Ruth Carter Stapleton ( née Carter ; August 7, 1929 – September 26, 1983) was an American Christian evangelist . She was the youngest sister of United States President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter ’s best friend.
90-424: William Alton Carter (March 29, 1937 – September 25, 1988) was an American farmer, businessman, brewer, and politician. The younger brother of U.S. President Jimmy Carter , he promoted Billy Beer and Peanut Lolita ; and he was a candidate for mayor of Plains, Georgia . William Alton "Billy" Carter was the fourth and youngest child of Lillian and James Earl Carter Sr. He attended Emory University , served in
180-572: A born again Christian, and his last child, Amy , was born during this time. In the 1970 gubernatorial election, liberal former governor Carl Sanders became Carter's main opponent in the Democratic primary. Carter ran a more modern campaign, employing printed graphics and statistical analysis. Responding to polls, he leaned more conservative than before, positioning himself as a populist and criticizing Sanders for both his wealth and perceived links to
270-553: A dark-horse candidate not well known outside Georgia, Carter won the Democratic Party’s nomination and narrowly defeated the incumbent president, Gerald Ford of the Republican Party , in the 1976 presidential election . Carter pardoned all Vietnam War draft evaders on his second day in office. He created a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. Carter successfully pursued
360-510: A general store and was an investor in farmland. Carter's father had previously served as a reserve second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps during World War I . During Carter's infancy, his family moved several times, settling on a dirt road in nearby Archery , which was almost entirely populated by impoverished African American families. His family eventually had three more children: Gloria , Ruth , and Billy . Carter got along well with his parents even though his mother
450-683: A hot rod . Carter's truancy was mentioned in a local newspaper, although it is not clear he would have otherwise been valedictorian. As an adolescent, Carter played on the Plains High School basketball team, and also joined Future Farmers of America , which helped him develop a lifelong interest in woodworking. Carter had long dreamed of attending the United States Naval Academy . In 1941, he started undergraduate coursework in engineering at Georgia Southwestern College in nearby Americus, Georgia. The next year, Carter transferred to
540-658: A July 28 news conference, assessing the first six months of his presidency, Carter spoke of his improved understanding of Congress: "I have learned to respect the Congress more in an individual basis. I've been favorably impressed at the high degree of concentrated experience and knowledge that individual members of Congress can bring on a specific subject, where they've been the chairman of a subcommittee or committee for many years and have focused their attention on this particular aspect of government life which I will never be able to do." Ruth Carter Stapleton Ruth Carter Stapleton
630-471: A contingent from Georgia. He eventually registered as a foreign agent of the Libyan government and received a $ 220,000 loan of which, The New York Times speculated, only $ 1,000 was repaid. However, Edwin P. Wilson claimed he had seen a telegram showing that Libya paid Billy Carter $ 2 million. This led to a Senate hearing on alleged influence peddling which the press named Billygate. A Senate sub-committee
720-528: A four-year college program by the state, and Carter saw Callaway—who had switched to the Republican Party —as a rival who represented aspects of politics he despised. Carter was reelected to a second two-year term in the state Senate, where he chaired its Education Committee and sat on the Appropriations Committee toward the end of the term. He contributed to a bill expanding statewide education funding and getting Georgia Southwestern State University
810-544: A four-year program. He leveraged his regional planning work, giving speeches around the district to make himself more visible to potential voters. On the last day of the term, Carter announced his candidacy for the House of Representatives. Callaway decided to run for governor instead; Carter changed his mind, deciding to run for governor too. In the 1966 gubernatorial election, Carter ran against liberal former governor Ellis Arnall and conservative segregationist Lester Maddox in
900-624: A gallon of vodka and whiskey a day. In February 1979, Carter was admitted to seven weeks of rehabilitation at the Long Beach, California Navy Hospital alcohol treatment facility. He later became sober and reportedly extended support to other addicts in their own recovery. In 1981, he was forced to sell his Plains properties to pay taxes and debts and moved to Haleyville, Alabama where he worked in sales for Tidwell Industries. In 1985, he became Vice President of Scott Housing Systems. In late 1978 and early 1979, Billy Carter visited Libya three times with
