Former President, Georgia Governor, naval submarine officer, peanut farmer and Nobel Prize winner Jimmy Carter has died at age 100 in his home town of Plains, Georgia. He had been under hospice care since February 2023. He was the only U.S. president to reach his 100th birthday.
James Earl Carter Jr. was born and raised in Plains, Georgia, the first child of James Earl Carter Sr. and the former Bessie Lillian Gordy (known as Miss Lillian). During his teen years, Jimmy was given an acre of his father's land, on which he grew and sold peanuts. In 1941, he graduated from the 11th grade at Plains High School, which did not have a 12th grade, and then enrolled at Georgia Southwestern College. He transferred to the Georgia Institute of Technology (a.k.a. Georgia Tech) in 1942 and then to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1943. In 1946, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, married his girlfriend Rosalynn Smith, and was commissioned in the Navy as an ensign.
While in the Navy, Carter worked in the then-fledgling nuclear submarine program. He was trained at the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission and later at Union College in Schenectady, New York. He left active duty in 1953 but stayed in the inactive Navy Reserve until 1961. He returned to Plains with his wife and sons James (known as Chip), Jack and Jeff in 1953 and took over the family peanut-farming business.
Carter's political career started when he was elected to the Georgia state Senate in 1962. He served from January 1963 to January 1967. In 1966, he ran for governor in the Democratic primary, but lost to Lester Maddox. During 1967, his last child Amy was born. In 1970, Carter again ran for governor and won, defeating former Governor Carl Sanders. He served as governor from January 1971 to 1975.
In 1976, Carter ran for president with Senator Walter Mondale (D-Min) as his running mate and defeated the incumbent Gerald Ford. During his presidency, Carter granted amnesty to Vietnam War-era draft dodgers, gave the Panama Canal to Panama, signed the Salt II treaty with the Soviet Union, and signed the Camp David Accords, to establish peace between Israel and Egypt. His presidency was marred by the Iran hostage crisis and by stagflation during its last two years. He lost the 1980 election to former actor and California Governor Ronald Reagan (R).
After his presidency, Carter engaged in diplomacy, including meetings with North Korean leader Kim Il Sung and South African President Nelson Mandela. He founded the Carter Center, which has the purpose of advancing human rights. He was heavily involved with the organization Habitat for Humanity, hammering nails into wood during his 90s.
Carter was predeceased by his wife Rosalynn (1927-2023). They are survived by their four children, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
Read more at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, NBC News, CNN, WTVM and AP News. His passing is also noted by the aforementioned Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity.
No comments:
Post a Comment