Jennifer Rose Horton was born during a snowstorm in 1976. Ironically, the turbulent weather was a sign of trouble to come. By 1979, her mother Laura's mental state had rapidly deteriorated. Because of her condition, Laura unintentionally placed little Jennifer in danger by putting her on a bus alone. Jennifer was found unharmed, but soon after, Laura was committed to a sanitarium where she would spend the next seventeen years of her life in a catatonic state, leaving Jennifer to grow up without her mother. The rest of the Horton family rallied around Bill and helped him raise Jennifer, who eventually ended up in boarding school.

In 1985, Jennifer returned to Salem as a teenager in deep trouble. In addition to running away from boarding school, she had become rebellious and a compulsive liar, and was being stalked by a rapist. Fortunately, her big brother, Mike, came to her rescue, and Jennifer began to slowly straighten out.

By the following year, Jennifer had given up on her runaway lifestyle and moved back in with her grandparents, Tom and Alice Horton. During the summer of 1986, she also began a non-intimate romance with a high school classmate, Glenn Gallagher. Jennifer inadvertently exposed Glenn's plan to uncover his coach's drug dealing and trailed Glenn to the park only to find the coach holding a gun to Glenn's head. She then enlisted the help of classmate Frankie Brady, who helped her save Glenn.

Months later, while on a class trip, Jennifer and Frankie realized they had feelings for one another. Jennifer quickly broke things off with Glenn, who had been pressuring her to have sex, and turned to Frankie. Together, they foiled a robbery attempt and helped bust a prostitution ring, among other adventures.

In 1987, Jennifer's father, Bill, returned to Salem. Filled with guilt that he was absent when Jennifer needed him in the past, Bill became strict and tried to run her life. Jennifer rebelled by becoming engaged to Frankie. However, she quickly broke it off when she learned of her mother and grandmothers' mental problems. She feared she'd develop the same conditions and pass them on to her own children. Once she faced her fears, Jennifer and Frankie reunited, but Eve Donovan, who had a crush on Frankie, spilled the beans about an affair he had while separated from Jennifer. Ultimately, that caused them to break up again and, but the end of 1988, Frankie had left Salem.

Despite lingering feelings for Frankie, Jennifer eventually fell for Emilio Ramírez. However, a short time later, he too wound up fleeing Salem. She moved on with her life and, in 1989, befriended Sally, a pregnant homeless girl who got herself arrested so she wouldn't have her baby on the streets. But the officials wouldn't let Sally keep her baby once it was born. Jack Deveraux pretended to be Jennifer's husband, and they offered the child, Hannah, a foster home. Jack was quick to fall in love with Jennifer, but Emilio soon returned and caused problems for the would-be couple.

Emilio and Jennifer reunited, but she soon found herself torn between Emilio and Jack. Later, Emilio pulled away from Jennifer for a short time when the gang he once belonged to threatened her. However, once the threat was gone, Emilio proposed. Jennifer was still torn between the two men, but, when Jack hid his feelings for her, she became engaged to Emilio.

Desperate to keep Jennifer from marrying Emilio, Jack kidnapped her on her wedding day. When Jennifer escaped, she fell off a cliff and was knocked unconscious. Jack picked that moment to finally pour his heart out to her. Later, Jack became insecure about his feelings for Jennifer and pushed her away. She briefly returned to Emilio. However, during the summer of 1990, while on the "Cruise of Deception," Jack saved Jennifer's life, and they made love for the first time.

Later that year, Lawrence Alamain arrived in town and caused problems for Jennifer. She realized that Lawrence thought she was Katerina, the heiress to the Von Leuschner fortune, due to a confusion going back to when the real heiress, Carly Manning, and Jennifer were teenagers and had switched dates. However, he was not going to let Katerina/Jennifer go and, after a hurried wedding, Lawrence raped her shortly before Jack arrived to rescue Jennifer. Once freed, Jack and Jennifer became engaged, but he called off the wedding because he felt alienated from her. In reality, Jennifer was still unable to handle intimacy and was too ashamed to tell Jack that Lawrence had raped her. Jack then married Eve to help her get her hands on her ten million dollar inheritance.

To take back control of her life, Jennifer pressed rape charges against Lawrence. Kimberly Brady and Jack were able to record him confessing, and Lawrence was then sent to jail. Afterwards, Eve reluctantly granted Jack a divorce despite the fact that Jack had obtained all her money. He and Jennifer were married in 1991 in a Wild West-themed wedding. However, while they were on their honeymoon in Hollywood, a conman named Hawk swindled them out of Jack's newfound fortune. He was caught, but the couple remained penniless.

Jennifer learned she was pregnant in 1992, but Jack wasn't overjoyed because he thought he was suffering a relapse of Hodgkin's disease. However, he wasn't. Jennifer went to New York to do a TV show with Calliope Jones. Jennifer gave birth later that year to a daughter, Abigail Johanna.