990-452: A lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times." This response and his admission in another interview that he did not mind if people uttered the word "fuck" led to a media feeding frenzy and critics lamenting the erosion of boundary between politicians and their private intimate lives. Carter once had a sizable lead over Ford in national polling, but by late September his lead had narrowed to only several points. In
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#17328758334491080-552: A member of the Baptist Church and chairman of the Sumter County school board. In 1962, he announced his campaign for an open Georgia State Senate seat 15 days before the election. Rosalynn, who had an instinct for politics and organization, was instrumental to his campaign. While early counting of the ballots showed Carter trailing his opponent, Homer Moore, this was later proven to be the result of fraudulent voting. The fraud
1170-462: A moderate when it became clear Wallace could not win the region. In the North, Carter appealed largely to conservative Christian and rural voters. While he did not achieve a majority in most Northern states, he won several by building the largest singular support base. Although Carter was initially dismissed as a regional candidate, he would clinch the Democratic nomination. In 1980, Lawrence Shoup noted that
1260-597: A month and more than 40,000 gallons of gas. In 2009, the station became the Billy Carter Service Station Museum , via the University of Georgia . Carter ran for mayor of Plains in 1976 but lost the election, 97 to 71 votes, to A.L. Blanton, an Albany airport air traffic controller. In the 1970s, Billy Carter was the official spokesperson for Peanut Lolita liqueur. In 1977, although a Pabst Blue Ribbon drinker, he endorsed Billy Beer , introduced by
1350-402: A news conference on July 13, 1971, Carter announced that he had ordered department heads to reduce spending to prevent a $ 57-million deficit by the end of the 1972 fiscal year, specifying that each state department would be affected and estimating that 5 percent over government revenue would be lost if state departments continued to fully use allocated funds. On January 13, 1972, he requested that
1440-521: A plurality of the vote but less than a majority, allowing the Democratic-majority Georgia House of Representatives to elect Maddox as governor. This resulted in a victorious Maddox, whose victory—due to his segregationist stance—was seen as the worst outcome for the indebted Carter. Carter returned to his agriculture business, carefully planning his next campaign. This period was a spiritual turning point for Carter; he declared himself
1530-577: A president to pursue what had traditionally been the role of Congress. Carter was also weakened by signing a bill that contained many of the "hit list" projects he had intended to veto. In an address to a fundraising dinner for the Democratic National Committee on June 23, 1977, Carter said, "I think it's good to point out tonight, too, that we have evolved a good working relationship with the Congress. For eight years we had government by partisanship. Now we have government by partnership." At
1620-681: A presidential bid for 1976 together. He tried unsuccessfully to become chairman of the National Governors Association to boost his visibility. On David Rockefeller 's endorsement, he was named to the Trilateral Commission in April 1973. The next year, he was named chairman of both the Democratic National Committee 's congressional and gubernatorial campaigns. In May 1973, Carter warned his party against politicizing
1710-517: A press conference on February 23, 1977, Carter stated that it was "inevitable" that he would come into conflict with Congress and added that he had found "a growing sense of cooperation" with Congress and met in the past with congressional members of both parties. Carter developed a bitter feeling following an unsuccessful attempt at having Congress enact the scrapping of several water projects, which he had requested during his first 100 days in office and received opposition from members of his party. As
1800-432: A press conference, Carter said the continued discussions about his energy reform proposal had been "long and divisive and arduous" as well as hindering to national issues that needed to be addressed with the implementation of the law. In an April 11, 1978, news conference, Carter said his biggest surprise "in the nature of a disappointment" since becoming president was the difficulty Congress had in passing legislation, citing
1890-570: A reorganization plan submitted in January 1972. Despite initially having a cool reception in the legislature, the plan passed at midnight on the last day of the session. Carter merged about 300 state agencies into 22, although it is disputed whether that saved the state money. On July 8, 1971, during an appearance in Columbus, Georgia , he stated his intention to establish a Georgia Human Rights Council to help solve issues ahead of any potential violence. In
