Jimmy Carter

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	James M. Dykes
Succeeded by	Hugh Carter
Personal details
Born	James Earl Carter Jr. (1924-10-01)October 1, 1924 209 Woodland Drive, Plains
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Rosalynn Smith ​ ​ (m. 1946; died 2023)​
Children	4, including Jack and Amy
Parents	James Earl Carter Sr. Bessie Lillian Gordy
Relatives	Carter family
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 Carter speaks on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan Recorded January 4, 1980

James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924 – December 29, 2024) was 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, Carter served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967. He was the longest-lived president in U.S. history and the first to reach the age of 100.

Born in

James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in

During Carter's infancy, his family moved several times, settling on a dirt road in nearby Archery, which was almost entirely populated by impoverished African American families.^[2][7] His family eventually had three more children, Gloria, Ruth, and Billy.^[8] Carter had a good relationship with his parents, even though his mother was often absent during his childhood since she worked long hours. Although his father was staunchly pro-segregation, he allowed Jimmy to befriend the black farmhands' children.^[9] Carter was an enterprising teenager who was given his own acre of Earl's farmland, where he grew, packaged, and sold peanuts.^[10] Carter also rented out a section of tenant housing he had purchased.^[2]

Carter attended Plains High School from 1937 to 1941, graduating from the 11th grade; the school did not have a 12th grade.

In 1952, Carter began an association with the Navy's fledgling nuclear submarine program, led by then-Captain Hyman G. Rickover.^[33] Rickover had high standards and demands for his men and machines, and Carter later said that, next to his parents, Rickover had the greatest influence on his life.^[34] Carter was sent to the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington, D.C., for three-month temporary duty, while Rosalynn moved with their children to Schenectady, New York.^[35]

On December 12, 1952, an accident with the experimental

In March 1953, Carter began a six-month nuclear power plant operation course at Union College in Schenectady.^[29] His intent was to eventually work aboard USS Seawolf, which was intended to be the second U.S. nuclear submarine.^[40] His plans changed when his father died of pancreatic cancer in July, two months before construction of Seawolf began, and Carter obtained a release from active duty so he could take over the family peanut business.^[41][42] Deciding to leave Schenectady proved difficult, as Rosalynn had grown comfortable with their life there.^[43][44] She later said that returning to small-town life in Plains seemed "a monumental step backward."^[45] Carter left active duty on October 9, 1953.^[46][47] He served in the inactive Navy Reserve until 1961 and left the service with the rank of lieutenant.^[48] Carter's awards include the American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, China Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.^[49] As a submarine officer, he also earned the "dolphin" badge.^[50]

After debt settlements and division of his father's estate among its heirs, Jimmy inherited comparatively little.^[51] For a year, he, Rosalynn, and their three sons lived in public housing in Plains.^[b] Carter was knowledgeable in scientific and technological subjects, and he set out to expand the family's peanut-growing business.^[53] Transitioning from the Navy to farming was difficult as his first-year harvest failed due to a drought, and Carter had to open several bank lines of credit to keep the farm afloat.^[54] Meanwhile, he took classes and studied agriculture while Rosalynn learned accounting to manage the business's books.^[55] Though they barely broke even the first year, the Carters grew the business and became quite successful.^[52][55]

As racial tension inflamed in Plains by the 1954

The civil rights movement was well underway when Carter took office. He and his family had become staunch supporters of John F. Kennedy. Carter remained relatively quiet on the issue at first, even as it polarized much of the county, to avoid alienating his segregationist colleagues. Carter did speak up on a few divisive issues, giving speeches against literacy tests and against an amendment to the Georgia Constitution that he felt implied a compulsion to practice religion.^[61] Carter entered the state Democratic Executive Committee two years into office, where he helped rewrite the state party's rules. He became the chairman of the West Central Georgia Planning and Development Commission, which oversaw the disbursement of federal and state grants for projects such as historic site restoration.^[62]

When Bo Callaway was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1964, Carter immediately began planning to challenge him. The two had previously clashed over which two-year college would be expanded to a four-year college program by the state, and Carter saw Callaway—who had switched to the Republican Party—as a rival who represented aspects of politics he despised.^[63] Carter was reelected to a second two-year term in the state Senate,^[64] where he chaired its Education Committee and sat on the Appropriations Committee toward the end of the term. He contributed to a bill expanding statewide education funding and getting Georgia Southwestern State University a four-year program. He leveraged his regional planning work, giving speeches around the district to make himself more visible to potential voters. On the last day of the term, Carter announced his candidacy for the House of Representatives.^[65] Callaway decided to run for governor instead;^[66] Carter changed his mind, deciding to run for governor too.^[67]

In the 1966 gubernatorial election, Carter ran against liberal former governor

Carter came ahead of Sanders in the first ballot by 49 percent to 38 percent in September, leading to a runoff election. The subsequent campaign was even more bitter. Despite his early support for civil rights, Carter's appeal to racism grew, and he criticized Sanders for supporting Martin Luther King Jr. Carter won the runoff election with 60 percent of the vote and won the general election against Republican nominee Hal Suit. Once elected, Carter changed his tone and began to speak against Georgia's racist politics. Leroy Johnson, a black state senator, voiced his support for Carter: "I understand why he ran that kind of ultra-conservative campaign. I don't believe you can win this state without being a racist."^[72]

Carter was sworn in as the 76th governor of Georgia on January 12, 1971. In his inaugural speech, he declared that "the time for racial discrimination is over",^[74] shocking the crowd and causing many segregationists who had supported his candidacy to feel betrayed. Carter was reluctant to engage with fellow politicians, making him unpopular with the legislature.^[75][76] He expanded the governor's authority by introducing a reorganization plan submitted in January 1972. Despite an initially cool reception in the legislature, the plan passed at midnight on the last day of the session.^[77] Carter merged about 300 state agencies into 22, although it is disputed whether that saved the state money.^[78] On July 8, 1971, during an appearance in Columbus, Georgia, he stated his intention to establish a Georgia Human Rights Council to help solve issues ahead of any potential violence.^[79]

In a news conference on July 13, 1971, Carter announced that he had ordered department heads to reduce spending to prevent a $57 million deficit by the end of the 1972 fiscal year, specifying that each state department would be affected and estimating that five percent over government revenue would be lost if state departments continued to fully use allocated funds.^[80] On January 13, 1972, he requested that the state legislature fund an early childhood development program along with prison reform programs and $48 million (equivalent to $270 million in 2023) in paid taxes for nearly all state employees.^[81]

