182 Facts About Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter then manifested his opposition to racial segregation, supported the growing civil rights movement, and became an activist within the Democratic Party.

Jimmy Carter served in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967 and was elected governor of Georgia in 1970.

Jimmy Carter created a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology.

Jimmy Carter successfully pursued the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.

Jimmy Carter's administration established the US Department of Energy and the Department of Education.

Jimmy Carter lost the 1980 presidential election in a landslide to Republican nominee Ronald Reagan.

Jimmy Carter traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, monitor elections and further the eradication of infectious diseases.

Jimmy Carter is both the longest-lived president and the one with the longest post-presidency.

Jimmy Carter is the third-oldest living person to have served as a nation's leader.

Jimmy Carter thus became the first American president born in a hospital.

Jimmy Carter was the eldest son of Bessie Lillian Gordy and James Earl Carter Sr.

Jimmy Carter is a descendant of English immigrant Thomas Jimmy Carter, who settled in the Colony of Virginia in 1635.

Jimmy Carter's father was a successful local businessman, who ran a general store and was an investor in farmland.

Jimmy Carter's mother was often absent during his childhood, working long hours.

Jimmy Carter was an enterprising teenager who was given his own acre of Earl's farmland, where he grew, packaged, and sold peanuts.

Jimmy Carter rented out a section of tenant housing that he had purchased.

Jimmy Carter attended Plains High School from 1937 to 1941, graduating from the eleventh grade, since the school did not have a twelfth grade.

Jimmy Carter himself was a diligent student with a fondness for reading.

Jimmy Carter's truancy was mentioned in a local newspaper, although it is not clear he would have otherwise been valedictorian.

Jimmy Carter had long dreamed of attending the United States Naval Academy.

Jimmy Carter was a good student but was seen as reserved and quiet, in contrast to the academy's culture of aggressive hazing of freshmen.

Jimmy Carter was a sprint football player for the Navy Midshipmen.

Jimmy Carter graduated 60th out of 821 midshipmen in the class of 1947 with a Bachelor of Science degree and was commissioned as an ensign.

Jimmy Carter was promoted to lieutenant junior grade in 1949, and his service aboard Pomfret included a simulated war patrol to the western Pacific and Chinese coast from January to March of that year.

Rickover had high standards and demands for his men and machines, and Jimmy Carter later said that, next to his parents, Rickover had the greatest influence on his life.

Jimmy Carter was sent to the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington, DC for three-month temporary duty, while Rosalynn moved with their children to Schenectady, New York.

Jimmy Carter was ordered to Chalk River to lead a US maintenance crew that joined other American and Canadian service personnel to assist in the shutdown of the reactor.

When Jimmy Carter was lowered in, his job was simply to turn a single screw.

In March 1953, Jimmy Carter began nuclear power school, a six-month non-credit course covering nuclear power plant operation at the Union College in Schenectady.

Jimmy Carter served in the inactive Navy Reserve until 1961, and left the service with the rank of lieutenant.

Jimmy Carter's awards include the American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, China Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.

Jimmy Carter was knowledgeable in scientific and technological subjects, and he set out to expand the family's peanut-growing business.

In 1962, Jimmy Carter announced his campaign for an open Georgia State Senate seat fifteen days before the election.

Early counting of the ballots showed Jimmy Carter trailing his opponent Homer Moore, but this was the result of fraudulent voting orchestrated by Joe Hurst, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Quitman County.

Jimmy Carter challenged the election result, which was confirmed fraudulent in an investigation.

Jimmy Carter remained relatively quiet on the issue at first, even as it polarized much of the county, to avoid alienating his segregationist colleagues.

Jimmy Carter did speak up on a few divisive issues, giving speeches against literacy tests and against an amendment to the Georgia Constitution which, he felt, implied a compulsion to practice religion.

Jimmy Carter entered the state Democratic Executive Committee two years into office, where he helped rewrite the state party's rules.

Jimmy Carter 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.

When Bo Callaway was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1964, Jimmy Carter immediately began planning to challenge him.

Jimmy Carter himself was re-elected to a second two-year term in the state Senate, where he chaired its Education Committee and sat on the Appropriations Committee toward the end of the term.

Jimmy Carter contributed to a bill expanding statewide education funding and getting Georgia Southwestern State University a four-year program.