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#17328758334491980-647: A rift ensued between the White House and Congress afterward, Carter noted that the Democratic Party's liberal wing opposed his policies the most ardently, attributing this to Ted Kennedy's wanting the presidency . Thinking he had support from 74 Congressmen, Carter issued a "hit list" of 19 projects that he claimed were "pork barrel" spending that he said he would veto if they were included in legislation. He found himself again at odds with Congressional Democrats, as House Speaker Tip O'Neill found it inappropriate for
2070-628: A simulated war patrol to the western Pacific and Chinese coast from January to March of that year. In 1951, Carter was assigned to the diesel/electric USS K-1 (SSK-1) , qualified for command, and served in several positions, to include executive officer. In 1952, Carter began an association with the Navy's fledgling nuclear submarine program, led then by captain Hyman G. Rickover . Rickover had high standards and demands for his men and machines, and Carter later said that, next to his parents, Rickover had
2160-670: A speech in Georgia. Carter's appeal to racism became more blatant over time, with his senior campaign aides handing out a photograph of Sanders celebrating with Black basketball players. Carter came ahead of Sanders in the first ballot by 49 percent to 38 percent in September, leading to a runoff election. The subsequent campaign was even more bitter; despite his early support for civil rights, Carter's appeal to racism grew, and he criticized Sanders for supporting Martin Luther King Jr. Carter won
2250-509: A televised joint appearance with Florida governor Reubin Askew on January 31, 1973, and co-sponsored an anti-busing resolution with Wallace at the 1971 National Governors Conference. After the U.S. Supreme Court threw out Georgia's death penalty statute in Furman v. Georgia (1972), Carter signed a revised death-penalty statute that addressed the court's objections, thus reintroducing the practice in
2340-562: A televised speech declaring that the current energy crisis was the "moral equivalent of war". He encouraged energy conservation and installed solar water heating panels on the White House . He wore sweaters to offset turning down the heat in the White House. On August 4, 1977, Carter signed the Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 , forming the Department of Energy, the first new cabinet position in eleven years. Carter emphasized that
2430-548: A year, he, Rosalynn, and their three sons lived in public housing in Plains. Carter was knowledgeable in scientific and technological subjects, and he set out to expand the family's peanut-growing business. Transitioning from the Navy to an agribusinessman was difficult as his first-year harvest failed due to a drought, and Carter had to open several bank lines of credit to keep the farm afloat. Meanwhile, he took classes and studied agriculture while Rosalynn learned accounting to manage
2520-662: Is an American politician and humanitarian who served from 1977 to 1981 as the 39th president of the United States . A member of the Democratic Party , he served from 1963 to 1967 in the Georgia State Senate and from 1971 to 1975 as the 76th governor of Georgia . Carter is 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
2610-690: The Camp David Accords , the Panama Canal Treaties , and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks . He also confronted stagflation . His administration established the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Education . The end of his presidency was marked by the Iran hostage crisis , an energy crisis , the Three Mile Island accident , the Nicaraguan Revolution , and
2700-479: The Falls City Brewing Company , who wished to capitalize upon his colorful image as a beer-drinking Southern good ol' boy. Billy Carter's name was occasionally used as a gag answer for a Washington, D.C. trouble-maker on 1970s episodes of Match Game . He was known for his outlandish public behavior; he once urinated on an airport runway in full view of the press and dignitaries. By 1979, he drank half
2790-608: The Federal Trade Commission . In 1980, Carter signed Law H.R. 5860 aka Public Law 96–185, known as The Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Act of 1979 , to bail out the Chrysler Corporation with $ 3.5 billion (equivalent to $ 12.94 billion in 2023) in aid. Carter attempted to calm various conflicts around the world, most visibly in the Middle East with the signing of the Camp David Accords ; giving back
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2880-645: The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, where civil rights icon Blake Van Leer was president. While at Georgia Tech, Carter took part in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps . In 1943, he received an appointment to the Naval Academy from U.S. Representative Stephen Pace , and Carter graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1946. He was a good student but was seen as reserved and quiet, in contrast to
