Jimmy Carter

NAME James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr.

WHAT FAMOUS FOR 39th President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981. Known for his humanitarian efforts post-presidency, including the founding of the Carter Center, which works to resolve conflicts, promote democracy, and improve human rights worldwide.

BIRTH Born on October 1, 1924, at the Wise Sanatorium in Plains, Georgia. He was the first U.S. President born in a hospital.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Jimmy Carter came from a long line of farmers. His family had been in farming for 350 years, and no member of his father’s family had ever finished high school. His father, James Earl Carter Sr., was a successful local businessman, while his mother, Lillian Gordy Carter, was a registered nurse.

CHILDHOOD Carter grew up in the rural town of Plains, Georgia. He was raised in a deeply religious environment, which profoundly shaped his worldview. His childhood dream was "to go to the Naval Academy, get a college education, and serve in the U.S. Navy."

EDUCATION Carter attended the Plains High School, where he was a diligent student. However, he was denied the honor of being class valedictorian because he once skipped school to watch a movie. He later attended the Georgia Institute of Technology and the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1946.

CAREER RECORD Carter began his career as a naval officer, serving in the U.S. Navy as a physicist until 1953. He then took over his family’s peanut farming business. He entered politics in 1962, serving as a Georgia state senator, and was elected governor of Georgia in 1970. His rise to national prominence came in 1976 when he ran a successful campaign for the presidency.

APPEARANCE Jimmy Carter is known for his warm smile and modest, down-to-earth demeanor. He has flat feet, a fact that became notable when he reportedly rolled his arches over a Coke bottle daily to pass the physical for the United States Naval Academy.

Jimmy Carter's presidential portrait

FASHION Carter’s fashion sense reflected his modest, unpretentious nature. He often wore simple, traditional clothing, and during his presidency, he was known for his preference for casual attire, particularly sweaters.

CHARACTER Carter is characterized by his deep sense of duty, humility, and integrity. His strong Christian faith has been a guiding force in his life, influencing his approach to both politics and personal conduct.

SENSE OF HUMOUR Carter’s humor is subtle and often self-deprecating. He famously recounted that when he told his mother of his plans to run for President, she asked, “President of what?”

RELATIONSHIPS Jimmy Carter married Eleanor Rosalynn Smith on July 7, 1946 in the Plains Methodist Church, the church of Rosalynn's family. She had first became attracted to her future husband, after seeing a picture of him in his U.S. Naval Academy uniform, The marriage canceled Rosalynn's plans to attend Georgia State College for Women, where she intended to study interior design. They had four children: Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy.

Amy has been arrested four times: three times for protesting against Apartheid and once for protesting against CIA recruitment in college.

Rosalynn, Jimmy, and Amy on the South Lawn of the White House, July 24, 1977

Rosalyn Carter died on November 19, 2023 at her home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 96.  Jimmy Carter said of his wife following her death, "Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished."

Carter had a unique personal connection with Elvis Presley. The two met on June 30, 1973, before Presley performed in Atlanta, and they remained in touch until shortly before Presley’s sudden death in August 1977. Carter recalled receiving a phone call from Presley after winning the presidency, noting that Elvis was "totally stoned" and nearly incoherent during the conversation.

MONEY AND FAME Despite his international fame, Carter has lived a modest life. He continued to reside in the same $167,000 house he built in Georgia in 1961 after his presidency and still shopped at Dollar General. 

Carter didn’t receive government retirement health benefits because he only worked for the government for four years, less than the five years required.

FOOD AND DRINK After Jimmy Carter returned to Georgia following his stint in the military in a move that would surprise precisely no one who’s ever lived in the American South, he promptly revived his family’s peanut-growing business.

Carter’s personal food preferences are simple, reflecting his Southern roots.

MUSIC AND ARTS Carter is a fan of contemporary music. While campaigning for the presidency, he shared that he listened to Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, and Led Zeppelin during his tenure as Governor of Georgia. He also viewed over 400 movies during his presidency, both at the White House and Camp David.

LITERATURE Carter is a prolific author, having written over 30 books on topics ranging from his personal faith (Living Faith) to his views on peace and conflict resolution (Talking Peace). His memoirs, including Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President and A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety, provide detailed insights into his life, presidency, and the lessons he has learned along the way.