Jimmy Carter returned to his agriculture business, carefully planning his next campaign.

Jimmy Carter ran a more modern campaign, employing printed graphics and statistical analysis.

Jimmy Carter accused Sanders of corruption, but when pressed by the media, could not come up with evidence.

Jimmy Carter won the runoff election with 60 percent of the vote, and went on to easily win the general election against Republican nominee Hal Suit.

Once he was elected, Jimmy Carter changed his tone, and began to speak against Georgia's racist politics.

Jimmy Carter was sworn in as the 76th governor of Georgia on January 12,1971.

Jimmy Carter was reluctant to engage with his fellow politicians, making him unpopular with the legislature.

Jimmy Carter expanded the governor's authority by introducing a reorganization plan submitted in January 1972.

Jimmy Carter ultimately merged about 300 state agencies into 22, although it is disputed that there were any overall cost savings from doing so.

On March 1,1972, Jimmy Carter stated a possible usage of a special session of the general assembly could take place if Justice Department opted to turn down any reapportionment plans by either the House or Senate.

Jimmy Carter pushed several reforms through the legislature, providing equal state aid to schools in the wealthy and poor areas of Georgia, setting up community centers for mentally disabled children, and increasing educational programs for convicts.

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

Jimmy Carter favored a constitutional amendment to ban busing for the purpose of expediting integration in schools on a televised joint appearance with Florida governor Reubin Askew on January 31,1973, and co-sponsored an anti-busing resolution with Wallace at the 1971 National Governors Conference.

Ineligible to run for re-election, Jimmy Carter looked toward a potential presidential run and engaged himself in national politics.

Jimmy Carter was named to several southern planning commissions and was a delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention, where liberal United States senator George McGovern was the likely presidential nominee.

Jimmy Carter tried to ingratiate himself with the conservative and anti-McGovern voters.

Jimmy Carter was fairly obscure at the time, and his attempt at triangulation failed; the 1972 Democratic ticket was McGovern and senator Thomas Eagleton.

Jimmy Carter would meet regularly with his fledgling campaign staff, and he decided to begin putting a presidential bid for 1976 together.

Jimmy Carter tried unsuccessfully to become chairman of the National Governors Association to boost his visibility.

In May 1973, Jimmy Carter warned his party against politicizing the Watergate scandal, the occurrence of which he attributed to president Richard Nixon exercising isolation from Americans and secrecy in his decision making.

On December 12,1974, Jimmy Carter announced his presidential campaign at the National Press Club in Washington, DC His speech contained themes of domestic inequality, optimism, and change.

Jimmy Carter became the front-runner early on by winning the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.

Jimmy Carter's strategy involved reaching a region before another candidate could extend influence there, traveling over 50,000 miles, visiting 37 states, and delivering over 200 speeches before any other candidate had entered the race.

On July 15,1976, Jimmy Carter chose US senator Walter Mondale as his running mate.

Jimmy Carter began the race with a sizable lead over Ford, who narrowed the gap during the campaign, but lost to Jimmy Carter in a narrow defeat on November 2,1976.

Jimmy Carter won the popular vote by 50.1 percent to 48.0 percent for Ford, and received 297 electoral votes to Ford's 240.

Jimmy 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.

Jimmy Carter set a mold that influenced all future transitions to be larger, more methodical and more formal than they were.

On November 22,1976, Jimmy Carter conducted his first visit to Washington, DC after being elected, meeting with director of the Office of Management James Lynn and United States secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld at the Blair House, and holding an afternoon meeting with President Ford at the White House.

Relations between Ford and Jimmy Carter were relatively cold during the transition.

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

Jimmy Carter attempted to calm various conflicts around the world, most visibly in the Middle East with the signing of the Camp David Accords; giving back the Panama Canal to Panama; and signing the SALT II nuclear arms reduction treaty with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

Jimmy Carter encouraged energy conservation and installed solar water heating panels on the White House.

Jimmy Carter wore sweaters to offset turning down the heat in the White House.

On January 12,1978, during a press conference, Jimmy 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.

On March 1,1979, Jimmy Carter submitted a standby gasoline rationing plan per the request of Congress.

In 1978, Jimmy Carter declared a federal emergency in the neighborhood of Love Canal in the city of Niagara Falls, New York.