2970-529: The Israeli–Palestinian conflict . Polls of historians and political scientists generally rank Carter as a below-average president, though scholars and the public more favorably view his post-presidency , which is the longest in U.S. history. James Earl Carter Jr. was born October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia , at the Wise Sanitarium , where his mother worked as a registered nurse. Carter thus became
3060-628: The Social Security Act , and having a balanced budget by the end of his first term of office. On July 15, 1976, Carter chose U.S. senator Walter Mondale as his running mate. Carter and Ford faced off in three televised debates, the first United States presidential debates since 1960. For the November 1976 issue of Playboy , which hit newsstands a couple of weeks before the election, Robert Scheer interviewed Carter. While discussing his religion's view of pride, Carter said: "I've looked on
3150-708: 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 Ronald Reagan , the Republican nominee. After leaving
3240-488: The U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and joined the U.S. Navy 's submarine service. Carter returned home after his military service and revived his family's peanut-growing business. Opposing racial segregation , Carter supported the growing civil rights movement , and became an activist within the Democratic Party. He served in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967 and then as Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. As
3330-522: The United States Marine Corps , and later worked in the Carter family's peanut business. In 1970, Billy Carter was managing partner and 15% owner of the Carter family's peanut business. By 1976, Billy had increased revenues to $ 5 million per year. In 1972, Carter purchased a gas and service station in Plains. He owned and operated it for most of the decade. At its peak he sold 2,000 cases of beer
3420-437: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Stapleton married Robert Thome Stapleton (1925–2014), a veterinarian , in 1948 and they had four children: Gloria Lynn (born May 31, 1950), Sydney Scott (December 23, 1951 – December 13, 2019), Patricia Gordy (born May 29, 1954) and Robert Michael (born November 5, 1958). Stapleton suffered from chronic depression, and was involved in a car accident that nearly killed her during
3510-592: The Watergate scandal , which he attributed to president Richard Nixon 's isolation from Americans and secretive decision-making. On December 12, 1974, Carter announced his presidential campaign at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. His speech contained themes of domestic inequality, optimism, and change. Upon his entrance in the Democratic primaries, he was competing against sixteen other candidates, and
3600-478: The 1960s and 1970s, before his presidency. Some later called this his " malaise speech", memorable for mixed reactions and his use of rhetoric. The speech's negative reception centered on a view that he did not emphasize his own efforts to address the energy crisis and seemed too reliant on Americans. In 1978, Carter declared a federal emergency in the neighborhood of Love Canal in the city of Niagara Falls, New York . More than 800 families were evacuated from
3690-528: The 39th president on January 20, 1977. One of Carter's first acts was the fulfillment of a campaign promise by issuing an executive order declaring unconditional amnesty for Vietnam War -era draft evaders , Proclamation 4483 . Carter's tenure in office was marked by an economic malaise, a time of continuing inflation and recession and a 1979 energy crisis . Under Carter, the U.S. experienced its first ever government shutdown in May 1980, though it affected only
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3780-651: The American public. Carter became the front-runner early on by winning the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary . His strategy involved reaching a region before another candidate could extend influence there, traveling over 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometres), visiting 37 states, and delivering over 200 speeches before any other candidate had entered the race. In the South, he tacitly conceded certain areas to Wallace and swept them as
3870-400: The Democratic primary. In a press conference, he described his ideology as "Conservative, moderate, liberal and middle-of-the-road ... I believe I am a more complicated person than that." He lost the primary but drew enough votes as a third-place candidate to force Arnall into a runoff election with Maddox, who narrowly defeated Arnall. In the general election, Republican nominee Callaway won
3960-499: The House of Representatives had "adopted almost all" of the energy proposal he had made five months earlier and called the compromise "a turning point in establishing a comprehensive energy program." The following month, on October 13, Carter stated he believed in the Senate's ability to pass the energy reform bill and identified energy as "the most important domestic issue that we will face while I am in office." On January 12, 1978, during
