Jimmy Carter (U.S. president)
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr. (b. on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia) was the 39th president of the United States. He served from 1977 to 1981.[1] Carter died on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100.[2]
Prior to serving as president, Carter served as the governor of Georgia and represented the 14th District in the Georgia State Senate. Before becoming a politician, he served in the United States Navy.[3]
Biography
Carter was born in Plains, Georgia, and was the first of his father's side of the family to graduate from high school. He attended the Georgia Southwestern Junior College, where he enrolled in the Naval ROTC program. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology for one year before enrolling in the U.S. Naval Academy. Carter graduated from the Naval Academy in the top ten percent of his class before serving in Norfolk, Virginia, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Schenectady, New York, in the Navy. He married Rosalynn Smith early in his naval career.[3]
In 1953, following the death of his father, Carter moved his family back to rural Georgia to tend to the family farm and care for his mother. He engaged in local politics, serving as the chairman of the Sumter County Board of Education before running for a seat in the Georgia State Senate in 1962. After losing the election, he appealed the results and won the seat when a judge threw out fraudulent votes for his opponent. He lost election to become governor of Georgia in 1966 but won when he ran again in 1970. Limited to one term under Georgia law, he began campaigning for the U.S. presidency in 1974. He won the Democratic nomination in 1976 and defeated incumbent Gerald Ford (R) in the general election.[3][4]
In 1978, Carter played a role in negotiating the Camp David Peace Accords between Egypt and Israel. The 1979 oil crisis and the Iran hostage crisis also occurred during Carter's presidency. He lost re-election in 1980 to Ronald Reagan (R).[3]
After his presidency, Carter worked with Habitat for Humanity. He earned a Nobel Peace Prize as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[3]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Carter's academic, professional, and political career:[3][1]
- 1941-1942: Attended Georgia Southwestern Junior College
- 1942-1943: Attended Georgia Institute of Technology
- 1943-1946: Graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy
- 1946-1953: Served in the United States Navy
- 1953-1962: Worked on his farm and owned Carter's Warehouse
- 1963-1967: Georgia State Senator representing the 14th District
- 1966: Lost election for Governor of Georgia
- 1971-1975: Governor of Georgia
- 1977-1981: President of the United States of America
- 1982: Professor at Emory University
- 1982: Carter Center opened in Atlanta, Georgia
- 1980: Lost re-election for U.S. presidency
- 1999: Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- 2002: Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
State of the Union addresses
Every year in office, the president of the United States addresses Congress on the present state of affairs as well as the administration's goals for the coming year.[5][6]Following are pages with information on Carter's State of the Union addresses.
Elections
1980 presidential election
In 1980, Carter was defeated by Ronald Reagan (R) in the general election for the United States presidency.
| U.S. presidential election, 1980 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Republican |  Ronald Reagan/George H.W. Bush |
50.9% | 43,903,230 | 489 | |
| Democratic | Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale | 41.1% | 35,480,115 | 49 | |
| Independent | John Anderson/Patrick Lucey | 6.6% | 5,719,850 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Edward Clark/David Koch | 1.1% | 921,128 | 0 | |
| Citizens | Barry Commoner/LaDonna Harris | 0.3% | 233,052 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 86,257,375 | 538 | |||
| Election results via: 1980 official election results | |||||
Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Gus Hall, John Rarick, Clifton DeBerry, Ellen McCormack, Maureen Smith, Deirdre Griswold, Benjamin Bubar, David McReynolds, Percy Greaves Jr., Andrew Pulley, Richard Congress, Kurt Lynen, Bill Gahres, Frank Shelton, Martin Wendelken and Harley McLain.[7]
1976 presidential election
In 1976, Carter defeated incumbent Gerald Ford (R) in the general election for the United States presidency.