On March 1, 1972, Carter said he might call a special session of the general assembly if the Justice Department struck down any reapportionment plans by either the House or Senate.^[82] He pushed several reforms through the legislature, providing equal state aid to schools in Georgia's wealthy and poor areas, setting up community centers for mentally disabled children, and increasing educational programs for convicts. Under this program, all such appointments were based on merit rather than political influence.^[83][84] In one of his more controversial decisions, he vetoed a plan to build a dam on Georgia's Flint River, which attracted the attention of environmentalists nationwide.^[85][86]

Civil rights were a high priority for Carter, who added black state employees and portraits of three prominent black Georgians to the capitol building: Martin Luther King Jr.,

Ineligible for a second consecutive term under the 1945 Georgia Constitution, Carter considered running for president and engaged in national politics. He was named to several southern planning commissions and a delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention, where U.S. Senator George McGovern was the likely nominee. Carter tried to ingratiate himself with conservative and anti-McGovern voters. He was fairly obscure at the time, and his attempt at triangulation failed; the 1972 Democratic ticket was McGovern and Senator Thomas Eagleton.^[91][c] On August 3, Carter met with Wallace in Birmingham, Alabama, to discuss preventing the Democrats from losing in a landslide,^[93] but they did.^[94]

Carter regularly met with his fledgling campaign staff and decided to start putting together a presidential campaign for 1976. He tried unsuccessfully to become chairman of the National Governors Association to boost his visibility. With David Rockefeller's endorsement, he was named to the Trilateral Commission in April 1973. The next year, he was named chairman of the Democratic National Committee's congressional and gubernatorial campaigns.^[95] In May 1973, Carter warned his party against politicizing the Watergate scandal,^[96] which he attributed to president Richard Nixon's isolation from Americans and secretive decision-making.^[97]

On December 12, 1974, Carter announced his presidential campaign at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. His speech contained themes of domestic inequality, optimism, and change.^[98][99] Upon his entrance in the Democratic primaries, he was competing against sixteen other candidates, and was considered to have little chance against the more nationally known politicians such as Wallace.^[100] His name recognition was very low, and his opponents derisively asked "Jimmy Who?".^[101] In response to this, Carter began to emphasize his name and what he stood for, stating "My name is Jimmy Carter, and I'm running for president."^[102]

This strategy proved successful. By mid-March 1976, Carter was not only far ahead of the active contenders for the presidential nomination, but led incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford by a few percentage points.^[103] As the Watergate scandal was still fresh in the voters' minds, Carter's position as an outsider, distant from Washington, D.C. proved helpful. He promoted government reorganization. In June, Carter published a memoir titled Why Not the Best? to help introduce himself to the American public.^[104]

Carter became the front-runner early on by winning the

What Carter had that his opponents did not was the acceptance and support of elite sectors of the mass communications media. It was their favorable coverage of Carter and his campaign that gave him an edge, propelling him rocket-like to the top of the opinion polls. This helped Carter win key primary election victories, enabling him to rise from an obscure public figure to President-elect in the short space of 9 months.[107]

During an interview in April 1976, Carter said, "I have nothing against a community that is... trying to maintain the ethnic purity of their neighborhoods."

On July 15, 1976, Carter chose U.S. senator Walter Mondale as his running mate.^[117] Carter and Ford faced off in three televised debates,^[118] the first United States presidential debates since 1960.^[118][119]

For the November 1976 issue of Playboy, which hit newsstands a couple of weeks before the election, Robert Scheer interviewed Carter. While discussing his religion's view of pride, Carter said: "I've looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times."^[120][121] This response and his admission in another interview that he did not mind if people uttered the word "fuck" led to a media feeding frenzy and critics lamenting the erosion of boundary between politicians and their private intimate lives.^[122]

Carter once had a sizable lead over Ford in national polling, but by late September his lead had narrowed to only several points.

Carter and Mondale ultimately defeated Ford and his runningmate (Senator Bob Dole), receiving 297 electoral votes and 50.1% of the popular vote to Ford's 240 electoral votes and 48.0% of the popular vote.^[128] Carter's victory was attributed in part^[129] to his overwhelming support among black voters in states decided by close margins, such as Louisiana, Texas, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Ohio.^[130] In Ohio and Wisconsin, where the margin between Carter and Ford was under two points, the black vote was crucial for Carter; if he had not won both states, Ford would have won the election.^[130][131]

Ford phoned Carter to congratulate him shortly after the race was called. He was unable to concede in front of television cameras due to bad hoarse voice, and so First Lady Betty did so for him.^[132] Vice President Nelson Rockefeller oversaw the certification of election results on January 6, 1977. Although Ford carried Washington, Mike Padden, an elector from there, cast his vote for Ronald Reagan, the then-governor of California and Carter's eventual successor.^[133]

Preliminary planning for Carter's presidential transition had already been underway for months before his election.^[134][135] Carter had been the first presidential candidate to allot significant funds and a significant number of personnel to a pre-election transition planning effort, which then became standard practice.^[136] He set a mold that influenced all future transitions to be larger, more methodical and more formal than they were.^[136][135]

On November 22, 1976, Carter conducted his first visit to Washington, D.C. after being elected, meeting with director of the

A few weeks before his inauguration, Carter moved his peanut business into the hands of trustees to avoid a potential conflict of interest.^[141] He also asked incoming members of his administration to divest themselves of assets through blind trusts.^[142]

Carter was inaugurated as the 39th president on January 20, 1977.

Carter's presidency had a troubled economic history of two roughly equal periods. The first two years were a time of intense stagflation, primarily due to recovery from a previous recession that had left fixed investment at extreme lows and unemployment at 9%.^[152] Under Carter, the unemployment rate declined from 8.1% when he took office to 5.7% by July 1978,^[153][154] but during the early 1980s recession it returned to its pre-1977 level.^[155] The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) measured a 6.6% unemployment rate average during the Carter administration.^[156] His last two years were marked by double-digit inflation, very high interest rates,^[157] oil shortages, and slow economic growth.^[158] Due to economic stimulus legislation, such as the Public Works Employment Act of 1977, proposed by Carter and passed by Congress, real household median income had grown by 5.2%, with a projection of 6.4% for the next quarter.^[159]

The

In 1978, Carter declared a federal emergency in the Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York. More than 800 families were evacuated from the neighborhood, which was on top of a toxic waste landfill. The Superfund law was created in response to the situation.^[165] Federal disaster money was appropriated to demolish about 500 houses, the 99th Street School, and the 93rd Street School, which had all been built atop the dump, and to remediate the dump and construct a containment area for the hazardous waste. This was the first time such a process had been undertaken. Carter acknowledged that several more "Love Canals" existed across the country, and that discovering such hazardous dump sites was "one of the grimmest discoveries of our modern era".^[166]

In December 1978, Carter used the

Moralism typified much of Carter's action.