4050-476: The Italian Intelligence agency and he co-authored the articles with Arnaud de Borchgrave . Pazienza was later tried and convicted in absentia for using "extortion and fraud to obtain embarrassing facts about Billy Carter". Carter was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the fall of 1987 and received unsuccessful treatments for the disease. He died in Plains the following year at age 51, five years after
4140-617: The Office of Management James Lynn and United States secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld at the Blair House , and holding an afternoon meeting with President Ford at the White House . The next day, he conferred with congressional leaders, expressing that his meetings with cabinet members had been "very helpful" and saying Ford had requested he seek out his assistance if needing anything. Relations between Ford and Carter were relatively cold during
4230-667: The Panama Canal to Panama; and signing the SALT II nuclear arms reduction treaty with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev . His final year was marred by the Iran hostage crisis , which contributed to his losing the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan . Whistleblowers have alleged, most recently in 2023, that people working on the Reagan campaign's behalf convinced Iran to prolong the crisis to reduce Carter's chance of reelection. Moralism typified much of Carter's action. On April 18, 1977, he delivered
4320-531: The academy's culture of aggressive hazing of freshmen. While at the Academy, Carter fell in love with Rosalynn Smith , a friend of his sister Ruth. The two wed shortly after his graduation in 1946, and were married until her death on November 19, 2023. Carter was a sprint football player for the Navy Midshipmen . He graduated 60th out of 821 midshipmen in the class of 1947 with a Bachelor of Science degree and
4410-512: The active contenders for the presidential nomination, but against incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford by a few percentage points. As the Watergate scandal was still fresh in the voters' minds, Carter's position as an outsider, distant from Washington, D.C. proved helpful. He promoted government reorganization. In June, Carter published a memoir titled Why Not the Best? to help introduce himself to
4500-471: The attention of environmentalists nationwide. Civil rights were a high priority for Carter, who added black state employees and portraits of three prominent black Georgians to the capitol building: Martin Luther King Jr., Lucy Craft Laney , and Henry McNeal Turner . This angered the Ku Klux Klan . He favored a constitutional amendment to ban busing for the purpose of expediting integration in schools on
4590-537: The business's books. Though they barely broke even the first year, the Carters grew the business and became quite successful. As racial tension inflamed in Plains by the 1954 Supreme Court of the United States ruling in Brown v. Board of Education , Carter favored racial tolerance and integration but often kept those feelings to himself to avoid making enemies. By 1961, Carter began to speak more prominently of integration as
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#17328758334494680-526: The conservative and anti-McGovern voters. He was fairly obscure at the time, and his attempt at triangulation failed; the 1972 Democratic ticket was McGovern and senator Thomas Eagleton . On August 3, Carter met with Wallace in Birmingham, Alabama , to discuss preventing the Democrats from losing in a landslide, but they did. Carter regularly met with his fledgling campaign staff and decided to begin putting
4770-469: The creation of a federal consumer protection agency, creating a separate cabinet-level department for education, signing a peace treaty with the Soviet Union to limit nuclear weapons, reducing the defense budget, a tax proposal implementing "a substantial increase toward those who have the higher incomes" alongside a levy reduction on taxpayers with lower and middle incomes, making multiple amendments to
4860-453: The crippled reactor. When Carter was lowered in, his job was simply to turn a single screw. During and after his presidency, Carter said that his experience at Chalk River had shaped his views on atomic energy and led him to cease the development of a neutron bomb . In March 1953, Carter began a six-month course in nuclear power plant operation at Union College in Schenectady. His intent
4950-476: The death of his sister, Ruth Carter Stapleton , who also died of pancreatic cancer at age 54. Two years following his death, his older sister, Gloria Carter Spann , died at age 63 from pancreatic cancer. Their father, James Earl Carter Sr. , also died of the disease at age 58. His mother, Bessie Lillian Gordy , died from breast cancer at age 85. After Billy died, his wife Sybil opened a cafe. Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924)
