Jimmy Carter
Birth Date: 10/1/1924
Birth Place: Plains, Ga
BIOGRAPHY:
*He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his years of humanitarian work.
*Carter's best-known achievement as president was the peace treaty he negotiated between Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Premier Menachem Begin
*Mr. Carter is the author of twenty-three books, many of which are now in revised editions
*The last fourteen months of his term were dominated by an ongoing hostage situation at the U.S. Embassy in Iran
39th President
Term-Jan 20, 1977-Jan.20,1981
His birth name is James Earl Carter, Jr.Jimmy Carter defeated incumbent Gerald Ford in 1976 to become president of the United States. Carter grew up on a farm in Georgia and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946. After working with the nuclear submarine program, he resigned his commission after his father's death in 1953 and returned to the family farm. He entered local politics in 1962 and by 1971 was elected Governor of Georgia. In the presidential election of 1976 Carter, a dark horse candidate of the Democratic party, won the nomination and then defeated the Republican Gerald Ford, who had replaced Richard M. Nixon after Nixon's resignation. Carter championed human rights and responsible government, but his term was dogged by high inflation, high unemployment and an energy crisis. The last fourteen months of his term were dominated by an ongoing hostage situation at the U.S. Embassy in Iran. Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale ran for a second term in 1980, but they were defeated by Republicans Ronald Reagan and George Bush. Since leaving office, Carter has worked internationally for the disenfranchised, fighting hunger and poverty through a variety of non-profit organizations. Mr. Carter is the author of twenty-three books, many of which are now in revised editions. His many books include Negotiation: The Alternative to Hostility (1984), the Middle East study Blood of Abraham (1985), Living Faith (1996), the controversial Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (2006), and the memoirs Keeping Faith (1983) and Hours Before Daylight (2001). He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his years of humanitarian work.
Extra: The peace treaty he negotiated between Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Premier Menachem Begin was known as the Camp David Accords. It was at the presidential retreat where the trio negotiated for 13 days before reaching the agreement. Sadat and Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize. For many years Carter taught Sunday school at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. Carter pardoned draft resisters of the Vietnam War. He studied nuclear physics at Union College and contributed to the developement of the nuclear submarine. His Administration was plagued with the Iran hostage crisis in which 66 Americans were held captive. Carter worked hard with negotiations for over a year to get them released. Ironically, after all the effort, they were released from Iranian soil just minutes after the new President, Ronald Regan was sworn in. He was behind "Habitat for Humanity", an organization that got volunteers to build houses for the needy. He rolled up his sleeves and worked alongside others, showing what a regular unassuming man he is.