Carter, Jimmy (James Earl) 1924-
39th President of the USA

Born in Plains, Georgia, he graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1946 and served in the US navy until 1953, when he took over the family peanut business and other business enterprises. As Governor of Georgia (1970-74) he expressed an enlightened policy towards the rights of blacks and women. In 1976 he won the Democratic presidential nomination over several much more prominent figures and went on to win a narrow victory over Gerald Ford for the presidency. Throughout his campaign he presented an air of informality, honesty, morality and religious fervour which appealed to an American electorate tired of the scandal and intrigue of the Nixon administration. On election, he promised to institute a populist form of government giving the people a greater say in the administration. He also promised to set up effective energy and health programmes, to concern himself with civil and human rights issues and to try to restrict the making of nuclear weapons. His presidency (1977-81) was notable for the Panama Canal Treaty, which provided for the eventual transfer of the canal to Panamanian control, and the Camp David Accords (1978), which he brokered between Israel and Egypt against considerable odds. As an outsider in Washington he had little success in dealing with Congress, which refused to ratify his arms limitation treaty with the Soviet Union. High inflation, recession and the energy crisis irritated the US public and eroded Carter's popularity, which plummeted in 1979-80 as a result of the seizure of US embassy hostages by Islamic fundamentalists in Iran. He was defeated by the Republican Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election. A prolific human rights campaigner, he has worked as a leader of international observer teams (1989-90), hosted peace negotiations (Ethiopia, 1989) and has been highly active in his role as UN ambassador, taking part in talks with Rwanda in 1996. He has received several awards including the 1993 Matsunaga Medal of Peace. He is the author of several books including The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East (1985) and he published his memoirs, Keeping Faith, in 1982.

Bibliography: Peter Meyer, James Earl Carter (1978)