5040-426: The election. Ford phoned Carter to congratulate him shortly after the race was called. He was unable to concede in front of television cameras due to bad hoarse voice , and so First Lady Betty did so for him. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller oversaw the certification of election results on January 6, 1977. Although Ford carried Washington, Mike Padden , an elector from there, cast his vote for Ronald Reagan ,
5130-527: The eleventh grade since the school did not have a twelfth grade. By that time, Archery and Plains had been impoverished by the Great Depression , but the family benefited from New Deal farming subsidies, and Carter's father took a position as a community leader. Carter himself was a diligent student with a fondness for reading. A popular anecdote holds that he was passed over for valedictorian after he and his friends skipped school to venture downtown in
5220-473: The energy reform bill in particular: "I never dreamed a year ago in April when I proposed this matter to the Congress that a year later it still would not be resolved." The Carter energy legislation was approved by Congress after much deliberation and modification on October 15, 1978. The measure deregulated the sale of natural gas, dropped a longstanding pricing disparity between intra- and interstate gas, and created tax credits to encourage energy conservation and
5310-438: The final days before the election, several polls showed that Ford had tied Carter, and one Gallup poll found that he was now slightly ahead. Most analysts agreed that Carter was going to win the popular vote , but some argued Ford had an opportunity to win the electoral college and thus the election. Carter ultimately won, receiving 297 electoral votes and 50.1% of the popular vote to Ford's 240 electoral votes and 48.0% of
5400-473: The first American president born in a hospital. He is the eldest child of Bessie Lillian Gordy and James Earl Carter Sr. , and a descendant of English immigrant Thomas Carter, who settled in the Colony of Virginia in 1635. In Georgia, numerous generations of Carters worked as cotton farmers. Plains was a boomtown of 600 people at the time of Carter's birth. His father was a successful local businessman who ran
5490-572: The future." A 1985 Wall Street Journal article suggested that a series of Billygate articles written by Michael Ledeen and published in The New Republic in October 1980 were intended to influence the outcome of that year's presidential election. According to the reporting, Francesco Pazienza , an officer of the Italian intelligence agency SISMI , alleged that Ledeen was handed Billygate information by
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#17328758334495580-588: The greatest influence on his life. Carter was sent to the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington, D.C., for three-month temporary duty, while Rosalynn moved with their children to Schenectady, New York . On December 12, 1952, an accident with the experimental NRX reactor at Atomic Energy of Canada 's Chalk River Laboratories caused a partial meltdown, resulting in millions of liters of radioactive water flooding
5670-422: The inactive Navy Reserve until 1961 and left the service with the rank of lieutenant . Carter's awards include the American Campaign Medal , World War II Victory Medal , China Service Medal , and National Defense Service Medal . As a submarine officer, he also earned the "dolphin" badge . After debt settlements and division of his father's estate among its heirs, Jimmy inherited comparatively little. For
5760-411: The issue at first, even as it polarized much of the county, to avoid alienating his segregationist colleagues. Carter did speak up on a few divisive issues, giving speeches against literacy tests and against an amendment to the Georgia Constitution that he felt implied a compulsion to practice religion. Carter entered the state Democratic Executive Committee two years into office, where he helped rewrite
5850-418: The legislature, providing equal state aid to schools in Georgia's wealthy and poor areas, setting up community centers for mentally disabled children, and increasing educational programs for convicts. Under this program, all such appointments were based on merit rather than political influence. In one of his more controversial decisions, he vetoed a plan to build a dam on Georgia's Flint River , which attracted
5940-466: The national Democratic Party. He also accused Sanders of corruption, but when pressed by the media, he did not provide evidence. Throughout his campaign, Carter sought both the black vote and the votes of those who had supported prominent Alabama segregationist George Wallace . While he met with black figures such as Martin Luther King Sr. and Andrew Young and visited many black-owned businesses, he also praised Wallace and promised to invite him to give
