Carter, James E. (1924–)

WHEN JIMMY CARTER was elected the 39th president in 1976, his Democratic victory over incumbent Gerald Ford seemed to symbolize the end of a political episode dominated by Republicans and tainted by the Watergate scandal. But Carter's one-term administration, regarded by some scholars as a considerable failure, became just an interruption in an extended period of conservative rule. Nevertheless, his post-presidency commitment to international peace and human rights recast his legacy as a well-respected humanitarian and diplomat across the globe.

Born on October 1, 1924, in the small community of Plains, Georgia, Carter was the eldest son of Lillian Gordy and James Earl Carter, a Georgia landowner and businessman. Carter was exposed to politics early in his life: his father had served on the school board (and would later be elected to the state legislature). Although his family had considerable prominence in the Plains community, like many rural families during the Great Depression, the Carters were not wealthy. However, the family held an abundance of land, enough to build a business based on the crops of cotton and especially peanuts. Growing up on his family's Southern farm, Carter lived in a society dominated by racial segregation. Yet, both his mother's liberal influence and his religious convictions tempered his views on race.

A motivated and successful student, Carter attended Plains High School and in 1941 enrolled in Georgia Southwestern College. After one year, he transferred to the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta before being admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Graduating from Annapolis in 1946, Carter was assigned to a postwar naval position and went on to serve a seven-year term of service with the navy.

Carter's academic career and rise in the naval ranks nurtured his sense of ambition, which put him somewhat in conflict with his parents, particularly his father, who lived out his life in Plains working within the family peanut business. When the elder Carter fell ill and died in 1953, his son reevaluated his choices and decided to return to Plains and rebuild the family's peanut business. Like his father, Carter became active in community affairs. A devout Baptist whose faith was an important component of both his private and public persona, Carter served as deacon to the local church. He also worked at the library, on the hospital authority, and on behalf of an unsuccessful referendum to consolidate the county schools. By 1960, Carter was one of Plains’ most well respected residents and leaders. Given his drive and commitment to civic duty, it was not long before friends encouraged him to consider a run for political office.

Jimmy Carter's leftist human rights aspirations were in stark contrast with the realities of the Cold War.

In 1962, Carter was elected to the Georgia Senate. Though he lost his first gubernatorial campaign in 1966, he won the next election and became the governor of Georgia on January 12, 1971. Carter was one of a new group of Southern governors identified by their moderate racial views and reform initiatives. Upon taking office, he promised to lead Georgia into an era of racial equality and economic and social justice. He made good on his word by taking measures to increase the number of African American state employees during his tenure. And foreshadowing some of his presidential [Page 63]activities, Carter also worked for greater environmental and consumer protection and for tax, welfare, and judicial reform, as well as an increase in services for the mentally ill.

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