Jimmy Carter has a deep appreciation for poetry, with a particular fondness for the works of Dylan Thomas. During a state visit to the UK in 1977, Carter suggested that Thomas deserved a memorial in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey—a suggestion that came to fruition in 1982.

Carter is also known for his impressive reading speed, clocking in at 2,000 words per minute.

NATURE Carter’s connection to nature is evident in his love for farming and his dedication to environmental causes during and after his presidency.

PETS During his presidency, Carter had a Siamese cat named Misty Malarky Ying Yang, who was particularly devoted to his daughter, Amy.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Carter has a variety of hobbies, including woodworking and painting. He is also known to enjoy fishing and outdoor activities, reflecting his connection to rural life.

SCIENCE AND MATHS Carter’s background in physics and engineering, honed during his naval career, contributed to his technical approach to problem-solving.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY  Carter’s philosophy is deeply rooted in his Christian faith. He is a lifelong Baptist and has taught Sunday school for many years. In 2000, he severed ties with the Southern Baptist Convention due to doctrinal disagreements.

From an early age, Jimmy Carter exhibited a profound commitment to evangelical Christianity, a faith that would shape his entire life and career. In 1942, he became a deacon and began teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, a role he cherished deeply. His faith was a central part of his identity, and during his private inauguration worship service, he chose Nelson Price, pastor of Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia, to deliver the sermon.

Carter’s evangelical convictions resonated with many Americans, especially in the aftermath of the Nixon Administration scandals. He is widely credited with bringing the term "born again" into the American lexicon during his 1976 presidential campaign, appealing to voters who sought moral integrity in their leaders. As president, Carter’s daily routine included multiple prayers, and he often stated that Jesus Christ was the guiding force in his life. A formative moment in his spiritual journey was inspired by a sermon he heard in his youth, which posed the question: "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" This question remained with him throughout his life.

Carter read his Bible daily while in office, prayed several times a day, and professed that Jesus Christ was the driving force in his life.

In 2000, when the Southern Baptist Convention decided to bar women from becoming pastors, Carter took a bold stand by renouncing his membership. He firmly believed that women should have an equal role in serving Christ within the church. Despite this, he continued his fellowship with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which aligned more closely with his views.

Jimmy Carter continued to occasionally teach Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church right up to the late 2010s. 

POLITICS Jimmy Carter was never just about peanuts. While many around him were still holding on to the outdated and frankly disgraceful practice of racial segregation, Carter had already moved on. He threw his support behind the burgeoning civil rights movement and began to flex his political muscles within the Democratic Party. This wasn’t just a hobby; Carter became a full-fledged activist, serving in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967, and then stepping up to the role of governor from 1971 to 1975.

Now, if you think Carter’s political ambitions stopped at the Georgia state line, you’d be wrong. He had his eye on something bigger, though at the time, hardly anyone outside of Georgia knew who he was. So, when Carter announced his bid for the presidency, many folks reacted with, "Jimmy who?" Nevertheless, in a remarkable turn of events, this peanut farmer from Plains clinched the Democratic nomination and, on November 2, 1976, managed to narrowly beat the sitting president, Gerald Ford—a man so forgettable that Carter’s win felt less like an upset and more like a natural progression of events.

Carter got right to work, and by his second day in office, he’d already pardoned all Vietnam War draft evaders. But that was just the beginning. He rolled up his sleeves and tackled energy policy, pushing for conservation, price controls, and investments in new technology. He was also the mastermind behind several key foreign policy achievements, including the Camp David Accords, which, let’s face it, was no small feat.

Carter's unwavering support for the Equal Rights Amendment reflected his belief in equality for all, but it also led to a significant shift in the political landscape. His stance alienated many evangelical conservatives, who began to drift away from the Democratic Party, contributing to the rise of the Christian right in American politics. Yet, Carter’s faith-driven commitment to justice and equality remained a cornerstone of his public service.

One of Carter's most famous moments as president was his "malaise" speech on July 15, 1979, in which he addressed what he saw as the nation's growing crisis of confidence. 

Carter’s time in office wasn’t all smooth sailing. The late 1970s brought stagflation, energy crises, and an assortment of international incidents that would have tested even the most seasoned of politicians. There was the Iran hostage crisis, the Nicaraguan Revolution, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, to name just a few. In response to the latter, Carter took a hard line, ditching détente, imposing a grain embargo on the Soviets, and rallying the world to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Despite these efforts, his presidency ended on a sour note when Ronald Reagan trounced him in the 1980 election, largely because people were ready to forget the Carter years as quickly as possible.

