Beloved and devoted service man Jimmy Carter tragically passed away at the age of 100 years old. Carter was the 39th President of the United States and devoted his life to serving his country. Even after his presidency he would still spend his years volunteering and helping ones in need. Carter was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. He grew up in Georgia alongside his siblings, Billy Carter, Ruth Carter Stapleton and Gloria Carter Spann. His parents Lillian Carter and James Earl Carter Sr. raised him well and he had a good relationship with his parents. His mother was absent during his childhood because she worked very long hours to support the family. His father was pro-segregation and was resistant when Jimmy befriended the African American children on the farm. Carter was very friendly to all growing up and his love for helping people only grew as he got older.
Carter’s schooling played a huge role in his political amd humanitarian careers. He attended Georgia Southwestern State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States Naval Academy and Union College. He started his service to our country in July 1943 and graduated from the Naval Academy in June 1946 with distinction. He then served in the Navy from 1946, serving on the USS Wyoming as an ensign, served on the SSK-1 as an executive officer, then he was selected to the Navy’s nuclear power program. He earned the rank of lieutenant and was placed in the Navy Reserve from 1953 to 1961. After his time in the Navy he went back multiple times to visit and praised the positive impact the academy had on his life.
In 1961, Carter began to speak out about the integration as a member of the Baptist Church and chairman of the Sumter County school board. A year later in 1962, he announced the start of his campaign and would be running for an open Georgia State Senate seat just 15 days before the election. Carter served in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967 and later Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. He grew immensely in popularity while serving in the Senate and as Governor and then announced that he was running for President in the 1976 United States election. Carter ran against Republican Nominee Gerald Ford and his running mate Bob Dole. The election was fairly close but Carter and his running mate Walter Mondale were victorious.
Carter achieved and created many new systems and ways to help our nation. He successfully pursued the Camp David Accounts, the Panama Canal Treaties and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. He also created the Departments of Education and Energy, and appointed record numbers of women, blacks, and hispanics to government jobs. Carter earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his promotion and expansion of human rights. He was defeated by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election and was not reelected to office. This defeat was only a minor setback and Carter and his wife Rosalynn continued traveling to help human rights and Habitat for Humanity.
Jimmy Carter dedicated his life to public service and helping people at any cost. He was well respected by all and will forever be remembered as a selfless man. Carter lived a long life and passed away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100 years, in Plains, Georgia.