Carter emphasized that the House of Representatives had "adopted almost all" of the energy proposal he had made five months earlier and called the compromise "a turning point in establishing a comprehensive energy program."[175] The following month, on October 13, Carter stated he believed in the Senate's ability to pass the energy reform bill and identified energy as "the most important domestic issue that we will face while I am in office."^[176]

On January 12, 1978, during a press conference, Carter said the continued discussions about his energy reform proposal had been "long and divisive and arduous" as well as hindering to national issues that needed to be addressed with the implementation of the law.^[177] In an April 11, 1978, news conference, Carter said his biggest surprise "in the nature of a disappointment" since becoming president was the difficulty Congress had in passing legislation, citing the energy reform bill in particular: "I never dreamed a year ago in April when I proposed this matter to the Congress that a year later it still would not be resolved."^[178] The Carter energy legislation was approved by Congress after much deliberation and modification on October 15, 1978. The measure deregulated the sale of natural gas, dropped a longstanding pricing disparity between intra- and interstate gas, and created tax credits to encourage energy conservation and the use of non-fossil fuels.^[179]

On March 1, 1979, Carter submitted a standby gasoline rationing plan per the request of Congress.^[180] On April 5, he delivered an address in which he stressed the urgency of energy conservation and increasing domestic production of energy sources such as coal and solar.^[181] During an April 30 news conference, he said it was imperative that the House commerce committee approve the standby gasoline rationing plan and called on Congress to pass the several other standby energy conservation plans he had proposed.^[182]

On July 15, 1979, Carter delivered a nationally televised address in which he identified what he believed to be a "

Carter typically refused to conform to Washington's rules.^[188] He avoided phone calls from members of Congress and verbally insulted them. He was unwilling to return political favors. His negativity led to frustration in passing legislation.^[189] During a press conference on February 23, 1977, Carter stated that it was "inevitable" that he would come into conflict with Congress and added that he had found "a growing sense of cooperation" with Congress and met in the past with congressional members of both parties.^[190] Carter developed a bitter feeling following an unsuccessful attempt at having Congress enact the scrapping of several water projects,^[191] which he had requested during his first 100 days in office and received opposition from members of his party.^[192]

As a rift ensued between the White House and Congress afterward, Carter noted that the Democratic Party's liberal wing opposed his policies the most ardently, attributing this to Ted Kennedy's wanting the presidency.^[193] Thinking he had support from 74 Congressmen, Carter issued a "hit list" of 19 projects that he claimed were "pork barrel" spending that he said he would veto if they were included in legislation.^[194] He found himself again at odds with Congressional Democrats, as House Speaker Tip O'Neill found it inappropriate for a president to pursue what had traditionally been the role of Congress. Carter was also weakened by signing a bill that contained many of the "hit list" projects he had intended to veto.^[195]

In an address to a fundraising dinner for the Democratic National Committee on June 23, 1977, Carter said, "I think it's good to point out tonight, too, that we have evolved a good working relationship with the Congress. For eight years we had government by partisanship. Now we have government by partnership."^[196] At a July 28 news conference, assessing the first six months of his presidency, Carter spoke of his improved understanding of Congress: "I have learned to respect the Congress more in an individual basis. I've been favorably impressed at the high degree of concentrated experience and knowledge that individual members of Congress can bring on a specific subject, where they've been the chairman of a subcommittee or committee for many years and have focused their attention on this particular aspect of government life which I will never be able to do."^[197]

On May 10, 1979, the House voted against giving Carter authority to produce a standby gas rationing plan.^[198] The following day, Carter delivered remarks in the Oval Office describing himself as shocked and embarrassed for the American government by the vote and concluding "the majority of the House Members are unwilling to take the responsibility, the political responsibility for dealing with a potential, serious threat to our Nation." He furthered that a majority of House members were placing higher importance on "local or parochial interests" and challenged the lower chamber of Congress with composing their own rationing plan in the next 90 days.^[199]

Carter's remarks were met with criticism by House Republicans, who accused his comments of not befitting the formality a president should have in their public remarks. Others pointed to 106 Democrats voting against his proposal and the bipartisan criticism potentially coming back to haunt him.^[200] At the start of a news conference on July 25, 1979, Carter called on believers in the future of the U.S. and his proposed energy program to speak with Congress as it bore the responsibility to impose his proposals.^[201] Amid the energy proposal opposition, The New York Times commented that "as the comments flying up and down Pennsylvania Avenue illustrate, there is also a crisis of confidence between Congress and the President, sense of doubt and distrust that threatens to undermine the President's legislative program and become an important issue in next year's campaign."^[202]

In 1977, Carter appointed Alfred E. Kahn to lead the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). He was part of a push for deregulation of the industry, supported by leading economists, leading think tanks in Washington, a civil society coalition advocating the reform (patterned on a coalition earlier developed for the truck-and-rail-reform efforts), the head of the regulatory agency, Senate leadership, the Carter administration, and even some in the airline industry. This coalition swiftly gained legislative results in 1978.^[203]

Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act into law on October 24, 1978. The main purpose of the act was to remove government control over fares, routes and market entry (of new airlines) from commercial aviation. The Civil Aeronautics Board's powers of regulation were to be phased out, eventually allowing market forces to determine routes and fares. The Act did not remove or diminish the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s regulatory powers over all aspects of airline safety.^[204]

In 1978, Carter signed a bill into law "allowing homebrewing and small-scale craft brewing to operate legally".

In the late 1970s, the Chrysler Cooperation—one of the "Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the U.S.—faced near-certain bankruptcy as it projected a loss of $1 billion.^[208] Carter proposed that the company forgo salary increases and bonuses, saying that it might be done "without decimating the company or putting it on its knees", but the company had already frozen wage increases and bonuses months before, to no avail.^[209] In 1979, Congress began working on a bailout plan for Chrysler, led by Congressman James J. Blanchard. Carter assembled a team that included Vice President Mondale and Assistant Domestic Policy Adviser David Rubenstein to secure a $1.5 billion loan guarantee to rescue Chrysler.^[210]

In December, Congress passed H.R. 5860, the

During his presidential campaign, Carter embraced healthcare reform akin to the Ted Kennedy-sponsored bipartisan universal national health insurance.^[212] Carter's proposals on healthcare while in office included an April 1977 mandatory health care cost proposal,^[213] and a June 1979 proposal that provided private health insurance coverage.^[214] Carter saw the June 1979 proposal as a continuation of progress in American health coverage. President Harry S. Truman proposed a designation of health care as a basic right of Americans and Medicare and Medicaid were introduced under President Lyndon B. Johnson.^[215][216] The April 1977 mandatory health care cost proposal was passed in the Senate,^[217] but later defeated in the House.^[218] During 1978, he met with Kennedy over a compromise healthcare law that proved unsuccessful.^[219] He later said Kennedy's disagreements thwarted his plan to provide a comprehensive American health care system.^[220]

