Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of America, was a farmer-turned-politician who dedicated his presidency to establishing a competent and compassionate government. Despite facing challenges such as energy costs, inflation, and tensions, Carter worked tirelessly to restore faith in the government and promote peace both domestically and internationally. Even after his presidency, Carter remained actively involved in humanitarian efforts, working with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and participating in diplomatic talks. His commitment to peace and his reputation as one of the most active ex-presidents in US history earned him the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Quick Facts
- Also Known As: James Earl Carter Jr.
- Age: 99 Years, 99 Year Old Males
- Family:
- Spouse/Ex-: Rosalynn Smith
- Father: James Earl Carter Sr.
- Mother: Lillian Gordy Carter
- Siblings: Billy Carter, Gloria Carter Spann, Ruth Carter Stapleton
- Children: Amy Carter, Donnel Carter, Jack Carter, James Carter
- Born Country: United States
- Quotes By Jimmy Carter
- Presidents
- Height: 1.77 m
- Ancestry: British American
- Ideology: Democrats
- U.S. State: Georgia
- More Facts
- Education: United States Naval Academy
- Awards: Nobel Peace Prize (2002)
Childhood & Early Life
Jimmy Carter was born in Georgia to a local public official. As a child, he used to work in the fields to make ends meet for his family. After attending public schools in Plains, Georgia, he studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology before being inducted into the U.S. Naval Academy in 1943, from where he graduated in 1946. He was subsequently enlisted in the American Navy.
Career
After he was made a junior officer in the Navy, he qualified for commanding a diesel-electric submarine and applied for the US Navy’s fledgling nuclear submarine program run by the then-Captain Hyman G. Rickover, who had a great influence on him. Later, he went on to study nuclear physics and was elected as a mechanical engineering officer on one of the first atomic submarines. However, following the death of his father, he was required to run the family business and was discharged from the Navy on October 9, 1953. Thereafter, he returned to Georgia to help his family run their business and eventually expanded the peanut business, which stabilized his finances and eventually made him wealthy.
He started his political career by serving as a member of various local bodies, boards, schools, hospitals, etc. From 1961 to 1966, he represented the fourteenth district of Georgia in the state Senate of Georgia. In 1966, he decided not to seek re-election to the state Senate as he wanted to contest the gubernatorial election. He contested the Georgia gubernatorial election in 1966 and lost but became successful in the election of 1970. He became the Governor of Georgia on January 12, 1971, and held this post until January 14, 1975.
In the 1976 Presidential Elections, he stood against the then-president, Gerald Ford. Carter won the Presidential election on November 2, 1976, with a narrow margin. He served as the President of the United States from January 20, 1977, to January 20, 1981. His term witnessed several significant decisions including the Panama Canal treaties, the Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel, the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with China. In 1978, he ordered the immediate evacuation of the Love Canal. The neighborhood was declared dangerous as it was built upon a toxic waste landfill. Under the newly formed Superfund law, the Federal disaster fund was authorized to bring down 500 houses, along with the 99th Street School, and the 93rd Street School.
In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and declared Babrak Karmal as the new president after executing the then-leader of the country, Hafizullah Amin. This threatened the Persian oil supply as well as Pakistan, which was an ally of the United States. In response, Jimmy Carter decided to stop grain shipments to the USSR, requested a 5% annual increase in defense expenditure, and most importantly, called for a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow. He quit office after losing to Ronald Regan, following which he retired to Plains in Georgia. Other than being an important figure in Habitat for Humanity, he was involved in diplomatic endeavors to forge a peace agreement with North Korea.
Major Works
‘Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid’, published in 2006, is his chronicle on the talks between Menachem Begin of Israel and Anwar Sadat of Egypt that led to the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. The book was listed as a New York Times best seller. ‘Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope’, published in 2007, is his memoir on his post-presidency term, which became one of the most-read books the same year and sold thousands of copies in the first week of its release.
Awards & Achievements
He was the proud recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Numerous honors have been bestowed on him including an LL.D. from New York Law School and the University of Pennsylvania. He was also made the Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Honorary Fellow of Mansfield College, Oxford, 2007.
Personal Life & Legacy
He married Eleanor Rosalynn Smith in 1946 and they have four children – three sons and one daughter.
Trivia
He was the first U.S. president to be born in a hospital. This American President served as a Christian Sunday school teacher throughout his life. This prominent American politician is well-versed in Spanish and wrote his own speeches while touring central and South American countries. This American president led the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics after the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. He is known to be the first president who received a Nobel Prize after leaving office. He is also the oldest living ex-president of the United States, being over 98 years old.