• Faith: Christian
• Career: Politician
• Birthday:  October 01, 1924
• Date of Death:  December 29, 2024

Jimmy Carter was a humanitarian and politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter was the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967. Carter was the longest-lived president in U.S. history and the first to live to 100 years of age.

Carter was born and raised in Plains, Georgia. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and joined the U.S. Navy’s submarine service. Carter returned home afterward and revived his family’s peanut-growing business. He then manifested his opposition to racial segregation, supported the growing civil rights movement, and became an activist with the Democratic Party. He was in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967 and then as governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. As a dark-horse candidate not well known outside of Georgia, Carter won the Democratic nomination and narrowly defeated incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford in the 1976 U.S. presidential election.

He pardoned all Vietnam War draft evaders on his second day in office and created a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. Carter successfully pursued the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and confronted stagflation. Carter’s administration established the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Education. The end of his presidency was marked by the 1979-1981 Iran hostage crisis, the 1979 energy crisis, the Three Mile Island accident, the Nicaraguan Revolution, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

In response to the invasion, Carter escalated the Cold War by ending détente, imposing a grain embargo against the Soviets, enunciating the Carter Doctrine, and leading the multinational boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. He lost the 1980 presidential election in a landslide to Republican nominee Ronald Reagan. After leaving the presidency, Carter established the Carter Center to promote and expand human rights, earning him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, monitor elections, and further the eradication of infectious diseases. Carter was also an essential figure in the nonprofit housing organization Habitat for Humanity and has written numerous books, ranging from poetry to political memoirs while continuing to comment on global affairs.

Polls of historians and political scientists generally rank Carter as a below-average president, although his post-presidential activities are viewed in an exceptionally favorable light.

In early 2023, Jimmy Carter entered hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia. This decision came after a series of health issues, including a diagnosis of terminal cancer. Despite his declining health, Carter remained active in his advocacy work, expressing gratitude for the support he received and the life he had led. His time in hospice was characterized by family visits and moments of reflection on his life and legacy. He was often described as accepting his fate with grace and peace.

Rosalynn Carter, who was married to Jimmy Carter for over 77 years, passed away on October 19, 2023, at the age of 96. Her death marked a significant emotional milestone for Jimmy Carter, as they had been inseparable partners in both their personal lives and public service. The couple often spoke about the deep bond they shared, and Rosalynn's passing left a profound impact on him.

On December 29, 2024, Carter's son, James E. Carter III, announced his death. This followed his decision in February of 2023 to enter hospice care after being diagnosed with melanoma that metastasized to his brain and liver.

What religion was Jimmy Carter?

From a young age, Carter showed a deep commitment to evangelical Christianity. In 1942, he became a deacon and taught Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. At a private inauguration worship service, the preacher was Nelson Price, the pastor of Roswell Street Baptist Church of Marietta, Georgia. As an evangelical Christian, Carter appealed to voters after the scandals of the Nixon administration and is credited with popularizing the term “born-again” into the American lexicon during the 1976 American presidential campaign.