Jimmy Carter was born in Georgia in 1924 in a small rural community. He was brought up in the Great Depression and joined the US navy. In 1953 after his father died he took control of the family business and proved a successful manager. He entered politics at a local state level, helping to reduce Georgia’s traditions of racial segregation. Nevertheless when Jimmy Carter ran for the president in 1976 he was a big outsider to Washington, having only served as governor of Georgia. This meant he was distrusted by some Democrats, especially from the north. 

Nevertheless he defeated the Republican candidate G. Ford in 1976 to become President of the US. As President Carter made efforts to promote human rights both at home and abroad and also creating a new education department. On an international level he also made attempts to promote arms reductions treaty’s such as SALT II. 

However he was president during a difficult time. Having to deal with energy crisis, the war in Afghanistan and the hostage crisis. As a consequence he lost the 1980 election to R.Reagan. Since leaving the White House Jimmy Carter has maintained a high profile, often acting as a negotiator in difficult situations. He was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 2002.

By: Richard

Excerpts from Nobel Prize acceptance speech

Jimmy Carter at Amazon.com

Biography of Jimmy Carter at Georgia people 

Carter Centre The Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. Founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, the Atlanta-based Center has helped to improve the quality of life for people in more than 65 countries.

Jimmy Carter Library

Jimmy Carter at BBC