Jimmy Carter acknowledged that several more "Love Canals" existed across the country, and that discovering such hazardous dumpsites was "one of the grimmest discoveries of our modern era".

Jimmy Carter avoided phone calls from members of Congress and verbally insulted them.

Jimmy Carter developed a bitter feeling following an unsuccessful attempt at having Congress enact the scrapping of several water projects, which he had requested during his first 100 days in office and received opposition from members of his party.

Jimmy Carter, thinking he had support from 74 Congressmen, issued a "hit list" of 19 projects that he claimed were "pork barrel" spending that he claimed would result in a veto on his part if included in any legislation.

Jimmy Carter found himself at odds with Congressional Democrats once more, with speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neill finding it inappropriate for a president to pursue what had traditionally been the role of Congress.

Jimmy Carter was weakened by signing a bill that contained many of the "hit list" projects he intended to cancel.

Jimmy 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.

At the start of a news conference on July 25,1979, Jimmy Carter called on believers in the future of the US and his proposed energy program to speak with Congress as it bore the responsibility to impose his proposals.

Jimmy Carter's presidency had a troubled economic history of two roughly equal periods.

In 1977, Carter appointed Alfred E Kahn to lead the Civil Aeronautics Board.

Jimmy Carter 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, the head of the regulatory agency, Senate leadership, the Carter administration, and even some in the airline industry.

Jimmy Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act into law on October 24,1978.

In 1979, Jimmy Carter deregulated the American beer industry by making it legal to sell malt, hops, and yeast to American home brewers for the first time since the effective 1920 beginning of prohibition in the United States.

Jimmy Carter saw the June 1979 proposal as a continuation of progress in American health coverage.

Jimmy Carter later said Kennedy's disagreements thwarted his plan to provide a comprehensive American health care system.

Early into his term, Jimmy Carter collaborated with Congress to fulfill his campaign promise to create a cabinet level education department.

Jimmy Carter expanded the Head Start program with the addition of 43,000 children and families, while the percentage of nondefense dollars spent on education was doubled.

Jimmy Carter visited Nigeria from March 31 to April 3,1978, to improve relations; the first US president to do so.

Jimmy Carter reiterated interest in convening a peace conference on Rhodesia that involved all parties and said the US was moving as it could.

On May 16,1979, the Senate voted in favor of President Jimmy Carter lifting economic sanctions against Rhodesia, seen by some Rhodesians and South Africans as a potentially fatal blow to joint diplomacy efforts the United States and Britain had pursued in the region for three years and any compromise between the Salisbury leaders and guerrillas.

Jimmy Carter sought closer relations with the People's Republic of China, continuing the Nixon administration's drastic policy of rapprochement.

In 1979, Jimmy Carter extended formal diplomatic recognition to the PRC for the first time.

In January 1980, Jimmy Carter unilaterally revoked the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty with the Republic of China, which had lost control of mainland China to the PRC in 1949, but retained control the island of Taiwan.

From June 30 to July 1,1979, Jimmy Carter held meetings with president of South Korea Park Chung Hee at the Blue House for a discussion on relations between the US and Korea as well as Jimmy Carter's interest in preserving his policy of worldwide tension reduction.

On November 15,1977, Jimmy Carter pledged that his administration would continue positive relations between the US and Iran, calling its contemporary status "strong, stable and progressive".

On February 8,1977, Jimmy Carter said he had urged the Soviet Union to align with the US 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.

Jimmy Carter was determined to respond harshly to what he considered a dangerous provocation.

Jimmy Carter made twelve international trips to twenty-five countries during his presidency.

Jimmy Carter was the first president to make a state visit to Sub-Saharan Africa when he went to Nigeria in 1978.

Jimmy Carter's travel included trips to Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Jimmy Carter made several trips to the Middle East to broker peace negotiations.

Jimmy Carter's visit to Iran from December 31,1977, to January 1,1978, took place less than a year before the overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Jimmy Carter's attempt was later denied by the Federal Election Commission.

Jimmy Carter later wrote that the most intense and mounting opposition to his policies came from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, which he attributed to Ted Kennedy's ambition to replace him as president.

Kennedy, despite winning key states such as California and New York, surprised his supporters by running a weak campaign, leading to Jimmy Carter winning most of the primaries and securing renomination.