In 1980, Carter signed into law the Mental Health Systems (MHSA) Act, which allocated block grants to states to bolster the establishment and growth of community health services and provided funding to states to create and implement community-based health services. The MHSA was considered landmark legislation in mental health care.^[221] By September 1981, the Reagan administration had repealed most of the law.^[222]

Early into his term, Carter collaborated with Congress to fulfill his campaign promise to create a cabinet level education department. In an address from the White House on February 28, 1978, Carter argued "Education is far too important a matter to be scattered piecemeal among various government departments and agencies, which are often busy with sometimes dominant concerns."^[223] On February 8, 1979, the Carter administration released an outline of its plan to establish an education department and asserted enough support for the enactment to occur by June.^[224] On October 17, the same year, Carter signed the Department of Education Organization Act into law,^[225] establishing the United States Department of Education.^[226]

Carter expanded the

During Carter's administration, the United States Foreign Service "lifted its ban on gay and lesbian personnel". In 1977, the Carter administration became the first U.S. presidential administration to invite gay and lesbian rights activists to the White House to discuss federal policy with regard to ending employment discrimination in the federal government on the basis of sexual orientation and related issues (presidential advisor Midge Costanza issued the invitation).^[231]

From the onset of his presidency, Carter attempted to mediate the Arab–Israeli conflict.^[232] After a failed attempt to seek a comprehensive settlement between the two nations in 1977 (through reconvening the 1973 Geneva conference),^[233] Carter invited the Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin to the presidential lodge Camp David in September 1978, in hopes of creating a definitive peace. While the two sides could not agree on Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, the negotiations resulted in Egypt formally recognizing Israel, and the creation of an elected government in the West Bank and Gaza. This resulted in the Camp David Accords, which ended the war between Israel and Egypt.^[234]

The accords were a source of great domestic opposition in both Egypt and Israel. Historian Jørgen Jensehaugen argues that by the time Carter left office in January 1981, he was "in an odd position—he had attempted to break with traditional U.S. policy but ended up fulfilling the goals of that tradition, which had been to break up the Arab alliance, sideline the Palestinians, build an alliance with Egypt, weaken the Soviet Union and secure Israel."^[235]

In an address to the African officials at the United Nations on October 4, 1977, Carter stated the U.S.'s interest to "see a strong, vigorous, free, and prosperous Africa with as much of the control of government as possible in the hands of the residents of your countries" and pointed to their unified efforts on "the problem of how to resolve the Rhodesian, Zimbabwe question."^[236] At a news conference later that month, Carter said the U.S. wanted to "work harmoniously with South Africa in dealing with the threats to peace in Namibia and in Zimbabwe in particular", to do away with racial issues such as apartheid, and to work for equal opportunities in other facets of society in the region.^[237]

Despite human rights concerns, Carter continued U.S. support for Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire.^[238] Zaire received nearly half the foreign aid Carter allocated to sub-Saharan Africa.^[239] Under Carter an alliance with Liberia's Samuel Doe, who had come to power in a 1980 coup, was pursued.^[240]

Carter visited Nigeria from March 31 to April 3, 1978, to improve relations;^[241] the first U.S. president to do so.^[242] He reiterated interest in convening a peace conference on Rhodesia that involved all parties and said the U.S. was moving as it could.^[243]

The elections of

Carter sought closer relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC), continuing the Nixon administration's drastic policy of rapprochement. The two countries increasingly collaborated against the Soviet Union, and the Carter administration tacitly consented to the Chinese invasion of Vietnam. In December 1978, he announced the United States' intention to formally recognize and establish full diplomatic relations with the PRC starting on January 1, 1979, while severing ties with Taiwan, including revoking a mutual defense treaty with the latter.^[249][250] In 1979, Carter extended formal diplomatic recognition to the PRC for the first time. This decision led to a boom in trade between the United States and the PRC, which was pursuing economic reforms under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping.^[251] Carter supported the China-allied Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia fighting the Soviet-backed Vietnamese invasion.^[252]

After the

During Carter's presidency, the U.S. continued to support Indonesia under Suharto as a Cold War ally, despite human rights violations in East Timor. The violations followed Indonesia's December 1975 invasion and occupation of East Timor. Under Carter's administration military assistance to Indonesia increased, peaking in 1978.^[255][256] This was antithetical to Carter's stated policy of "not selling weapons if it would exacerbate a potential conflict in a region of the world".^[257][258] In the Philippines, Carter supported the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos.^[259]

During a news conference on March 9, 1977, Carter reaffirmed his interest in having a gradual withdrawal of American troops from South Korea and said he wanted South Korea to eventually have "adequate ground forces owned by and controlled by the South Korean government to protect themselves against any intrusion from North Korea."^[260] On May 19, The Washington Post quoted Chief of Staff of U.S. forces in South Korea John K. Singlaub as criticizing Carter's withdrawal of troops from the Korean peninsula. Later that day, Press Secretary Rex Granum announced that Carter had summoned Singlaub to the White House, and confirmed that Carter had seen the Washington Post article.^[261] Carter relieved Singlaub of his duties on May 21 after a meeting between the two.^[262][263]

During a news conference on May 26, 1977, Carter said South Korea could defend itself with reduced American troops in case of conflict.^[264] From June 30 to July 1, 1979, Carter held meetings with president of South Korea Park Chung Hee at the Blue House for a discussion on relations between the U.S. and South Korea as well as Carter's interest in preserving his policy of worldwide tension reduction.^[265] On April 21, 1978, Carter announced a reduction in American troops in South Korea scheduled to be released by the end of the year by two-thirds, citing lack of action by Congress in regard to a compensatory aid package for the South Korean government.^[266] He supported South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan during the suppression of the Gwangju Uprising in May 1980.^[267] South Korean pro-democracy activist Kim Dae-jung was sentenced to death in September 1980, but his sentence was commuted after the intervention of presidents Carter and Reagan.^[268]

On November 15, 1977, Carter pledged that his administration would continue positive relations between the U.S. and Iran, calling its contemporary status "strong, stable and progressive".[269] On December 31, 1977, he called Iran under the Shah an "island of stability" made possible by the "admiration and love your people give to [the Shah]".^[270][271] Carter praised the Shah's "great leadership" and spoke of "personal friendship" between them.^[272] American support for the unpopular Shah increased anti-American sentiment in Iran, which intensified after the Shah, who was dying of cancer, left Iran for the last time in January 1979 and Carter allowed him to be admitted to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York on October 22, 1979.^[273]

On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students took over the

A month into the affair, Carter announced his commitment to resolving the dispute without "any military action that would cause bloodshed or arouse the unstable captors of our hostages to attack them or to punish them".[276] On April 7, 1980, he issued Executive Order 12205, imposing economic sanctions against Iran,^[277] and announced further government measures he deemed necessary to ensure a safe release.^[278][279]

