Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter
Official portrait, 1977
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	James M. Dykes
Succeeded by	Hugh Carter
Personal details
Born	James Earl Carter Jr. (1924-10-01)October 1, 1924 Plains, Georgia, U.S.
Died	December 29, 2024(2024-12-29) (aged 100) Plains, Georgia, U.S.
Resting place	Jimmy Carter House, Plains
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
Education	United States Naval Academy (BS)
Occupation	Politician humanitarian author
Civilian awards	Full list
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1946–1953 (active) 1953–1961 (reserve)
Rank	Lieutenant
Battles/wars	World War II
Military awards	American Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal China Service Medal National Defense Service Medal
Jimmy Carter's voice Carter speaking on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan Recorded January 4, 1980

James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924 – December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who was the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter served from 1971 to 1975 as the 76th governor of Georgia and from 1963 to 1967 in the Georgia State Senate. He was the longest-lived president in U.S. history and the first to reach the age of 100.

Born in Plains, Georgia, Carter graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and joined the submarine service before returning to his family's peanut farm. He was active in the civil rights movement, then served as state senator and governor before running for president in 1976. He secured the Democratic nomination as a dark horse little known outside his home state before narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford in the general election.

As president, Carter pardoned all Vietnam draft evaders and negotiated major foreign policy agreements, including the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, and he established diplomatic relations with China. He created a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. He signed bills that created the Departments of Energy and Education. The later years of his presidency were marked by several foreign policy crises, including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (leading to the end of détente and the 1980 Olympics boycott) and the fallout of the Iranian revolution (including the Iran hostage crisis and 1979 oil crisis). Carter sought reelection in 1980, defeating a primary challenge by Senator Ted Kennedy, but lost the election to Republican nominee Ronald Reagan.

Polls of historians and political scientists have ranked Carter's presidency below average. His post-presidency—the longest in U.S. history—is viewed more favorably. After Carter's presidential term ended, he established the Carter Center to promote human rights, earning him the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. He traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, monitor elections, and end neglected tropical diseases, becoming a major contributor to the eradication of dracunculiasis. Carter was a key figure in the nonprofit housing organization Habitat for Humanity. He also wrote political memoirs and other books, commentary on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and poetry.