James Earl Carter Jr., better known as Jimmy Carter, served as the 39th President of the United States from January 20, 1977, until January 20, 1981. During his political career, Carter also served as the Governor of Georgia and as a Member of the Georgia State Senate. After leaving the White House, the former President founded the Carter Center nonprofit organization with the goal of advancing human rights and alleviate suffering. In relation to this work, Carter received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He is also America’s longest-lived former President, the first to reach the age of 100 on October 1, 2024. On December 29, 2024, Carter’s son, James E. Carter III, announced his father’s death at his home in Plains, Georgia.
Carter was the first U.S. President to have been born in a hospital, also in Plains. His father, who served as an Army officer during WWI, ran a general store and invested in farmland. As a teenager, Carter took on his own enterprise in growing, packaging and selling peanuts on an acre of farmland that he was given. After high school, Carter attended Georgia Southwestern College in 1941. The next year, he transferred to the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he participated in ROTC. In 1943, Carter was nominated by Congressman Stephen Pace to the United States Naval Academy and received an offer from the school.
At USNA, Carter played sprint football; he graduated on June 5, 1946, with the class of 1947 (as a result of WWII) and was ranked 60th out of 821 midshipmen. Shortly after his commissioning as an ensign, Carter married Rosalynn Smith, a friend of his sister Ruth. Famously, Carter served in the Navy’s submarine force. In 1948, he joined the fleet aboard the USS Pomfret (SS-391). The next year, Carter was promoted to lieutenant junior grade. In 1951, Carter was assigned to the USS K-1 (SSK-1) as part of the submarine’s pre-commissioning crew before she was designated the USS Barracuda. During his time aboard, Carter qualified for command and even served as the boat’s executive officer.
In 1952, Carter joined the Navy’s new nuclear propulsion program, headed by then-Captain Hyman G. Rickover. Carter later said that, after his parents, Rickover had the greatest influence on his life. Following a partial meltdown of Canada’s experimental reactor at Chalk River Laboratories, Carter led a U.S. maintenance crew to assist in shutting the reactor down. Despite their protective gear, each crew member could only spend 90 seconds in the reactor; Carter’s task when he was lowered in was to turn a single screw. He later cited this experience for his views on atomic energy and ceasing the development of a neutron bomb.
In 1953, Carter started a six-month course in nuclear power plant operation ahead of an assignment to the USS Seawolf (SSN-575), which would commission as America’s second nuclear submarine. However, the death of his father led Carter to seek a release from active duty in order to take over the family peanut business. This was a difficult change for Rosalynn and the Carter kids who lived in places like Virginia, Hawaii, Connecticut, New York, and California throughout Carter’s naval career. Nevertheless, Carter left active duty on October 9, 1953, and transferred to the Navy Reserve. He would leave the inactive reserve eight years later at the rank of lieutenant.
The difficult transition from the Navy to farming was compounded by a drought that caused Carter’s first harvest to fail, forcing him to open lines of credit to keep the farm afloat. Carter took classes and studied agriculture while Rosalynn learned to manage the farm’s books. Together, the Carters grew the business and found success despite the rough start. Carter also became more engaged with the local community as a member of the Baptist Church as well as Chairman of the Sumter County school board.
In 1962, Carter announced his campaign for an open Georgia State Senate seat just 15 days before the election. Rosalynn was instrumental to her husband’s campaign and Carter put up a strong fight against his opponent, Homer Moore. Early counting of the ballots showed Moore ahead of Carter, though this turned out to be the result of voter fraud orchestrated by the Quitman County Democratic Party Chairman, Joe Hurst. Carter’s challenge to the result of the election led to an investigation that revealed the fraud and provided for another election which Carter won 3,013 to 2,182.
During his time in the Georgia State House, Carter served on the Appropriations Committee and chaired the Education Committee. After two terms as a state senator, Carter ran for governor in 1966. Following his loss, Carter returned to agriculture and planned his next campaign for the governorship. His 1970 campaign was far more successful, and Carter beat former governor Carl Sanders, 49% to 38%. This forced an ugly runoff election, which Carter won with 60% of the vote. Carter set the tone for his governorship in his inaugural address, saying that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” He furthered civil rights at the state level, adding black state employees and calling for the legislature to provide equal state funding to Georgia schools in rich and poor communities.
In 1974, Carter announced his presidential campaign. His 16 opponents in the Democratic primary highlighted Carter’s low name recognition and derisively asked, “Jimmy who?” Carter responded by emphasizing his name and intent, stating, “My name is Jimmy Carter, and I’m running for president.” Not only did this campaign strategy bring Carter ahead of his primary opponents, it even put him ahead of incumbent President Gerald Ford by a few points. Carter won the party nomination and ultimately defeated Ford with 297 electoral votes and 50.1% of the popular vote to Ford’s 240 electoral votes and 48.0% of the popular vote.
On his second day in office, Carter fulfilled a campaign promise and issued an executive order providing unconditional amnesty for all Vietnam War-era draft dodgers. His presidency was marked by continued inflation and recession, worsened by the 1979 energy crisis. The U.S. government also experienced its first shutdown in 1980. Still, Carter is remembered for his efforts to resolve international conflicts especially in the Middle East with the Camp David Accords and the Soviet Union with the SALT II nuclear arms reduction treaty. However, the Iran hostage crisis and failed rescue attempt marred his legacy and contributed to his loss to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election.
Following his presidency, Carter continued his diplomatic efforts to resolve tensions in the Middle East, on the Korean Peninsula, and Africa. The former president also worked closely with domestic humanitarian efforts like hurricane relief. Carter was a key figure for the Habitat for Humanity nonprofit organization and helped to build homes with them well into his 90s. In 2015, Carter was diagnosed with melanoma that spread to his brain and liver; he entered hospice care in 2023. Unlike other presidents who have aircraft carriers named after them, Carter’s service in the submarine force resulted in the Navy naming Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine after him. Although his presidency is not well-regarded by historians and political scientists, Carter’s historically long post-presidency is viewed favorably by scholars and the public for his continued selfless service and pursuit of peace.