6030-464: The national news media discovered and promoted Carter, and stated: What Carter had that his opponents did not was the acceptance and support of elite sectors of the mass communications media. It was their favorable coverage of Carter and his campaign that gave him an edge, propelling him rocket-like to the top of the opinion polls. This helped Carter win key primary election victories, enabling him to rise from an obscure public figure to President-elect in
6120-402: The neighborhood, which had been built on top of a toxic waste landfill. The Superfund law was created in response to the situation. Federal disaster money was appropriated to demolish the approximately 500 houses, the 99th Street School, and the 93rd Street School, which had been built on top of the dump; and to remediate the dump and construct a containment area for the hazardous wastes. This
6210-417: The popular vote. Carter's victory was attributed in part to his overwhelming support among black voters in states decided by close margins, such as Louisiana , Texas , Pennsylvania , Missouri , Mississippi , Wisconsin , and Ohio . In Ohio and Wisconsin, where the margin between Carter and Ford was under two points, the black vote was crucial for Carter; if he had not won both states, Ford would have won
6300-527: The presidency, Carter established the Carter Center to promote and expand human rights; in 2002 he received a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in relation to it. He traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations, monitor elections , and further the eradication of infectious diseases. Carter is a key figure in the nonprofit housing organization Habitat for Humanity . He has also written numerous books , ranging from political memoirs to poetry, while continuing to comment on global affairs, including two books on
6390-446: The reactor building's basement. This left the reactor's core ruined. Carter was ordered to Chalk River to lead a U.S. maintenance crew that joined other American and Canadian service personnel to assist in the shutdown of the reactor. The painstaking process required each team member to don protective gear and be lowered individually into the reactor for 90 seconds at a time, limiting their exposure to radioactivity while they disassembled
6480-419: The runoff election with 60 percent of the vote and won the general election against Republican nominee Hal Suit . Once elected, Carter changed his tone and began to speak against Georgia's racist politics. Leroy Johnson , a black state senator, voiced his support for Carter: "I understand why he ran that kind of ultra-conservative campaign. I don't believe you can win this state without being a racist." Carter
6570-512: The short space of 9 months. During an interview in April 1976, Carter said, "I have nothing against a community that is... trying to maintain the ethnic purity of their neighborhoods." His remark was intended as supportive of open housing laws, but specifying opposition to government efforts to "inject black families into a white neighborhood just to create some sort of integration ". Carter's stated positions during his campaign included public financing of congressional campaigns, his support for
6660-415: The standby gasoline rationing plan and called on Congress to pass the several other standby energy conservation plans he had proposed. On July 15, 1979, Carter delivered a nationally televised address in which he identified what he believed to be a " crisis of confidence " among American people, under the advisement of pollster Pat Caddell who believed Americans faced a crisis in confidence from events of
6750-489: The state legislature fund an early childhood development program along with prison reform programs and $ 48 million (equivalent to $ 349,632,458 in 2023) in paid taxes for nearly all state employees. On March 1, 1972, Carter said he might call a special session of the general assembly if the Justice Department opted to turn down any reapportionment plans by either the House or Senate. He pushed several reforms through
6840-575: The state party's rules. He became the chairman of the West Central Georgia Planning and Development Commission, which oversaw the disbursement of federal and state grants for projects such as historic site restoration. When Bo Callaway was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1964, Carter immediately began planning to challenge him. The two had previously clashed over which two-year college would be expanded to
6930-456: The state. He later regretted endorsing the death penalty, saying, "I didn't see the injustice of it as I do now." Ineligible for reelection, Carter looked toward a potential presidential run and engaged in national politics. He was named to several southern planning commissions and was a delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention , where liberal U.S. Senator George McGovern was the likely nominee. Carter tried to ingratiate himself with
