"James Earl Carter" redirects here. For his father, see James Earl Carter Sr. For other uses, see Jimmy Carter (disambiguation).
Jimmy Carter
Official portrait, 1978
39th President of the United States
In office January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981
Vice President
Walter Mondale
Preceded by
Gerald Ford
Succeeded by
Ronald Reagan
76th Governor of Georgia
In office January 12, 1971 – January 14, 1975
Lieutenant
Lester Maddox
Preceded by
Lester Maddox
Succeeded by
George Busbee
Member of the Georgia State Senate from the 14th district
In office January 14, 1963 – January 9, 1967
Preceded by
District established
Succeeded by
Hugh Carter
Personal details
Born
James Earl Carter Jr.
(1924-10-01) October 1, 1924 (age 99) Plains, Georgia, U.S.
Political party
Democratic
Spouse
Rosalynn Smith
(m. 1946; died 2023)
Children
4, including Jack and Amy
Parents
James Earl Carter Sr.
Bessie Lillian Gordy
Relatives
Carter family
Residence(s)
Plains, Georgia
Education
United States Naval Academy (BS)
Civilian awards
Full list
Signature
Military service
Branch/service
United States Navy
Years of service
1946–1953 (active)
1953–1961 (reserve)
Rank
Lieutenant
Military awards
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
China Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Jimmy Carter's voice
Jimmy Carter speaks on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan Recorded January 4, 1980
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter was the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975, and a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967. At age 99, he is both the oldest living former U.S. president and the longest-lived president in U.S. history.
Carter was born and raised in Plains, Georgia. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and joined the U.S. Navy's submarine service. Carter returned home afterward and revived his family's peanut-growing business. He then manifested his opposition to racial segregation, supported the growing civil rights movement, and became an activist within the Democratic Party. He was in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967 and then as governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. As a dark-horse candidate not well known outside of Georgia, Carter won the Democratic nomination and narrowly defeated incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford in the 1976 U.S. presidential election.
Carter pardoned all Vietnam War draft evaders on his second day in office. He created a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. Carter successfully pursued the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. He also confronted stagflation. His administration established the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Education. The end of his presidency was marked by the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis, the 1979 energy crisis, the Three Mile Island accident, the Nicaraguan Revolution, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In response to the invasion, Carter escalated the Cold War by ending détente, imposing a grain embargo against the Soviets, enunciating the Carter Doctrine, and leading the multinational boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. He lost the 1980 presidential election in a landslide to Republican nominee Ronald Reagan.
After leaving the presidency, Carter established the Carter Center to promote and expand human rights, earning him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, monitor elections, and further the eradication of infectious diseases. Carter is a key figure in the nonprofit housing organization Habitat for Humanity. He has also written numerous books, ranging from political memoirs to poetry, while continuing to comment on global affairs, including two books on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, in which he criticizes Israel's treatment of Palestinians as apartheid. Polls of historians and political scientists generally rank Carter as a below-average president, although both scholars and the public view his post-presidential activities more favorably. At 43 years, Carter's post-presidency is the longest in U.S. history.
JimmyCarter Presidential Library & Museum The Carter Center JimmyCarter at Curlie JimmyCarter National Historic Site White House biography Jimmy Carter...
JimmyCarter's tenure as the 39th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 1977, and ended on January 20, 1981. Carter...
USS JimmyCarter (SSN-23) is the third and final Seawolf-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine in the United States Navy. Commissioned in 2005, she...
President JimmyCarter. Throughout her decades of public service, she was a leading advocate for women's rights and mental health. Carter was born and...
The JimmyCarter rabbit incident, sensationalized as the "killer rabbit attack" by the press, involved a swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus) that swam...
The home of JimmyCarter (born 1924), who was the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, and his wife Rosalynn Carter (1927–2023) is located...
The JimmyCarter Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, houses U.S. President JimmyCarter's papers and other material relating to the Carter administration...
JimmyCarter, United States president from 1977 until 1981, reported seeing an unidentified flying object while at Leary, Georgia, in 1969. While serving...
Amy Lynn Carter (born October 19, 1967) is the daughter of the 39th U.S. president JimmyCarter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. Carter entered the limelight...
about and authored by JimmyCarter, the 39th president of the United States (1977–1981). Allen, Gary (1976). JimmyCarter, JimmyCarter. '76 Press. ISBN 978-0-89245-006-0...
Bessie Lillian Carter (née Gordy; August 15, 1898 – October 30, 1983) was an American nurse. Carter's son JimmyCarter served as president of the United...
JimmyCarter, a Democrat from Georgia, was elected President of the United States on November 2, 1976 and was inaugurated as the nation's 39th president...
The inauguration of JimmyCarter as the 39th president of the United States was held on Thursday, January 20, 1977, at the East Portico of the United States...
Carter (March 29, 1937 – September 25, 1988) was an American farmer, businessman, brewer, and politician. The younger brother of U.S. President Jimmy...
Georgia. He was also the first cousin of U.S. president JimmyCarter. Born in Plains, Georgia, Carter served in World War II as a United States Army lieutenant...
The JimmyCarter Peanut Statue is a monument located in Plains, Georgia, United States. Built in 1976, the roadside attraction depicts a large peanut with...
The JimmyCarter National Historical Park, located in Plains, Georgia, preserves sites associated with JimmyCarter (born 1924), 39th president of the...
the youngest sister of United States President JimmyCarter and Rosalynn Carter’s best friend. Ruth Carter Stapleton was born on August 7, 1929, in Plains...
JimmyCarter was the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. Below is a list of his political positions, some of which he expressed during...
JimmyCarter (born 1924) was the president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. James, Jim, or JimmyCarter may also refer to: James Carter (engraver)...
activist. Spann was a sister of the 39th president of the United States, JimmyCarter. She was noted as one of the first women inducted into Harley-Davidson’s...
The 1976 presidential campaign of JimmyCarter resulted in the election of JimmyCarter and his running mate Walter Mondale as president and vice president...
Carter, James 'Jimmy' (1978), Public papers of the presidents of the United States: JimmyCarter, 1977, Government Printing Office. Cash, June Carter...
The Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President JimmyCarter. He and his wife Rosalynn Carter...
The United States foreign policy during the presidency of JimmyCarter (1977–1981) was dominated by the Cold War, a period of sustained geopolitical tension...