The following year, Abigail was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. Jennifer teamed up with Austin Reed to find the environmental cause of Abigail's illness. It was soon revealed that Jack was the one who had allowed the toxic waste dumping years before and was responsible for Abigail's illness. Overwhelmed with guilt, he left Salem -- and Jennifer -- behind.

Although it took Jennifer some time to move on from the heartbreak Jack bestowed upon her, she eventually began dating Stefano DiMera's foster son, Peter Blake, in 1994. However, she didn't know Peter was involved with drug trafficking at the time. Laura, who recovered from of her catatonic state in 1993, saw Peter with a lowlife by the name of Leo, and Peter schemed to make it appear as if Laura was having a mental relapse. Jennifer was deeply upset by the thought of losing her mother again, and Laura was finally checked into the Meadows, a new age center for counseling.

When Laura returned to Salem, Jennifer began trying to find a man named Clarke, who her mom had met at the Meadows and had feelings for. But Jennifer's investigation wasn't easy, as everyone at the center used pseudonyms. Around the same time, Jack also returned to Salem, but kept a low profile. He spied on his ex-wife and Peter, who he immediately disliked. However, when Jennifer finally found "Clarke," she was shocked because Clarke was actually Jack, who had been seeking treatment at the Meadows as well. Jennifer was devastated and went through with her marriage to Peter. They wed in Aremid in 1995. Jack tried continuously to prove that Peter was devious, to no avail.

A year later, Jennifer and Peter separated when she found out that he had lied to her. Soon afterwards, Jack caught Peter with a syringe meant for Jennifer, so that he could drug her and then take her and Abigail out of the country. Jack ended up shooting Peter, and it looked like Peter had died, but he hadn't. Stefano took Peter to a secret location to have him nursed back to health, as well as keep him out of jail. Stefano then switched Peter's body with the dead body of an old associate wearing a Peter mask. The ruse worked, and everyone thought Peter was, in fact, dead.

Even though Jack was sentenced to life in prison for Peter's death, Jennifer vowed her eternal love for him. When Jack broke out of jail, Jennifer helped him evade police. Soon after, their entire family went on the run. They ended up joining a circus where Jack, Jennifer, and Abby all took jobs and formed a relationship with the owner. However, Peter found them and turned Jack in to the police. In an attempt to free Jack and prove Peter was alive, Jennifer faked her death. A guilt-ridden Peter revealed himself and was sent to prison, and Jack was freed. After reuniting, Jack, Jennifer, and Abby ventured to Africa to visit Bill.

While in Africa, Jennifer and Jack experienced some problems with their relationship, especially when Jennifer fell for a young doctor named Colin Murphy. As it turned out, Colin was Shawn Brady's nephew. However, soon afterwards, she fled to Ireland with Abby, where she ended up getting herself into more trouble. Bo Brady was there to rescue her, and she returned to Salem with him in 2000.

Jack soon followed her, and the two moved in together so they could look after Abigail. Jennifer initially pushed Jack away, and concentrated on relationships with Brandon and later Colin. However, she and Jack couldn't resist the connection that had always been between them. They were remarried in 2003, much to Abby's delight.

Jack and Jennifer began to enjoy their married life as well as their hosting duties of In the House, a talk show that was one of Bill's wedding gifts to them. However, tragedy soon destroyed their newfound happiness. Jennifer was dealt the harshest blow of her life when the Salem Stalker beat Jack with a brick in an alley behind Salem Place. After all of the doctors confirmed Jack would never regain consciousness, Jennifer made the painstaking choice of taking him off life support and donating his organs.

Abby was unable to forgive her mother until Jennifer realized she was pregnant, but, tragedy struck again. Jennifer learned that her baby would have serious mental and physical deformities, and Lexie advised her to terminate. Desperate to hold on to the last part of Jack she would ever have, Jennifer refused to terminate her pregnancy. With the help of her new tenant and friend, Patrick Lockhart, Jennifer began looking forward to a new life with Abby and the baby.

When she was nearly full term, Jennifer got a message on her computer, supposedly from Jack. Despite her fragile pregnancy, she began to search for him and wound up on a plane headed to Melaswen Island with Patrick. Unfortunately, the plane crashed and they ended up lost in the jungle, where Jennifer went into labor. With Patrick's help, she gave birth on September 3, 2004. In honor of Jack and out of gratitude to her friend, she named her new son Jack Patrick Deveraux, Jr.

Shortly after the baby's birth, Jennifer was thrilled to discover Jack was alive. Andre DiMera had held him captive on the island along with other of her friends and family who were supposed to have been victims of the Salem Stalker. She and Jack immediately began planning a future with their children, but when they tried to sail to Salem, Jack was presumed dead on the return voyage. Jennifer tried to move on with her life, but found it difficult because Abby could not forgive Jennifer for Jack's death.

