes from a Big Clan
Although Hugo is the only child in his immediate family, the 23-year-old's grandfather has four children who extended the Carter clan with the birth of many little ones, making Jimmy a great-grandfather. The former president once recounted:
"We have a big family now. We have 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, 38 of us in all. So, we try to hold our family together and just enjoy the family life."
Hugo's family comprises the following: John William Carter, born in 1947, has two children and two stepchildren; James Earl Carter III, born in 1950, fathers two children; Donnel Jeffrey Carter, born in 1952, fathers three sons with one passing away at 28; Hugo's mother Amy Lynn Carter, born in 1967.
Former president Jimmy Carter with Sarah Carter, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Amy Carter, and others along with others, on stage at the 1980 National Democratic Convention which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, from August 11 to 14, 1980. | Source: Getty Images
Hugo's cousins are also parents, bringing 11 great-grandchildren into the family. The former and longest living past president of the United States has a vast family that has already associated themselves with politics, continuing his legacy.
As of late, Hugo's grandfather has not been in robust health, but he chose to spend whatever is left of his life around those he loves the most instead of fighting for whatever's left in a hospital. He once revealed that embracing family time was the reason behind his long-lasting marriage with Rosalynn Carter.