Who is Jimmy Carter? Everything You Need to Know

Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of America and aspired to establish a government which was both, competent and compassionate. He won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2002. This farmer-turned-politician was determined to make a difference to the country which was suffering from energy costs, mounting inflation, and continuing tensions. Though he found it immensely difficult to keep up with the rising expectations, he tried his best to restore the faith of his citizens in the government. Furthermore, he also tried to make United States a symbol of peace and promoted human rights as a centrepiece of foreign policy. Following his term as the president, he remained publicly active and was involved in several humanitarian efforts. His post presidency period was extremely productive - he worked for a charitable organization, ‘Habitat for Humanity’ and also participated in diplomatic talks to forge an agreement with North Korea. He was further involved in resolving international disputes. For his humanitarian efforts and for being a travelling ambassador of peace, he was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, which is a testimony to his reputation as one of the most active ex-presidents in the history of the US.

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Childhood & Early Life

Jimmy Carter was born in Georgia to a local public official. As a child, he used to work in the fields to make the ends meet for his family.

After attending public Schools in Plains, Georgia, he studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology before being inducted into the U.S. Naval Academy in 1943, from where he graduated in 1946. He was subsequently enlisted in the American Navy.

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Career

After he was made a junior officer with the Navy, he qualified for commanding a diesel-electric submarine and applied for the US Navy's fledgling nuclear submarine program run by the-then Captain Hyman G. Rickover, who had a great influence on him.

Later, he went on to study nuclear physics and was elected as a mechanical engineering officer on one of the first atomic submarines. However, following the death of his father, he was required to run the family business and was discharged from the Navy on October 9, 1953.

Thereafter, he returned to Georgia to help his family run their business and eventually expanded the peanut business, which stabilised his finances and eventually made him wealthy.

He started his political career by serving as a member of various local bodies, boards, schools, hospitals etc.

From 1961 to 1966, he represented the fourteenth district of Georgia in the state Senate of Georgia. In 1966, he decided not to seek re-election to the state Senate as he wanted to contest the gubernatorial election.

He contested the Georgia gubernatorial election in 1966 and lost but became successful in the election of 1970. He became the Governor of Georgia on January 12, 1971, and held this post until January 14, 1975

In the 1976 Presidential Elections, he stood against the-then president, Gerald Ford. Carter won the Presidential election on November 2, 1976 with a narrow margin.

He served as the President of the United States from January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981. His term witnessed several significant decisions including the Panama Canal treaties, Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel, SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with China.

He quit office after losing to Ronald Regan, following which he retired to Plains in Georgia. Other than being an important figure in Habitat for Humanity, he was involved in diplomatic endeavours to forge peace agreement with North Korea.

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Major Works

‘Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid’, published in 2006, is his chronicle on the talks between Menachem Begin of Israel and Anwar Sadat of Egypt that led to the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. The book was listed as a New York Times best seller.

‘Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope’, published in 2007, is his memoir on his post-presidency term, which became one of the most-read books the same year and sold over thousands of copies in the first week of its release.

Awards & Achievements

He was the proud recipient of Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Numerous honours have been bestowed on him including LL.D. from New York Law School and University of Pennsylvania.

He was also made the Honorary Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Honorary Fellow of Mansfield College, Oxford, 2007.

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Personal Life & Legacy

He married Eleanor Rosalynn Smith in 1946 and they have four children - three sons and one daughter.

Trivia

He was the first U.S president to be born in a hospital.

This American President served as the Christian Sunday school teacher throughout his life.

This prominent American politician was well-versed in Spanish and wrote his own speeches while touring central and South American countries.

This American president led the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics after the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union.

Jimmy Carter Biography

Who is Jimmy Carter?