Sometime later, Jennifer and Abby were ecstatic when Jack turned up in Salem alive. Jack was also thrilled to be home with his wife and children, but he began to feel sick. He went in to Lexie, and she advised him he only had a short period of time to live. Although Lexie and later Marlena tried to convince him to tell Jennifer, he was determined to enjoy the time he had left with his family without having them concentrate on his illness. He was also determined to find a man to replace him in Jennifer's life and sought out her old flame, Frankie.

Coincidently, Frankie had never stopped loving Jennifer and agreed to look after her once Jack was gone. Shortly afterwards Jack faked his death in a car accident, which left everyone in Salem to mourn for him yet again. In reality, he left town to die so his family didn't have to watch him deteriorate. Jennifer and Abby were again devastated and "buried" Jack for a third time.

Eventually, Jennifer did rekindle her romance with Frankie, and they even married. However, on their wedding day, Jack returned, which made her marriage to Frankie invalid. Although still sick, Jack had reunited with his amnesic brother, Steve, whom everyone also believed was dead, and together they returned to Salem, where Jack hoped Steve would get his memory back and reunite with his wife, Kayla. Everyone was stunned by the double resurrections and began trying to help Jack. Ironically, it was Frankie who found a cure for Jack's rare illness. Although grateful to Frankie, Jennifer was in love with Jack and broke things off with Frankie. Frankie understood, but was heartbroken and left Salem shortly afterwards.

Jennifer and Jack left Salem in 2006. While working to rebuild their family, both of them got job offers to work for the Spectator's London office. Seeing it as a new start, complete with dream job, they left for London with baby Jack.

In June 2010, Jennifer returned home from London when she learned Alice had fallen ill. She was devastated by her grandmother's deteriorating health and worked feverishly on a scrapbook she had once promised Alice. With the help of her family, Jennifer finished the album.

In November 2010, Jennifer returned to Salem to help settle Alice's estate. She was without Jack, who was on an Australian "Walkabout", and did not have any contact with Jennifer or their children.

While home, Jennifer reached out to her incarcerated cousin, Hope Brady, to help her through a tough time. Hope began filtering information to Jennifer about a scandal Hope had uncovered. Jennifer assumed an alias and got a job at the prison to help with the investigation. Jennifer learned that the prison had been killing inmates and trafficking their organs. But, Jennifer was trapped by one of the inmates involved in the scheme. To keep Jennifer quiet, the inmate strapped Jennifer down and took out Jennifer's heart. Luckily, Carly, Bo, and Hope figured out the scheme and were able to send Daniel Jonas in time to operate on Jennifer and put her heart back in. Jennifer made a full recovery and stayed in Salem to be close to her family and friends.

Jennifer took a job heading up the PR department at Salem U Hospital. While working there, Jennifer began casually dating Daniel. Both knowing that they had come fresh of divorces, they wanted to take things slow. But Daniel soon found himself very happy with Jennifer and wanted to move things along. Jennifer returned his feelings and the two began happily dating.

One night while Jennifer and Daniel were away for the weekend at a spa, Melanie called Daniel and asked him for the code to the free clinic outside of town. Worried that she was in some kind of danger, Daniel and Jennifer rushed to the clinic. There, they found Melanie trying to save a badly beaten E.J. Daniel jumped in and started performing surgery to stop the internal bleeding. Jennifer went to get Carly to help with the surgery. Once E.J. was stable, Daniel took him to Salem U Hospital. To protect everyone involved (including Brady, who was the one who beat E.J.) Daniel told Lexie that he had found E.J. on the pier and, alone, performed all surgeries to stabilize E.J.

To make up for the spa weekend that they had to cut short, Daniel invited Jennifer to go to San Francisco with him. Jennifer abruptly said no and broke up with him. Daniel had no idea that Jennifer was intentionally pushing him away because Jennifer learned that Carly had feelings for Daniel and was taking pills. Jennifer thought that if she gave up Daniel, Carly would stop abusing the drugs. Eventually, Jennifer came clean with Daniel about Carly's feelings, but did not tell him about the pills. Daniel went to talk to Carly to tell her that there was no chance that the two of them would be anything more than friends.

When a picture of a passed-out Carly surrounded by pills showed up online, Daniel went to find her. Daniel found Jennifer at Carly's hotel room. Jennifer confessed that she had known about the pills all along. Daniel was furious with Jennifer for keeping Carly's addiction a secret. While Daniel and Jennifer were arguing, Carly slipped out the bathroom window. Daniel, Jennifer, and Melanie began looking for her.

Their search was not successful. However, Quinn Hudson found Carly in an alley and helped her realize that she needed to return to the people who loved her and enter rehab. Jennifer was thrilled when Carly came home safe. Happy that her friend was on her way to being healthy again, Jennifer turned her attention back towards Daniel.

The two grew close. On the night of the Horton Square dedication, Daniel asked Jennifer to move in with him. Before she could answer, Jack fell from the balcony above, into the cake that was sitting next to Jennifer. Shocked, Jennifer had a decision to make - Jack or Daniel.