Former President Jimmy Carter passed away on Sunday, December 29 at the age of 100. He was the longest-living president. He served as the 39th president of the US serving from 1976 – 1980. His single term was not without controversy, but this is neither the time nor the place to critique and criticize his tenure. Rather, it is a time to evaluate his life and accomplishments positively and respectfully.
James Earl Carter was born in Plains, GA on October 1, 1924. His father owned a grocery store, and his mother was a registered nurse. As a child, he was ambitious. He began working in the store at the age of ten. His favorite childhood pursuits were following the Atlanta Braves baseball team and listening to political radio programs. In addition, he became deeply religious. As an adult he became a born-again Christian.
Upon his graduation from high school Carter entered the US Naval Academy in 1943. He graduated in 1946 and commenced a career in the Navy. Also in 1946 he married Rosalynn Smith. The marriage endured for 77 years until Rosalynn’s death in 2023 and produced four children.
Carter may have made a career in the Navy were it not for his father’s untimely death in 1953. As a result, he resigned his commission and returned to Plains where he proceeded to manage the family’s peanut farm and care for his mother who was ill.
In 1962 Carter entered politics by running for the US Senate. At the time Georgia was a strongly conservative state with powerful and well-entrenched segregationist and racial influences. Nevertheless, despite his relatively liberal views and policies he won the election. In 1966 he ran for governor, but he was defeated by Lester Maddox, an avowed segregationist and overt racist. Maddox’s views, though abhorrent in today’s world, were in tune with those of many white Georgians at the time.
GA governors were only allowed to serve one term, so in 1970 Carter was able to run again. This time he moderated some of his liberal views, and he won. As governor Carter established himself as a “centrist reformer.” After completing his one term he set his sights on the presidency.
Although he was a Washington outsider and began his campaign with little or no name recognition, he won the 1976 Democrat nomination and faced President Gerald Ford in the election. Although Ford was the incumbent he had not been elected. He had been the VP when President Nixon was forced to resign due to the Watergate Scandal. (A bit of trivia: Ford is the only person to have served as both President and VP without having been elected to either office.) Ford had some baggage mainly as a result of his controversial pardon of the disgraced Nixon. This was deeply unpopular with much of the electorate, but in retrospect it was probably the right decision as it enabled the country to move on.
The country was ready for a change, and Carter appeared to be the right candidate at the right time. At first, he had a sizable lead over Ford, but it steadily narrowed as Election Day approached. In fact, in the final days before the election, several polls showed that Ford had tied Carter, and one Gallop poll found that he was slightly ahead.
Most analysts conceded that Carter was going to win the popular vote, but the outcome of the electoral vote was uncertain. Ultimately, Carter won, receiving 297 electoral votes and 50.1% of the popular vote. Carter’s victory was partly attributed to his overwhelming support among black voters.
Carter was inaugurated as the 39th president of the US on January 20, 1977. His presidency was characterized by controversy. He was an outsider who resisted conforming to DC’s ways of operating. For instance, he avoided phone calls from members of Congress and, at times, verbally insulted them. Moreover, he was often unwilling to return political favors. Predictably, this resulted in a rift between the White House and Congress and hampered the former’s ability to succeed in getting desired legislation passed.
Furthermore, some of his policies and actions were unpopular and unsuccessful. For example, one of his first acts was to issue an executive order declaring unconditional amnesty for Vietnam War draft evaders. This was to fulfil a campaign promise, but it was very controversial. In addition, during his tenure the country suffered through an economic malaise characterized by persistently high inflation, an average unemployment rate of 6.6% according to the BLS, double-digit interest rates, and an energy crisis instigated by a consortium of oil producers called OPEC. These conditions resulted in a steep and seemingly never-ending recession, which the Carter Administration appeared to be unable to resolve.
Then, the final straw occurred on November 4, 1979, when a group of Iranian students, called the Muslim Students Followers of the Imam’s Line seized control of the US embassy in Tehran. Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for the next 444 days. Carter was unable to resolve this matter either. Diplomacy failed. Finally, on April 24, 1980 Carter authorized a rescue mission to try to free the hostages. The mission failed, leaving eight American servicemen dead and two aircraft destroyed. This entire incident made Carter appear weak and ineffectual. The hostages remained in captivity until Ronald Reagan took office on January 20, 1981.
On the positive side, Carter succeeded in calming various conflicts around the world. For example, he negotiated the SALT II nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia and returned the Panama Canal to Panama. His most significant accomplishment, however, was negotiating the landmark Camp David Accords with Israel’s Prime Minister Menachim Begin and Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat. This resulted in Egypt formally recognizing Israel, and the creation of an elected government in the West Bank and Gaza and served to reduce tensions in the ME.
In 1980 he ran for a second term. He had to rebuff a serious primary challenge from Senator Ted Kennedy. Although he was re-nominated, the support of the liberal wing of the Party in the election was tepid at best. He was soundly defeated in the election by the charismatic Ronald Reagan. Reagan’s historic campaign slogan “are you better off today than you were four years ago” strongly resonated with the voters. Carter suffered a humiliating defeat carrying only six states plus DC. He was the first elected incumbent president to lose a reelection bid since Herbert Hoover lost to FDR in 1932.
Historians have ranked Carter’s presidency as below average, although generally he was viewed as “sincere, honest and well-meaning and “a man of high moral principles.”
On the other hand, Carter’s post-presidency was considerably more successful primarily due to his diplomacy skills. He proved to be a very successful mediator and became a strong advocate for human rights. Various presidents appointed him as a special envoy to mediate disputes regarding (1) Egypt, Israel and the PLO, (2) Northern Ireland and England, (3) North Korea, (4) Taiwan, (5) Venezuela, (6) and (7) whites and blacks in South Africa, among others.
Carter was the recipient of many awards including, among many others, the American Academy of Achievement‘s Golden Plate Award, an honorary membership of Phi Beta Kappa, the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights, given in honor of human rights achievements, the Hoover Medal, recognizing engineers who have contributed to global causes, three Grammy Awards (10 nominations) for the Best Spoken Word, and most of all the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his “decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”
In 1982 he founded the Carter Center, a non-profit organization whose goals were to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering. One of its accomplishments, working in conjunction with WHO was to eradicate Guinea worm disease. Perhaps, he is best known for the Habitat for Humanity program, which was committed to providing housing for the disadvantaged and the Carter Presidential Center, which promoted human rights, which he conceived and developed.
Carter had a variety of hobbies and interests including fly fishing woodworking, cycling, tennis, painting and skiing. Additionally, he and Rosalynn were close personal friends of Elvis.
The Carters, who were already the longest-wed presidential couple, celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary on July 7, 2023. In a 2019 interview with People he said that he never expected to live as long as he had and that the best explanation for his longevity was a good marriage.
In recent years Carter’s health began to deteriorate. He was suffering from a variety of ailments. He entered hospice care six months before celebrating his 99th birthday at his home. Rosalynn joined him a few days before her passing.
As I said, Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100. Following his passing tributes and messages of condolence poured in from all corners, including from all four living former presidents. President Biden characterized him as “an extraordinary leader.” Former President Bill Clinton noted he was “guided by his faith and praised him for “working tirelessly for a better world.” Barack Obama denoted that [Carter] taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and peace.” George W. Bush praised him as a “man of deeply held convictions… loyal to his family, his community, and his country.”
The Biden administration has announced plans to hold an official state funeral and a day of mourning for him on January 9, 2025. Rest in peace President Carter.
We Built It Blog by Larry Jacob 