James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in the town of Plains, located in Sumter County, Georgia. His father, James Earl Carter Sr., was a businessman engaged in farming and small-scale commerce, while his mother, Lillian Gordy Carter, was a public servant and professional nurse. Carter spent his childhood in a small community called Archery. Although his family adhered to the traditional Southern norms of the time, his mother’s sensitivity to social issues and progressive outlook had a formative influence on him.
Carter completed his primary and secondary education in Plains and subsequently attended Georgia Southwestern College, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the United States Naval Academy. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1946 and began his service as an officer. He served in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and was soon promoted to lieutenant. Selected by Admiral Hyman Rickover, the pioneer of the nuclear submarine program, Carter pursued graduate-level coursework in reactor technology and nuclear physics at Union College in Schenectady, New York, and served as a senior officer on the pre-commissioning crew of the USS Seawolf, the second nuclear-powered submarine.
Jimmy Carter and His Rosalynn Carter , (Jimmy Carter’s Life in Pictures)
Military Career and Return to Civilian Life
Jimmy Carter graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. Following his graduation, he began duty aboard the training ship USS Wyoming (E-AG 17). He soon transitioned to submarine service, where he served as an electronics maintenance officer, engineering officer, and executive officer on the SSK-1 submarine. In 1952, he was selected by Captain Hyman Rickover, founder of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine program, and temporarily assigned to the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington, D.C. There, he actively participated in the design and development of nuclear propulsion systems for naval vessels.
He was preparing to be appointed as the engineering officer of USS Seawolf (SSN-575), the Navy’s second nuclear-powered submarine. However, following the unexpected death of his father in 1953, he resigned from the Navy and returned to manage his family’s farm in Plains, Georgia. During his naval career, he had been stationed in Hawaii, California, Virginia, and Connecticut, among other locations, before eventually leaving military service.
Governorship of Georgia (1971–1975)
Jimmy Carter was elected Governor of Georgia in 1970 and took office on January 12, 1971. In his brief inaugural address, he emphasized the issue of racial equality and declared that the era of discrimination had come to an end. During his governorship, Carter pursued a reform agenda aimed at making state governance more efficient and effective. Central to these reforms was the restructuring of Georgia’s fragmented and overlapping bureaucratic system. Under his administration, 65 budgeted and 200 non-budgeted state agencies were consolidated into 20 primary executive departments based on their functional similarities.
In parallel with this structural transformation, Carter implemented fiscal reforms. One of the most notable was the introduction of "zero-based budgeting," requiring government agencies to construct their budgets from scratch each year and justify all expenditures. This approach aimed to make public spending more rational and accountable. Education was also among Carter’s key priorities. To address the weaknesses in Georgia’s education system, he launched the “Adequate Program for Education in Georgia.” This initiative supported vocational education, reduced class sizes, and aimed to mitigate resource inequalities between school districts. Emphasis was also placed on early childhood education, laying the foundation for statewide kindergarten programs.
Carter also initiated reforms in the state’s criminal justice system. These included steps toward a unified court system, the implementation of merit-based judicial selection, constitutional amendments to oversee judicial conduct, and the initiation of prison reforms. His tenure was marked by a more inclusive approach to governance, with increased representation of women and minorities in state appointments. His own office, administrative boards, and judicial bodies saw a notable increase in female and minority participation compared to previous administrations.
Jimmy Carter, (Jimmy Carter’s Life in Pictures)
Presidency (1977–1981)
On November 2, 1976, Jimmy Carter was elected the 39th President of the United States, defeating his Republican opponent Gerald R. Ford. He assumed office on January 20, 1977. Throughout his presidency, Carter addressed a wide array of issues, including economic difficulties, energy policy, environmental regulations, and human rights.
In response to economic challenges, his administration sought to control inflation through raising interest rates and limiting federal spending. However, these policies led to a short-term economic recession and were met with public discontent, particularly among low-income populations. During this period of “stagflation,” both unemployment rates and prices rose simultaneously, drawing criticism of the administration’s economic performance.
