Jimmy Carter

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, he served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975, and as a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967. He is the oldest living former U.S. president and the longest-lived president in U.S. history.

Quick facts: Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United St... ▼

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
Constituency	Sumter County
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)​
Children	4, including Jack and Amy
Parents	James Earl Carter Sr. Bessie 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
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 Jimmy Carter speaks on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan Recorded January 4, 1980

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. Afterward Carter returned home 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 served 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 in 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 and wrote 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 his post-presidential activities are viewed in an exceptionally favorable light. Aged 99, he is both the longest-lived president and the one with the longest post-presidency. Carter is also the fourth-oldest living person to have served as a nation's leader.