| U.S. presidential election, 1976 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale |
50.2% | 40,831,881 | 297 | |
| Republican | Gerald Ford/Bob Dole | 48.1% | 39,148,634 | 240 | |
| Independent | Eugene McCarthy | 0.9% | 744,763 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Roger MacBride/David Bergland | 0.2% | 172,557 | 0 | |
| American Independent | Lester Maddux/William Dyke | 0.2% | 170,373 | 0 | |
| American | Thomas Anderson/Rufus Shackelford | 0.2% | 158,724 | 0 | |
| Socialist Workers | Peter Camejo/Willie Mae Reid | 0.1% | 90,986 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 81,317,918 | 537 | |||
| Election results via: 1976 official election results | |||||
Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Gus Hall, Margaret Wright, Lyndon LaRouche, Benjamin Bubar, Julius Levin, Frank Zeidler, Ernest Miller, Frank Taylor and various write-in candidates.[8]
2016 Democratic National Convention
- Delegate to the 2016 DNC (click to expand)
- See also: Democratic National Convention, 2016
Jimmy Carter Democratic National Convention, 2016 Status: Superdelegate State: Georgia Supporting: Unknown Delegates to the DNC 2016 Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • State election law and delegates • Superdelegates by state Carter was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Georgia.[9] Carter was one of 15 superdelegates from Georgia. Superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus to support a specific presidential candidate. Ballotpedia was not able to identify whether Carter supported Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders for the 2016 Democratic nomination.[10]
What is a superdelegate?
Superdelegates in 2016 were automatic delegates to the Democratic National Convention, meaning that, unlike regular delegates, they were not elected to this position. Also unlike regular delegates, they were not required to pledge their support to any presidential candidate, and they were not bound by the results of their state's presidential primary election or caucus. In 2016, superdelegates included members of the Democratic National Committee, Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, and distinguished party leaders, including former presidents and vice presidents. All superdelegates were free to support any presidential candidate of their choosing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[11]
Georgia primary results
- See also: Presidential election in Georgia, 2016
Georgia Democratic Primary, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates Hillary Clinton
71.3% 545,674 73 Bernie Sanders 28.2% 215,797 29 Martin O'Malley 0.3% 2,129 0 Michael Steinberg 0.2% 1,766 Totals 765,366 102 Source: Georgia Secretary of State and CNN Delegate allocation
Georgia had 117 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 102 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[16][17]
Fifteen party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[16][18]
Personal
Carter was married to Rosalynn Carter, with whom he had four children. He worked with Habitat for Humanity and was involved with causes in Africa, Asia, and South America. In 1999, he won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 2002, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. He also won a Grammy award for the spoken word reading of his book Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis.[1][3]
On August 20, 2015, Carter announced he had melanoma in his brain and would receive cancer treatment at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. "I’m going to cut back fairly dramatically on my obligations. The Carter Center is well prepared to continue on without any handicap," Carter said of his philanthropic work.[19] In a statement on December 6, 2015, Carter said that a recent brain scan showed he was cancer-free.[20]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Jimmy + Carter.
See also
External links
- Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum website
- The Carter Center website
- Official White House biography
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 CNN, "Jimmy Carter Fast Facts," August 23, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Jimmy Carter, 39th president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, dies at 100, his son says," December 29, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Biography.com, "Jimmy Carter Biography," archived October 2, 2015
- ↑ The White House, "James Carter," archived October 17, 2015
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The President’s State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications," January 24, 2014
- ↑ The American Presidency Project, "State of the Union Addresses and Messages," accessed October 14, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "1980 Presidential Election Results," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "1976 Presidential Election Results," accessed July 22, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia's list of superdelegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention is based on our own research and lists provided by the Democratic National Committee to Vox.com in February 2016 and May 2016. If you think we made an error in identifying superdelegates, please send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ To find out which candidate a superdelegate supported, Ballotpedia sought out public statements from the superdelegate in other media outlets and on social media. If we were unable to find a public statement that clearly articulated which candidate the superdelegate supported at the national convention, we listed that superdelegate as "unknown." If you believe we made an error in identifying which candidate a superdelegate supported, please email us at Federal@ballotpedia.org.
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Presidential Nominating Process and the National Party Conventions, 2016: Frequently Asked Questions," December 30, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Super Tuesday: Live updates," March 1, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Georgia Primary Results, 2008," accessed March 2, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Georgia Primary Results, 2016," accessed March 2, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Georgia Exit Polls (Democratic)," March 1, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
- ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
- ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
- ↑ Bloomberg, "Jimmy Carter Says He Will Undergo Treatment for Cancer in Brain," August 20, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Jimmy Carter announces he is cancer-free," December 6, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gerald Ford |
President of the United States 1977-1981 |
Succeeded by Ronald Reagan |