On April 24, 1980, Carter ordered Operation Eagle Claw to try to free the hostages. The mission failed, leaving eight American servicemen dead and two aircraft destroyed.^[280][281] The failure led Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who had opposed the mission, to resign.^[282]

Released in 2017, a declassified memo produced by the CIA in 1980 concluded "Iranian hardliners—especially

On February 8, 1977, Carter said he had urged the Soviet Union to align with the U.S. in forming "a comprehensive test ban to stop all nuclear testing for at least an extended period of time", and that he was in favor of the Soviet Union ceasing deployment of the RSD-10 Pioneer.^[284] During a June 13 press conference, he said that at the beginning of the week, the U.S. would "work closely with the Soviet Union on a comprehensive test ban treaty to prohibit all testing of nuclear devices underground or in the atmosphere", and Paul Warnke would negotiate demilitarization of the Indian Ocean with the Soviet Union beginning the following week.^[285]

At a December 30 news conference, Carter said that during "the last few months, the United States and the Soviet Union have made great progress in dealing with a long list of important issues, the most important of which is to control the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons", and that the two countries sought to conclude SALT II talks by the spring of the next year.

In 1979, the Soviets intervened in the Second Yemenite War. The Soviet backing of South Yemen constituted a "smaller shock", in tandem with tensions that were rising due to the Iranian Revolution. This played a role in making Carter's stance on the Soviet Union more assertive, a shift that finalized with the impending Soviet-Afghan War.^[289]

In his 1980 State of the Union Address, Carter emphasized the significance of relations between the two regions: "Now, as during the last 3½ decades, the relationship between our country, the United States of America, and the Soviet Union is the most critical factor in determining whether the world will live at peace or be engulfed in global conflict."^[290]

Communists under the leadership of Nur Muhammad Taraki seized power in Afghanistan on April 27, 1978.^[291] The new regime signed a treaty of friendship with the Soviet Union in December of that year.^[291][292] Due to the regime's improvement of secular education and redistribution of land coinciding with mass executions and political oppression, Taraki was deposed by rival Hafizullah Amin in September.^{[291][292][293]} Amin was considered a "brutal psychopath" by foreign observers and had lost control of much of the country, prompting the Soviet Union to invade Afghanistan on December 24, 1979, execute Amin, and install Babrak Karmal as president.^[291][292]

In the West, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was considered a threat to global security and the oil supplies of the Persian Gulf, as well as the existence of Pakistan.^[292][294] These concerns led Carter to expand collaboration between the CIA and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which had begun in July 1979, when the CIA started providing $695,000 worth of non-lethal assistance (e.g., "cash, medical equipment, and radio transmitters") to the Afghan mujahideen.^[295] The modest scope of this early collaboration was likely influenced by the understanding, later recounted by CIA official Robert Gates, "that a substantial U.S. covert aid program" might have "raise[d] the stakes", thereby causing "the Soviets to intervene more directly and vigorously than otherwise intended."^[294][296]

According to a 2020 review of declassified U.S. documents by Conor Tobin in the journal Diplomatic History: "The primary significance of this small-scale aid was in creating constructive links with dissidents through Pakistan's ISI that could be utilized in the case of an overt Soviet intervention ... The small-scale covert program that developed in response to the increasing Soviet influence was part of a contingency plan if the Soviets did intervene militarily, as Washington would be in a better position to make it difficult for them to consolidate their position, but not designed to induce an intervention."^[295]

On December 28, 1979, Carter signed a presidential finding explicitly allowing the CIA to transfer "lethal military equipment either directly or through third countries to the Afghan opponents of the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan" and to arrange "selective training, conducted outside of Afghanistan, in the use of such equipment either directly or via third country intermediation."^[295] His finding defined the CIA's mission as "harassment" of Soviet troops; at the time, "this was not a war the CIA expected to win outright on the battlefield," in the words of Steve Coll.^[297]

Carter was determined to respond harshly to what he considered a dangerous provocation. In a televised speech on January 23, 1980, he announced sanctions on the Soviet Union, promised renewed aid and registration to Pakistan and the Selective Service System, and committed the U.S. to the Persian Gulf's defense.^{[294][296][298][299]} Carter imposed an embargo on grain shipments to the USSR, tabled SALT II, requested a 5% annual increase in defense spending,^[300][301] and called for a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, which was ultimately joined by 65 other nations.^{[302][303][304]} British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher enthusiastically backed Carter's tough stance.^[294] National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski played a major role in organizing Carter's policies on the Soviet Union as a grand strategy.^[305]

In early 1980, Carter determined the thrust of U.S. policy for the duration of the war: he initiated a program to arm the mujahideen through Pakistan's ISI and secured a pledge from Saudi Arabia to match U.S. funding for this purpose. Despite huge expenditure, the Soviet Union was unable to quell the insurgency and withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989 amid the economic, political, and social turmoil within the USSR, precipitating its collapse two years later.^[306][294] The routing of U.S. aid through Pakistan led to some controversy, as weapons sent to Karachi were frequently controlled by Pakistan, whose government influenced which rebels received assistance. Despite this, Carter has expressed no regret over his decision to support what he still considers the Afghan freedom fighters.^[294]

Carter made twelve international trips to 25 countries as president.

On September 21, 1977, the Carter administration's Office of Management and Budget director Bert Lance resigned amid allegations of improper banking activities before his tenure.^[309] United States Attorney General Griffin Bell appointed Paul J. Curran as a special counsel to investigate loans made to the peanut business Carter owned by a bank controlled by Lance,^[310][d] and Carter became the first sitting president to testify under oath as part of an investigation of him.^[311][312] In October 1979, Curran announced that no evidence had been found to support allegations that funds loaned from the National Bank of Georgia had been diverted to Carter's 1976 presidential campaign, ending the investigation.^[313]

Carter's reelection campaign was based primarily on attacking Ronald Reagan. The campaign frequently pointed out and mocked Reagan's proclivity for gaffes, using his age and perceived lack of connection to his native California voter base against him.^[314] Later, the campaign used similar rhetoric as Lyndon Johnson's 1964 presidential campaign, portraying Reagan as a warmonger who could not be trusted with the nuclear arsenal.^[315] Carter attempted to deny the Reagan campaign $29.4 million (equivalent to $91 million in 2023) in campaign funds, due to dependent conservative groups already raising $60 million to get him elected—an amount that exceeded the limit of campaign funds. Carter's attempt was later denied by the Federal Election Commission.^[316]

