About Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, and grew up on his family's farm in nearby Archery, in a home without electricity for much of his childhood. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and that July married Rosalynn Smith, also from Plains. He served in the Navy's submarine force and was selected for Hyman Rickover's nuclear submarine program, until his father's death in 1953 brought him home to run the family peanut business.
He won a seat in the Georgia State Senate in 1962 and became Governor of Georgia in 1971. In 1976 he was elected the 39th President of the United States. In September 1978 he brought Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin to Camp David for thirteen days of talks that produced the Camp David Accords, and the peace treaty between the two countries followed in 1979. After one term, he and Rosalynn went home to Plains.
What came next is how many people remember him. In 1982 the Carters founded the Carter Center, which monitored elections around the world and led the global campaign against Guinea worm disease, from an estimated 3.5 million cases a year in 1986 to a handful. Beginning in 1984 they spent a week most years building homes with Habitat for Humanity. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, and for decades taught Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains. Rosalynn died in November 2023, after 77 years of marriage. He died at home in Plains on December 29, 2024, at 100, the longest-lived president in American history.
A Life in Time
- 1924: Born October 1 in Plains, Georgia
- 1946: Graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy; marries Rosalynn Smith on July 7
- 1952: Selected for Hyman Rickover's nuclear submarine program
- 1953: After his father's death, leaves the Navy and returns to Plains to run the family peanut business
- 1962: Elected to the Georgia State Senate
- 1971: Inaugurated as Governor of Georgia
- 1977: Inaugurated January 20 as the 39th President of the United States
- 1978: Hosts Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin at Camp David; the Camp David Accords are signed September 17
- 1981: Leaves the White House and returns to Plains
- 1982: Founds the Carter Center with Rosalynn Carter
- 1984: Leads a Habitat for Humanity build in New York City — the first of what became the annual Carter Work Project
- 1986: The Carter Center takes on Guinea worm disease, then an estimated 3.5 million cases a year
- 2002: Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
- 2023: Rosalynn Carter dies on November 19, after 77 years of marriage
- 2024: Turns 100 on October 1, the first former president to reach that age
- Dec 29, 2024: Dies at home in Plains, at 100
Connected lives
- Plains, GA · Hometown · born, lived and died there
- Paul Newman · UN disarmament delegation
- Habitat for Humanity · Volunteer builder from 1984
- The Carter Center · Founded with Rosalynn · 1982
- Michael Jackson · Atlanta child immunization drive
- Rosalynn Carter · Wife · 77 years
- Dolly Parton · White House country luncheon
- U.S. Naval Academy · Graduated 1946
- Jesse Jackson · 1988 convention speech
- Ted Turner · Fishing companion · Fellow Georgian