Jimmy Carter
president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 (1924–2024)
Jimmy Carter: from Georgia politics to global mediation
Navy service and a political start
Carter graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and served in the submarine program before returning to Georgia in 1953 to run his family’s farm business. He entered elected office in the Georgia Senate in 1962 and became the state’s governor in 1971. That state-level experience preceded his successful presidential campaign in 1976.
The presidency and its pressures
As the 39th U.S. president from 1977 to 1981, Carter helped bring Egypt and Israel to the Camp David Accords and pursued diplomatic relations with China. His administration also created federal energy and education departments. The Iran hostage crisis and other foreign-policy setbacks overshadowed the end of his term; he lost the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan.
A second career after office
In 1982 Carter and Rosalynn Carter founded the Carter Center to work on conflict resolution, election observation, human rights and disease prevention. His post-presidential efforts included mediation and the campaign against Guinea worm disease. The Nobel Committee awarded him the 2002 Peace Prize for decades of work toward peaceful solutions and democracy.