ACTIVISM here’s the thing about Jimmy Carter—he didn’t fade into the background following his presidency. Far from it. After leaving the White House, Carter founded the Carter Center, an organization dedicated to promoting human rights and tackling some of the world’s toughest challenges. For his efforts, he snagged a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, an award that seemed to say, "We know your presidency was rough, but you’ve more than made up for it."

Carter became a global do-gooder, jetting off to monitor elections, negotiate peace deals, and help eradicate diseases that most of us had never even heard of. He also became heavily involved with Habitat for Humanity, proving that building houses with his own two hands was far more fulfilling than navigating the political minefields of Washington.

SCANDAL During his presidency, Carter faced various challenges, including the Iran hostage crisis and the energy crisis. His so-called “malaise” speech in 1979 was controversial, though he never actually used the word "malaise."

MILITARY RECORD Carter served as a naval officer, specializing in nuclear engineering. He was involved in the U.S. atomic submarine program and played a role in stopping a nuclear meltdown in 1952, which resulted in him suffering from radioactive urine for six months.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Carter has maintained good health throughout most of his life, attributed in part to his active lifestyle, disciplined habits and a happy marriage.

In more recent years, Carter faced serious health challenges. On August 3, 2015, he underwent elective surgery to remove a small mass on his liver, initially with a positive prognosis. However, just over a week later, Carter announced he had been diagnosed with metastatic cancer, which had spread to his brain and liver. He began treatment with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab and underwent radiation therapy under the care of Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. Carter’s family has a significant history of cancer, affecting both his parents and all three of his siblings. Remarkably, by December 5 of that year, Carter announced that his medical scans showed no signs of cancer.

In the final chapter of his life, Carter entered hospice care for an unspecified terminal illness, several months before celebrating his 99th birthday at his home.

HOMES Carter lived in the same modest home he built in 1961 at 209 Woodland Drive in Plains, Georgia, until moving into the hospice in 2023. He has chosen not to upgrade to more luxurious accommodations, even after his presidency.

TRAVEL As president and post-presidency, Carter has traveled extensively, promoting peace, democracy, and human rights across the globe.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Jimmy Carter's appearances in the media have been extensive and varied, reflecting his long career in public service, his post-presidential humanitarian work, and his enduring popularity as a public figure. Here’s an overview of some of the notable aspects of his media presence:

News Interviews and Talk Shows: Throughout his presidency and after, Carter frequently appeared on major news programs and talk shows. His media presence helped shape public perceptions, particularly during the 1976 presidential campaign when he was still a relatively unknown figure. Post-presidency, he has been a frequent guest on shows like The Tonight Show, Meet the Press, and The Daily Show.

Documentaries: Carter has been the subject of several documentaries. Notably, the 2007 film Jimmy Carter Man from Plains, directed by Jonathan Demme, offers an in-depth look at his post-presidency years, focusing on his book tour for Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid and his ongoing efforts in diplomacy and human rights. The documentary Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President (2020) explores his unique relationship with popular music and musicians during his political career, illustrating how music played a role in his campaign and presidency.

Presidential Campaign Advertisements: During his 1976 campaign, Carter's media strategy included television advertisements that emphasized his integrity, Christian faith, and his outsider status in Washington. These ads were crucial in shaping his public image as a man of the people, contrasting sharply with the image of the incumbent Gerald Ford.

 In addition to his own writing, Carter has been featured in numerous biographies and political analyses. Books like His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life by Jonathan Alter and Jimmy Carter: The Liberal Left and World Chaos by Mike Evans offer various perspectives on his life and legacy.

ACHIEVEMENTS Carter’s achievements extend beyond his presidency. He is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and dedicated his post-presidency years to humanitarian work through the Carter Center.

Jimmy Carter surpassed Herbert Hoover's record for the longest retirement of any former U.S. President on September 7, 2012. Hoover's retirement lasted 31 years and 231 days after he left office in 1933. Carter has been in retirement since January 20, 1981, and continues to extend this record.

Longest-Lived President: Jimmy Carter became the longest-lived U.S. President on March 22, 2019, surpassing George H. W. Bush, who lived to be 94 years and 171 days old.