Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States, serving one term from January 1977 to January 1981, and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate whose post-presidential humanitarian work redefined the role of a former American president. Born James Earl Carter Jr. on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, he died on December 29, 2024, at age 100, the longest-lived U.S. president in history.

Carter grew up on a peanut farm in Archery, Georgia, attended Georgia Southwestern College and Georgia Tech, then graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. He served as a submarine officer and worked under Admiral Hyman G. Rickover on the early nuclear submarine program before resigning his commission in 1953 to run the family peanut business after his father's death.

He served in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967 and as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. As a relatively unknown candidate, he won the 1976 Democratic nomination and defeated incumbent Gerald Ford in the general election with 297 electoral votes.

His presidency produced the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel in September 1978, the Panama Canal Treaties of 1977, and the establishment of the Departments of Energy and Education. He lost the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan amid the Iran hostage crisis and stagflation. After leaving office he founded the Carter Center in 1982, supervised elections in dozens of countries, championed the Habitat for Humanity housing program, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He published more than 30 books, including An Hour Before Daylight (2001).

The name Jimmy is a diminutive of James, which derives from the Hebrew Ya'akov (Jacob) meaning "supplanter" or "one who follows."