Carter announced his reelection campaign in December 1979.^[317] A month earlier, Senator Ted Kennedy had announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination.^[318] During the Democratic presidential primaries, questions about Kennedy were a frequent subject of Carter's press conferences.^[319][320] Despite winning key states such as California and New York, Kennedy surprised his supporters by running a weak campaign. Carter won most of the primaries and secured renomination. He later wrote that the strongest opposition to his policies came from the Democratic Party's liberal wing, which he attributed to Kennedy's ambition to replace him as president.^[321] Kennedy had mobilized the liberal wing, which weakened Carter's support in the general election.^[322]

Carter and Mondale were formally nominated at the 1980 Democratic National Convention in New York City.^[323] Carter delivered a speech notable for its tribute to the late Hubert Humphrey, whom he initially called "Hubert Horatio Hornblower",^[324] and Kennedy made "The Dream Shall Never Die" speech, in which he criticized Reagan and did not endorse Carter.^[325]

Along with Reagan and Kennedy, Carter was opposed by centrist

On October 28, Carter and Reagan participated in the sole presidential debate of the election cycle in which they were both present, due to Carter refusing to participate in debates that included Anderson.[331] Though initially trailing Carter by several points,^[332] Reagan experienced a surge in polling after the debate.^[333] This was in part influenced by Reagan deploying the phrase "There you go again", which became the election's defining phrase.^[334] It was later discovered that in the final days of the campaign, Reagan's team acquired classified documents Carter used to prepare for the debate.^[335]

Reagan and his running mate (George H. W. Bush) defeated Carter and Mondale in a landslide, winning 489 electoral votes. The Senate went Republican for the first time since 1952.^[336] Carter's 49 electoral votes were the second-fewest for an incumbent president seeking reelection, with only William Howard Taft in the 1912 presidential election defeated more decisively. In his concession speech, Carter admitted that he was hurt by the election's outcome but pledged "a very fine transition period" with President-elect Reagan.^[337]

Shortly after losing reelection, Carter told the White House press corps that he intended to emulate the retirement of Harry S. Truman and not use his subsequent public life to enrich himself.^[338]

Diplomacy was a large part of Carter's post-presidency. These diplomatic efforts began in the Middle East, with a September 1981 meeting with

In 2018, official files revealed that, in January 1993, Carter had been suggested for a Northern Ireland peace process role by president-elect Bill Clinton amid speculation that Clinton would appoint a special envoy for Northern Ireland.^[341]

In 1994, Clinton sought Carter's assistance in a North Korea peace mission, during which Carter negotiated an understanding with Kim Il Sung.^[342][343] Carter outlined a treaty with Kim, which he announced to CNN without the Clinton administration's consent to spur American action.^[344]

In March 1999, Carter visited Taiwan and met with President Lee Teng-hui. During the meeting, Carter praised the progress Taiwan made in democracy, human rights, economy, culture, science, and technology.^[345] But Carter remained a controversial figure in Taiwan for having ended U.S. diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan).^[346]

In 2003, Carter championed a plan to hold elections in Venezuela amid protests aimed at doing so.^[347] Ultimately, no elections were held.

In 2006, Carter stated his disagreements with Israel's domestic and foreign policy while saying he supported the country,^[348][349] extending his criticisms to Israel's policies in Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza.^[350]

In July 2007, Carter joined

On August 10, 2010, Carter traveled to North Korea and negotiated the release of Aijalon Gomes.^[361][362] In 2017, as tensions between the U.S. and North Korea persisted, Carter recommended a peace treaty between the two nations,^[363] and confirmed that he had volunteered to the Trump administration to be a diplomatic envoy to North Korea.^[364]

Carter began his first year out of office with a pledge not to critique the

On January 16, 1989, before the inauguration of George H. W. Bush, Carter told Gerald Ford that Reagan had experienced a media honeymoon, saying that he believed Reagan's immediate successor would be less fortunate.^[376]

Carter had a mostly poor relationship with

Though he praised President Barack Obama in the early part of his tenure,^[386] Carter stated his disagreement with using drone strikes against suspected terrorists, Obama's choice to keep Guantanamo Bay detention camp open,^[387] and the federal surveillance programs Edward Snowden revealed.^[388][389]

During

In July 2021, Carter gave his final recorded interview and said that President Joe Biden "has done very well" in office.^[395]

Carter was considered a potential candidate in the 1984 presidential election.^[396][397] In May 1982, Carter ruled out another run, and instead endorsed Mondale for the Democratic presidential nomination.^[398] After Mondale secured the nomination in the Democratic primaries, Carter critiqued the Reagan campaign,^[399] spoke at the 1984 Democratic National Convention, and advised Mondale about his campaign.^[400] After the election, in which Reagan defeated Mondale, Carter said the loss was predictable because Mondale's platform included raising taxes.^[401]

In March 1987, Carter ruled himself out as a candidate in the

During the 1992 presidential election, Carter met with Senator Paul Tsongas, who sought his advice.^[407] Carter spoke favorably of former governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton,^[408] and criticized Ross Perot, a Texas billionaire who was running as an independent.^[409] As the primary concluded, Carter spoke of the need for the 1992 Democratic National Convention to address certain issues not focused on in the past,^[410] and campaigned for Clinton after he became the Democratic nominee,^[411] publicly stating his expectation to be consulted during Clinton's presidency.^[412]

Carter endorsed Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic nominee, days before the 2000 presidential election,^[413] and in subsequent years voiced his opinion that Gore won the election,^[414] despite Republican nominee George W. Bush having been certified the victor following the Supreme Court's ruling in Bush v. Gore.^[415]

In the 2004 presidential election, Carter endorsed the Democratic nominee John Kerry and spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.^[416] He also voiced concern about another voting mishap in Florida.^[417]

During the

Ahead of the primaries of the 2012 presidential election, Carter expressed his preference for Mitt Romney to win the Republican nomination, though he clarified that he preferred Romney because he believed him to be the prospective Republican nominee who would most assure Obama's reelection.^[426] Carter recorded an address that was shown at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.^[427]

In the

In November 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overruled a three-judge panel of the court and scheduled a rehearing of the case against the Trump administration-proposed land swap in Alaska to allow a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. In an unusual action, Carter had filed an opinion in support of a lawsuit by environmental groups, saying the swap violated the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (Anilca) passed in 1980, near the end of his presidency. Carter said the act "may be the most significant domestic achievement of my political life".^[442]

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.^[443] He did so on October 16, the second day of early voting in Georgia.^[444][445]

Carter criticized the

The Carter family experienced another dilemma when its peanut business accumulated a $1 million debt in 1981. Carter began writing books to pay off this debt. As of July 2019, he had "published more than 30, from a children's book to reflections on his presidency".^[450] After he left the White House, "[o]n average, he completed just about one book per year over those 35 years, including many bestsellers, a novel and a children's book."^[451]