Jimmy Carter delivered a speech notable for its tribute to the late Hubert Humphrey, whom he initially called "Hubert Horatio Hornblower", and Kennedy made the "The Dream Shall Never Die" speech, in which he criticized Reagan and did not endorse Jimmy Carter.

Jimmy Carter had to run against his own "stagflation"-ridden economy, while the hostage crisis in Iran dominated the news every week.

Jimmy Carter was attacked by conservatives for failing to "prevent Soviet gains" in less-developed countries, as pro-Soviet governments had taken power in countries including Angola, Ethiopia, Nicaragua and Afghanistan.

Jimmy Carter alienated liberal college students, who were expected to be his base, by re-instating registration for the military draft.

Shortly after losing his re-election bid, Carter told the White House press corps of his intent to emulate the retirement of Harry S Truman and not use his subsequent public life to enrich himself.

Jimmy Carter went on to outline a treaty with Kim, which he announced to CNN without the consent of the Clinton administration to spur American action.

In 2006, Jimmy Carter stated his disagreements with the domestic and foreign policies of Israel while saying he was in favor of the country, extending his criticisms to Israel's policies in Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza.

In July 2007, Jimmy Carter joined Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa, to announce his participation in The Elders, a group of independent global leaders who work together on peace and human rights issues.

Jimmy Carter attempted traveling to Zimbabwe in November 2008, but was stopped by President Robert Mugabe's government.

In December 2008, Jimmy Carter met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and in a June 2012 call with Jeffery Brown, stressed Egyptian military generals could take full executive and legislative power to form a new constitution favoring themselves if their announced intentions came true.

Jimmy Carter began his first year out of office with a pledge not to critique the new Reagan administration, stating that it was "too early".

Jimmy Carter sided with Reagan on issues like building neutron arms after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, though frequently spoke out against his administration, denouncing many of its actions in the Middle East; in 1987, Carter insisted that he was incapable of preserving peace in the Middle East.

Jimmy Carter condemned the handling of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, the lack of efforts to rescue and retrieve four American businessmen from West Beirut in 1984, Reagan's support of the Strategic Defense Initiative in 1985, and his claim of an international conspiracy on terrorism.

Bush, Jimmy Carter expressed to fellow former president Ford that Reagan had experienced a media honeymoon, saying that he believed Reagan's immediate successor would be less fortunate.

Jimmy Carter had a mostly negative relationship with Bill Clinton, who snubbed him from his inauguration ceremony.

Jimmy Carter doubted the morality of the Clinton administration, particularly for the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the pardon of Marc Rich.

In May 2007, Jimmy Carter stated the Bush administration "has been the worst in history" in terms of its impact in foreign affairs, and later stated he was just comparing Bush's tenure to that of Richard Nixon.

Jimmy Carter's comments received a response from the Bush administration in the form of Tony Fratto saying Jimmy Carter was increasing his irrelevance with his commentary.

Jimmy Carter was considered a potential candidate in the 1984 presidential election, but did not run and instead endorsed Walter Mondale for the Democratic nomination.

Jimmy Carter foresaw unity at the 1988 Democratic National Convention, where he delivered an address.

Jimmy Carter spoke favorably of former Governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton, and criticized Ross Perot, a Texas billionaire who was running as an independent.

Jimmy Carter voiced concerns of another voting mishap in the state of Florida.

Amid the Democratic presidential primary in 2008, Jimmy Carter was speculated to endorse Senator Barack Obama over his main primary rival Hillary Clinton amid his speaking favorably of the candidate, as well as remarks from the Jimmy Carter family that showed their support for Obama.

Jimmy Carter warned Obama against selecting Clinton as his running mate.

Jimmy Carter endorsed Republican Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination during the primary season of the 2012 presidential election, though he clarified that his backing of Romney was due to him considering the former Massachusetts governor the candidate that could best assure a victory for President Obama.

Jimmy Carter delivered a videotape address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Jimmy Carter was critical of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shortly after the latter entered the primary, predicting that he would lose.

Jimmy Carter lost the election, and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter delivered a recorded audio message endorsing Joe Biden for the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Jimmy Carter criticized the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina, and built homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Jimmy Carter partnered with former presidents to work with One America Appeal to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in the Gulf Coast and Texas communities, in addition to writing op-eds about the goodness seen in Americans who assist each other during natural disasters.

