On December 29, 2024, the 39th President of the United States Jimmy Carter passed away at his home in Plains, Georgia at the remarkable age of 100—making him the longest-living U.S. president in history. To truly understand Carter’s impact and legacy, it is essential to look back at the experiences that shaped him, starting with his childhood on a southern farm.
Early Life
James Earl Carter was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. As a teenager, Carter’s family struggled during the Great Depression but benefited from the New Deal and government subsidies. At the same time, Carter was given an acre of land on which he started his now-infamous peanut business, growing and selling peanuts to local buyers. For his education, Carter attended Plains High School from 1937 to 1941. While in high school, Carter joined the basketball team and Future Farmers of America organization, reflecting his passion for farming. After high school, Carter started his undergraduate education at Georgia Southwestern College in 1941 before transferring the next year to Georgia Institute of Technology. While at Georgia Tech, Carter received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy from U.S. Rep. Stephen Pace in 1943. During his time at the Naval Academy, Carter was known for being a smart yet reserved and quiet student. Carter ended up meeting his future wife Rosalynn Smith at the academy, marrying her shortly after his graduation in 1946.
Naval Career
From 1946 to 1953, the Carters bounced around the country due to Jimmy’s deployment in the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. Carter served in several different roles throughout his time in the Navy, including many positions dealing with atomic energy, specifically with atomic submarine activity. However, in July 1953, Carter’s father died of pancreatic cancer, leading to him obtaining a release from active duty to take over the family peanut business. Carter officially left active duty on October 9, 1953, renaming in the inactive Naval Reserves until 1961. Leaving the military with the rank of lieutenant, he accumulated many awards throughout his tenure, including the American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, China Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.
Georgia State Senate
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its historic ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, determining that race-based segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This landmark decision led to Carter developing pro-integration views, however, he did not outwardly express how he felt. It wasn’t until 1962 that he began to publicly reveal his beliefs regarding integration, eventually fueling his decision to run for an open Georgia State Senate Seat. Carter would go on to defeat the Republican nominee Homer Moore, serving in both the 127th Georgia General Assembly and the 128th Georgia General Assembly. Throughout his tenure as a State Senator, Carter remained relatively quiet when the topic of civil rights was brought up, only speaking up occasionally on divisive issues such as literacy tests. In his second term, Carter chaired the Education Committee and sat on the Appropriations Committee, most notably contributing to a bill that expanded education funding. As his second term was coming to an end, Carter announced his candidacy for the 1966 Georgia gubernatorial election.
Georgia Governorship
At his first attempt at the governorship, Carter finished third in the Democratic primary. However, this loss did not hinder his resolve. Carter would run again in the 1970 election, painting himself as a populist who criticized his primary opponent for his wealth and support for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Throughout his candidacy, Carter increasingly appealed to racism as a tactic to attract conservative Georgian voters. This strategy proved successful, as he went on to defeat Republican nominee Hal Suit in the general election and was sworn in as the 76th Governor of Georgia on January 12, 1971. In his inaugural speech, Carter declared that “the time for racial discrimination is over,” catching his racist base of voters off guard and alienating them, as they now felt betrayed by Carter. Throughout his tenure as governor, Carter reduced the number of state agencies, ordered state departments to reduce spending in order to avoid a large spending deficit, added black state employees, advocated against busing for people of color, pushed several reforms through the legislature including bills that provided equal state aid to schools, set up community centers for mentally disabled children, and increased educational programs for convicts. Once Carter became ineligible to run for another term as governor, he began to eye a run at the presidency, becoming more involved in national politics as a result. In 1974, Carter was named chairman of the Democratic National Committee’s congressional and gubernatorial campaigns.
Presidency
1976 Presidential Election
On December 12, 1974, Carter announced his candidacy for President of the United States for the 1976 election. Throughout his campaign, Carter used his image as an “outsider” to his advantage in post-Watergate America, as well as attracting the black vote through his advocacy for civil rights and racial equality. In July 1976, Carter chose U.S. Senator Walter Mondale as his running mate, facing off against Republican incumbent Gerald Ford. Carter and Ford participated in three televised debates—the first presidential debates since 1960. In the end, Carter received 297 electoral votes and 50.1% of the popular vote, defeating Ford and being inaugurated as the 39th President of the United States on January 20, 1977.
Domestic Policy
Carter’s domestic policy as president was marked by the controversial pardons of all the Vietnam War draft evaders and a poor economy suffering from stagflation, high unemployment, slow economic growth, high interest rates, and oil shortages—most notably the 1979 energy crisis in which a drop in Iranian and Iraqi oil production led to widespread panic. His frequent clashes with Congress also led to inefficiencies and slow progress. However, Carter did sign into law the creation of two government departments during his time as president—the Department of Energy in 1977 and the Department of Education in 1979. Additionally, Carter deregulated the aviation industry, removing government control over fares and routes, and signed the Mental Health Systems Act into law, which funded community mental health services. Carter also lifted the foreign service ban on LGBTQ personnel.
Foreign Policy
In terms of Carter’s foreign policy, he experienced some highlights and lowlights. One of his most notable successes was the Camp David Accords in which peace negotiations took place between the Egyptian president and Israeli prime minister, leading to reduced tensions in the Middle East. A couple of his other accomplishments included normalized U.S. relations with China, the Torrijos-Carter Treaties that guaranteed Panamanian control of the Panama Canal after 1999, and the SALT II Treaty in 1979 which aimed to limit nuclear weapons with the Soviet Union. However, Carter also experienced some foreign crises, most notably the Iran Hostage Crisis in which Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in 1979, taking 52 hostages for 444 days. A failed rescue plan resulted in 8 American deaths, with the hostages ultimately being released just minutes before Reagan took office. Additionally, Carter was known to overlook abusive authoritarian regimes across the globe in the name of preventing the spread of communism, prioritizing Cold War relations over human rights concerns.
1980 Presidential Election
Carter’s tenure as president was cut short by a blowout loss in the 1980 presidential election to Republican Ronald Reagan. Despite Carter painting Reagan as a warmonger and criticizing him for his age, Reagan quickly gained popularity, especially after the lone presidential debate. A combination of controversies from his first term and Ted Kennedy mobilizing the left wing of the Democratic Party led to Carter only gaining 49 electoral votes compared to Reagan’s 489, ending Carter’s career in public office.
Post-Presidency
Carter’s life after his time as president is where his legacy truly shines. Once Carter declined to run again in the 1984 presidential election, he set out on a mission to fight for global peace and support vulnerable communities. Some notable actions Carter took during his post-presidential life were engaging in Middle Eastern, North Korean, Syrian, and Venezuelan peace efforts, founding The Elders group in 2007 for global peace and the Carter Center in 1982 to promote human rights and global health, helping reduce Guinea worm disease from 3.5 million cases to just 4 (as of 2024), building homes with Habitat for Humanity after devastating hurricanes, and publishing over 30 books, including bestsellers on politics, peace, and faith.
Carter would end up living the end of his life in hospice care at his home in Plains. During that time, in August 2024, Carter’s son Chip said his father wanted to live to 100 to vote for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Carter did so on October 16, just 74 days before his passing. Carter will undoubtedly be remembered for his humble beginnings, devotion to public service, and post-presidential efforts to better humanity. Though Jimmy Carter may no longer be with us, his unwavering dedication to improving the world will continue to inspire generations to come.