In 1982, Carter founded the

Carter attended the dedication of his presidential library[458] and those of Presidents Ronald Reagan,^[459] George H. W. Bush,^[460] Bill Clinton,^[461][462] and George W. Bush.^[463] He delivered eulogies at the funerals of Coretta Scott King,^[464] Gerald Ford,^[465][466] and Theodore Hesburgh.^[467]

In 2007, Carter founded the New Baptist Covenant organization for social justice.^[468][469]

In 2013, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, their son Chip, and their daughter-in-law Becky traveled to the neighborhood of Queens Village in New York City. They worked on five housing construction projects with Habitat for Humanity.^[470]

In 2013, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter traveled to

As of August 2019[update], Carter was Honorary Chair of the World Justice Project.^[472] He was formerly an honorary chair of the Continuity of Government Commission.^[473] He continued to occasionally teach Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church as of 2019.^[474] Carter also taught at Emory University, and in 2019 was awarded tenure for 37 years of service.^[475]

Carter's 2006 book

When Israel does occupy this territory deep within the West Bank, and connects the 200 or so settlements with each other, with a road, and then prohibits the Palestinians from using that road, or in many cases even crossing the road, this perpetrates even worse instances of apartness, or apartheid, than we witnessed even in South Africa.[478]

Carter defended himself against accusations of antisemitism by saying "the hope is that my book will at least stimulate a debate, which has not existed in this country. There's never been any debate on this issue of any significance."^[478] He said that Israel would not have peace until it agreed to withdraw from the occupied territories, adding, "the greatest commitment in my life has been trying to bring peace to Israel."^[478]

In a 2007 speech at Brandeis University, Carter apologized for wording in the book that suggested that Palestinian suicide terror attacks were justified as a political tool. "That sentence was worded in a completely improper and stupid way. I've written my publishers to change that sentence immediately in future editions of the book. I apologize to you personally and to everyone here."^{[479][480][481][482]}

In his 2010 book

settlement expansion as the primary obstacle to peace in the Middle East.^[483]

Carter refused to be interviewed by the

Atlanta Jewish Times because it called him a "parasite" in a 2015 editiorial.^[484]

Personal life

Carter had three younger siblings, all of whom died of

Empress of Iran

, holds Jimmy Carter IV while Rosalynn Carter, Caron Carter, and Chip Carter watch, January 1978.

Carter was related to Motown founder Berry Gordy by way of their white great-grandfather James Thomas Gordy, who fathered a child with a black woman he enslaved.^[487]

Carter married Rosalynn Smith on July 7, 1946, in the Plains Methodist Church, the church of Rosalynn's family.

parole officer, helping enable her to work in the White House.^[491][e]

The Carters celebrated their 77th anniversary on July 7, 2023. On October 19, 2019, they became the longest-wed presidential couple, having overtaken George and Barbara Bush at 26,765 days.^[495] After Rosalynn's death on November 19, 2023, Carter released the following statement:

Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished. She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.^[496]

The Carters' eldest son, Jack Carter, was the 2006 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Nevada and lost to Republican incumbent John Ensign. Jack's son Jason Carter is a former Georgia state senator^[497] who in 2014 was the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia, losing to the Republican incumbent, Nathan Deal. On December 20, 2015, while teaching a Sunday school class, Carter announced that his 28-year-old grandson Jeremy Carter had died of unspecified causes.^[498]

Interests, friendships and hobbies

Carter's hobbies included painting,^[499] fly fishing, woodworking, cycling, tennis, and skiing.^[500] He also had an interest in poetry, particularly the works of Dylan Thomas.^[501] During a state visit to the UK in 1977, Carter suggested that Thomas should have a memorial in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey;^[502] this came to fruition in 1982.^[501][503] In 1994, Carter published a book of poetry, Always a Reckoning and Other Poems, illustrated by his granddaughter Sarah Chuldenko.^[504]

Carter was a personal friend of Elvis Presley, whom he and Rosalynn met on June 30, 1973, before Presley was to perform onstage in Atlanta.^[505] They remained in contact by telephone two months before Presley's sudden death in August 1977. Carter later recalled an abrupt phone call he received in June 1977 from Presley, who was seeking a presidential pardon from Carter, to help George Klein's criminal case.^{[clarification needed]} At the time, Klein had been indicted for only mail fraud, but he was later found guilty of conspiracy.^[506][507] According to Carter, Presley was almost incoherent because of barbiturates; although he phoned the White House several more times, that was the last time they spoke.^[508] The day after Presley's death, Carter issued a statement and said Presley had "changed the face of American popular culture".^[509]

Carter filed a report with both the International UFO Bureau and the National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena^[510] saying that he saw an unidentified flying object in October 1969.^{[511][512][513]} Records showed that Carter got the date wrong, and it was in fact on January 6, 1969. In 2016, a former Air Force scientist found old government reports about a scientific project that on that date launched a barium cloud to examine the upper atmosphere. It would have appeared in the sky at an elevation of 33 degrees, which is almost exactly what Carter had speculated.^[514]

Beliefs

From a young age, Carter showed deep commitment to

evangelical conservatives to leave the Democratic Party, contributing to the development of the Christian right in American politics.^[525]

Health

On August 3, 2015, Carter underwent

metastasized, without specifying where the cancer had originated.^[526] On August 20, Carter said that melanoma had been found in his brain and liver and that he had begun treatment with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab and was about to start radiation therapy. His healthcare was managed by Emory Healthcare of Atlanta. His family history of cancer included both his parents and all three of his siblings.^[527] On December 5, he announced that his medical scans no longer showed any cancer.^[528]

Carter broke his hip in a fall at his Plains home on May 13, 2019, and underwent surgery the same day at the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia.[529] On October 6, an injury above his left eyebrow sustained in another fall at home required 14 stitches^[530] and resulted in a black eye.^[531] On October 21, Carter was admitted to the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center after sustaining a minor pelvic fracture from falling at home for the third time in 2019.^[532] He resumed teaching Sunday school on November 3.^[533][534]

On November 11, 2019, Carter was hospitalized at the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for a procedure to relieve pressure on his brain caused by bleeding connected with his falls.^[535][536] He was released from the hospital on November 27.^[537][535] On December 2, 2019, Carter was readmitted to the hospital for a urinary tract infection. He was released on December 4.^[538][539]

On February 18, 2023, the Carter Center announced that following a "series of short hospital stays", Carter decided to "spend his remaining time at home with his family" in Plains to "receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention"^[540][541] for an unspecified illness.^[542][543]

Longevity

At 100 years old, Carter was the longest-lived former U.S. president.^[544] He was the second presidential nominee by a major political party to reach this age, after Alf Landon, who was the Republican nominee in the 1936 United States presidential election.^[545][546]