In 1982, Jimmy Carter founded the Jimmy Carter Center, a non-governmental and non-profit organization with the purpose of advancing human rights and alleviating human suffering, including helping improve the quality of life for people in more than 80 countries.

Jimmy Carter delivered eulogies at the funerals of Coretta Scott King, Gerald Ford, and Theodore Hesburgh.

In 2007, Jimmy Carter founded the New Baptist Covenant organization for social justice.

Jimmy Carter continued to occasionally teach Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church as of 2019.

Jimmy Carter teaches at Emory University in Atlanta, and in June 2019 was awarded tenure for 37 years of service.

Jimmy Carter's hobbies include painting, fly fishing, woodworking, cycling, tennis, and skiing.

Jimmy Carter has an interest in poetry, particularly the works of Dylan Thomas.

Jimmy 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.

Jimmy Carter later recalled an abrupt phone call received in June 1977 from Presley who sought a presidential pardon from Jimmy Carter, to help George Klein's criminal case; at the time Klein had been indicted for only mail fraud, and was later found guilty of conspiracy.

The day after Presley's death, Jimmy Carter issued a statement and explained how he had "changed the face of American popular culture".

Jimmy Carter filed a report with both the International UFO Bureau and the National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena, stating that he sighted an unidentified flying object in October 1969.

From a young age, Jimmy Carter showed a deep commitment to evangelical Christianity.

In 1942, Jimmy Carter became a deacon and taught Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia.

An evangelical Christian, Jimmy Carter appealed to voters after the scandals of the Nixon Administration, and is credited with popularizing the term "born again" into American lexicon during the 1976 American presidential campaign.

Jimmy Carter had three younger siblings, all of whom died of pancreatic cancer: sisters Gloria Spann and Ruth Stapleton, and brother Billy Jimmy Carter.

Jimmy Carter was first cousin to politician Hugh Carter and a distant cousin to the Carter family of musicians.

Jimmy Carter is related to Motown founder Berry Gordy by way of their white great-grandfather James Thomas Gordy, who had a relationship with a black female slave he owned.

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

Jimmy Carter had asked to be designated as her parole officer, thus helping to enable her to work in the White House.

Jack's son Jason Jimmy Carter is a former Georgia state senator, and in 2014 was the Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia, losing to the Republican incumbent Nathan Deal.

On December 20,2015, while teaching a Sunday school class, Jimmy Carter announced that his 28-year-old grandson Jeremy Jimmy Carter had died of unspecified causes.

Jimmy Carter's healthcare was managed by Emory Healthcare of Atlanta.

Jimmy Carter has an extensive family history of cancer, including both of his parents and all three of his siblings.

Jimmy Carter broke his hip during 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.

On October 21, Jimmy Carter was admitted to the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center after sustaining a minor pelvic fracture after falling again at home for the third time in 2019.

Jimmy Carter has been the earliest-serving living former president since the death of Gerald Ford in 2006.

Jimmy Carter became the oldest president ever to attend an American presidential inauguration in 2017, at the age of 92, and the first to live to the 40th anniversary of his own inauguration.

On October 1,2019, Jimmy Carter became the first former US president to live to the age of 95.

Jimmy Carter noted how difficult it felt to reach his 90s, the former president saying in a 2019 interview with People that he never expected to live as long as he had, claiming his secret to a long life was a good marriage.

Jimmy Carter has made arrangements to be buried in front of his home at 209 Woodland Drive in Plains, Georgia.

Jimmy Carter noted in 2006 that a funeral in Washington, DC, with visitation at the Carter Center was planned as well.

Jimmy Carter was portrayed as pessimistic and indecisive in comparison to Reagan, who was known for his charm and delegation of tasks to subordinates.

Jimmy Carter was the first incumbent president since Herbert Hoover in 1932 to lose a reelection bid.

Jimmy Carter's presidency was initially viewed by some scholars as a failure.

Jimmy Carter received the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award in 1984.

In 1991, Jimmy Carter was made an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa at Kansas State University, and was elected to the American Philosophical Society.

Jimmy Carter received the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights, given in honor of human rights achievements, and the Hoover Medal, recognizing engineers who have contributed to global causes.