One of Carter’s major domestic initiatives was his energy policy. In response to the energy crisis, he introduced a national energy strategy and implemented structural reforms under the newly established Department of Energy, including the deregulation of oil prices. In addition, civil service reform was enacted to improve the efficiency of government operations, and deregulation processes were initiated in the airline and ground transportation industries. In the environmental field, the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act resulted in the protection of 103 million acres of land and significantly expanded the national park system. On the education front, the establishment of the federal Department of Education was part of a broader effort to enhance social services. Carter also emphasized diversity by increasing the appointment of women, African Americans, and Latinos to public positions.
In foreign policy, Carter adopted a distinctive approach centered on human rights. One of the most prominent diplomatic achievements of his presidency was the 1978 Camp David Accords. He also oversaw the ratification of the Panama Canal Treaties, established full diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and negotiated the SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) agreement with the Soviet Union.
However, the U.S. Senate suspended the ratification process of SALT II following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Later that year, following the Iranian Revolution, 52 American citizens were taken hostage during the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. This crisis overshadowed the final 444 days of Carter’s presidency, with the hostages being released on the day his term ended. Economic issues and foreign policy crises significantly diminished his public support and ultimately led to his defeat by Republican candidate Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election. Nevertheless, Carter's post-presidential work helped reshape his public image over time.
Jimmy Carter and His Rosalynn Carter , (Jimmy Carter’s Life in Pictures)
Post-Presidency Activities
After leaving office in 1981, Jimmy Carter withdrew from active political life but continued to engage in public service across various domains. One of his most significant post-presidency initiatives was the founding of the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1982, together with his wife, Rosalynn Carter. The center, a non-profit and nonpartisan organization, has conducted national and international activities in areas such as conflict resolution, democratization, human rights advocacy, and disease prevention. Among its notable contributions, the Carter Center has led over 100 election observation missions across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, thereby supporting the transparency of democratic processes.
The center has also undertaken diplomatic efforts in crisis regions such as Haiti, Sudan, North Korea, Bosnia, Nepal, and Venezuela, engaging in mediation and conflict resolution. Since the 1980s, Carter has also been actively involved in the volunteer work of Habitat for Humanity, a civil society organization that addresses housing issues for people in need. Together with his wife, he participated in numerous construction and renovation projects both within the United States and abroad. Furthermore, he continued for many years to teach Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church.
Jimmy Carter's influence in international affairs was formally recognized in 2002 when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee cited “his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development” as the justification for the award. This honor made Carter the third U.S. president, after Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Despite his advanced age, Carter remained dedicated to public service. In 2023, following a decline in his health, he entered hospice care at home and passed away on December 29, 2024, at his residence in Plains, Georgia. Following his death, official ceremonies were held in both Georgia and Washington, D.C. His remains lay in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, and a private funeral service was held at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where he was buried next to his wife, Rosalynn Carter.
President Jimmy Carter's Funeral: Full Funeral Service, (FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul)
Death and Legacy
Following a long life devoted to public service across various domains, Jimmy Carter spent his final years coping with health challenges. In February 2023, his family announced that due to advanced age and medical conditions, he had opted to forgo further hospital treatment and receive hospice care at home. Shortly thereafter, his wife Rosalynn Carter also entered hospice care and passed away on November 19, 2023, at the age of 96.
Jimmy Carter died on December 29, 2024, at his family residence in Plains, Georgia. At the age of 100, he became the longest-living former U.S. president in history. In the days following his death, a series of six-day-long memorial services were held at both the local and national levels. On January 4, 2025, Carter's body was transported from Phoebe Sumter Medical Center through Plains and taken to the Carter Center.
In Washington, D.C., his body lay in state at the Capitol Rotunda on January 7, where members of the public were allowed to pay their respects. Commemorative events were held throughout the process, which lasted until January 9. That same day, a national funeral service was held at the Washington National Cathedral. A final private ceremony took place at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, after which Carter was buried next to his wife Rosalynn beneath a willow tree in the garden of their home.