Carter was the earliest-serving living former president since Gerald Ford's death in 2006. In 2012, he surpassed Herbert Hoover as the longest-retired president. In 2017 and 2021, Carter became the first president to live to the 40th anniversary of his inauguration and post-presidency, respectively. In 2017, Carter, then 92, became the oldest former president ever to attend an American presidential inauguration.^[547][548] On March 22, 2019, he became the longest-lived U.S. president, surpassing George H. W. Bush, who had died a few months earlier at the age of 94 years, 171 days.^[549] He said in a 2019 interview with People that he never expected to live as long as he had and that the best explanation for longevity was a good marriage.^[550] Carter entered hospice care six months before celebrating his 99th birthday at home.^[551]

The Carter Center announced Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song, an event concert to celebrate Carter's 100th birthday that featured appearances by musicians and celebrities. The event took place on September 17, 2024, at the

F-18 Super Hornet flyover formation by eight Navy pilots from Naval Air Station Oceana, which Carter viewed from his backyard, and a naturalization ceremony for 100 new citizens at Plains High School, which Chip Carter attended.^[554][555]

Carter made arrangements to be buried in front of his home at

209 Woodland Drive in Plains. In 2006, he said that a funeral in Washington, D.C., with visitation at the Carter Center, was also planned.^[556] Carter asked President Biden to deliver his eulogy.^[557]

Death and funeral

Main article: Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter

U.S. Capitol rotunda

Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100.^{[558][559][560]} This followed his February 2023 decision to enter hospice.^[561]

Shortly after the announcement, President Joe Biden released a statement honoring Carter's legacy, calling him a "man of principle, faith, and humility".^[562] The nation held an official state funeral and day of mourning for Carter on January 9, 2025. All five living U.S. presidents—Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and incumbent Joe Biden—attended Carter's funeral.^[563]

Legacy

Assessments

When Carter left office in 1981, scholars and even many Democrats viewed his presidency as a failure.

University of Illinois, summarized the public consensus on Carter: "he didn't have a well-developed political philosophy and gave people a feeling he didn't quite know where he was headed."^[568]

Historians have ranked Carter's presidency as below average.^[569][570] After leaving office, he told allies he predicted history would be kinder to him than voters were in the 1980 election.^[568] In a 1982 Chicago Tribune survey, when 49 historians and scholars were asked to rank the best and worst U.S. presidents, Carter was ranked the tenth worst.^[571] In 2006, conservative British historian Andrew Roberts ranked Carter the worst U.S. president.^[572] Yet some of Carter's policy accomplishments have been more favorably received.^[573] The 2009 documentary Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace credits Carter's efforts at Camp David, which brought peace between Israel and Egypt, with bringing the only meaningful peace to the Middle East.^[574][575] Stuart E. Eizenstat, who served as Carter's chief White House domestic policy adviser, wrote, "Carter's accomplishments at home and abroad were more extensive and longer lasting than those of almost all modern presidents."^[576]

While historians generally consider Carter a below-average president, his post-presidency activities have been universally praised, including his peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts.^[569][570] The Independent wrote in 2009, "Carter is widely considered a better man than he was a president."^[577]

Public opinion

In exit polls from the 1976 presidential election, many voters still held

Ford's pardon of Nixon in 1974 against him.^[578] By comparison, Carter was viewed as a sincere, honest, and well-meaning southerner.^[577] During his presidency, polls generally showed that most Americans saw Carter as likable and "a man of high moral principles".^[579] In the 1980 election, Reagan projected an easy self-confidence, in contrast to Carter's serious and introspective temperament. Carter was portrayed as more pessimistic and indecisive than Reagan, who was known for his charm and delegation of tasks to subordinates.^[580] Reagan used the economic issues, the Iran hostage crisis, and the lack of Washington cooperation to portray Carter as a weak and ineffectual leader. Carter was the first elected incumbent president since Herbert Hoover in 1932 to lose a reelection bid.^[581]

Carter began his presidency with an

Gallup poll found that 48% of Americans thought he had been an "average" or "above average" president, 46% said he had been "below average" or "poor", and only 3% thought he had been "outstanding".^[591] His average approval rating during his entire presidency was 46%,^[592][593] and he left office as one of the most unpopular U.S. presidents in history.^[594]

In a 1990 Gallup survey, 45% of respondents said they approved of the overall job Carter did as president, leaving only Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson with lower ratings.^[595] In a 2006 poll, 61% of respondents said they approved of the job Carter did as president, his highest rating since 1979.^[596] In a 2021 survey, 27% of respondents said he had been an "outstanding" or "above average" president, 43% regarded him as "average", and only 24% said he had been "below average" or "poor".^[597]

Awards and honors

Further information: List of awards and honors received by Jimmy Carter

Carterpuri, a village in Haryana, India, was renamed in his honor after he visited in 1978.^[598][599]

Carter received the

American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award in 1984.^[147]

The

Jimmy Carter National Historic Park.^[602]

In 1991, Carter was made an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa at Kansas State University,^[603] and was elected to the American Philosophical Society.^[604] In 1998, the U.S. Navy named the third and final Seawolf-class submarine USS Jimmy Carter, honoring Carter and his service as a submarine officer.^[605]

Carter received the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights, given in honor of human rights achievements,^[606] and the Hoover Medal, recognizing engineers who have contributed to global causes.^[607] Carter's 2002 Nobel Peace Prize^[608] was partially a response to president George W. Bush's threats of war against Iraq and Carter's criticism of the Bush administration.^[609]

In 2009, the Souther Field Airport in Americus, Georgia, was renamed Jimmy Carter Regional Airport.^[610]

In November 2024, Carter received his 10th nomination for the

A Full Life: Reflections at 90 (2016), and Faith: A Journey For All (2018).^{[611][612][613][614][615][616]}

On February 21, 2024, the White House Historical Association unveiled its official 2024 White House Christmas ornament honoring Carter's naval service and efforts for peace. This was the first time a president being honored was alive at the time of the unveiling.^[617]

See also

• Electoral history of Jimmy Carter
• Jimmy Carter rabbit incident – Swamp rabbit attack on the American president
• List of centenarians (politicians and civil servants)
• List of members of the American Legion
• List of peace activists
• List of presidents of the United States
• List of presidents of the United States by previous experience
• "Mush from the Wimp" – Joke headline from The Boston Globe in a 1980 op-ed
• Political positions of Jimmy Carter

Notes

1. ^ The Naval Academy's Class of 1947 graduated in 1946 as a result of World War II.^[27]
2. ^ Carter was the only U.S. president to have lived in subsidized housing before he took office.^[52]
3. ^ Eagleton was later replaced on the ticket by Sargent Shriver.^[92]
4. ^ Curran also investigated President Jimmy Carter's family peanut business for the Justice Department in 1979, and thus became the first lawyer to examine a sitting president under oath.
5. reprieved and to work in the White House.^{[493][491][494]}

References