James Earl Carter Jr., commonly known as Jimmy Carter, was born October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia as the son of a peanut farmer. From In 1937 he entered Plains High School and graduated from the eleventh grade in 1941 , since the school did not have a twelfth grade. In 1941, he enrolled in engineering at Georgia Southwestern College and transferred to Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta the following year. In 1943, he was admitted to the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1946 with a degree in naval science. In 1948, he began officer training for submarine duty and served aboard USS Pomfret In 1949, he was promoted to lieutenant junior grade serving aboard Pomfret in a simulated war patrol to the western Pacific and Chinese coast from January to March of that year. During his service, he worked on nuclear submarines and participated in the U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine program and had reached the rank of lieutenant by the time he left the military in 1953..
Carter’s political career began when he was elected as a Georgia State Senator in 1963, and he served 4 years in that role. During the late 1960’s Carter learned the politics of racism and in 1971 he was elected Governor of Georgia, a position he held until 1975. In the 1976 presidential election, as the Democratic nominee, he defeated the incumbent President Gerald Ford and became the 39th President of the United States. His presidency focussed primarily on human rights and energy policies. He established the Department of Energy and the Department of Education. At the international level, he played a significant role in brokering the Camp David Accords, a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.
Carter faced numerous challenges during his presidency, including high inflation, an energy crisis, and the Iran Hostage Crisis, in which American diplomats were held hostage in Iran for 444 days. In the 1980 general election he lost to Republican nominee, Ronald Regan.
After leaving the presidency, Jimmy Carter continued to work on humanitarian and diplomatic initiatives. He founded The Carter Center, a non-profit organization focused on global issues such as election monitoring, disease control, and conflict resolution. In 2002, Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to promote peace, democracy, and human rights.
Jimmy Carter is often seen as a principled and humanitarian leader who dedicated his post-presidential years to working for the betterment of society and promoting peace and justice. His presidency is remembered for its emphasis on diplomacy and human rights, despite the numerous challenges he faced during his time in office. His mantra is captured in his observation, “Unless both sides win, no agreement can be permanent.”