7020-625: The then-governor of California and Carter's eventual successor. Preliminary planning for Carter's presidential transition had already been underway for months before his election. Carter had been the first presidential candidate to allot significant funds and a significant number of personnel to a pre-election transition planning effort, which then became standard practice. He set a mold that influenced all future transitions to be larger, more methodical and more formal than they were. On November 22, 1976, Carter conducted his first visit to Washington, D.C. after being elected, meeting with director of
7110-409: The time immediately following her children's births. She said she was later cured of depression at a "Christ-centered camp". In 1977, she became friends with pornographer Larry Flynt and managed to briefly convert him to Christianity. She was portrayed during this portion of Flynt's life by Donna Hanover in the film The People vs. Larry Flynt . Stapleton was also known for her involvement in
7200-412: The transition. During his transition, Carter announced the selection of numerous designees for positions in his administration. A few weeks before his inauguration, Carter moved his peanut business into the hands of trustees to avoid a potential conflict of interest . He also asked incoming members of his administration to divest themselves of assets through blind trusts . Carter was inaugurated as
7290-404: The use of non-fossil fuels. On March 1, 1979, Carter submitted a standby gasoline rationing plan per the request of Congress. On April 5, he delivered an address in which he stressed the urgency of energy conservation and increasing domestic production of energy sources such as coal and solar. During an April 30 news conference, he said it was imperative that the House commerce committee approve
7380-552: Was born on August 7, 1929, in Plains, Georgia , the third of the four children in the family of James Earl Carter, Sr. and Lillian Gordy Carter . Besides the former president, Stapleton had an older sister, Gloria (1926–1990), and a younger brother, Billy (1937–1988). All three of them died of pancreatic cancer , as did their father. Stapleton attended Georgia State College for Women , earned her bachelor's in English from Methodist University , and her master's in psychology from
7470-441: Was called To Investigate Activities of Individuals Representing Interests of Foreign Governments (Billy Carter—Libya Investigation) . "I am deeply concerned that Billy has received funds from Libya and that he may be under obligation to Libya. These facts will govern my relationship with Billy as long as I am president. Billy has had no influence on U.S. policy or actions concerning Libya in the past, and he will have no influence in
7560-502: Was commissioned as an ensign . From 1946 to 1953, the Carters lived in Virginia , Hawaii , Connecticut , New York , and California , during his deployments in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets . In 1948, he began officer training for submarine duty and served aboard USS Pomfret . Carter was promoted to lieutenant junior grade in 1949, and his service aboard Pomfret included
7650-418: Was considered to have little chance against the more nationally known politicians such as Wallace. His name recognition was very low, and his opponents derisively asked "Jimmy Who?". In response to this, Carter began to emphasize his name and what he stood for, stating "My name is Jimmy Carter, and I'm running for president." This strategy proved successful. By mid-March 1976, Carter was not only far ahead of
7740-583: Was found to have been orchestrated by Joe Hurst, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Quitman County . Carter challenged the election result, which was confirmed fraudulent in an investigation. Following this, another election was held, in which Carter won against Moore as the sole Democratic candidate, with a vote margin of 3,013 to 2,182. The civil rights movement was well underway when Carter took office. He and his family had become staunch John F. Kennedy supporters. Carter remained relatively quiet on
7830-458: Was often absent during his childhood since she worked long hours, and although his father was staunchly pro-segregation , he allowed Jimmy to befriend the black farmhands' children. Carter was an enterprising teenager who was given his own acre of Earl's farmland, where he grew, packaged, and sold peanuts. Carter also rented out a section of tenant housing that he had purchased. Carter attended Plains High School from 1937 to 1941, graduating from
7920-428: Was sworn in as the 76th governor of Georgia on January 12, 1971. In his inaugural speech, he declared that "the time for racial discrimination is over", shocking the crowd and causing many of the segregationists who had supported him during the race to feel betrayed. Carter was reluctant to engage with his fellow politicians, making him unpopular with the legislature. He expanded the governor's authority by introducing
8010-492: Was the first time that such a process had been undertaken. Carter acknowledged that several more "Love Canals" existed across the country, and that discovering such hazardous dumpsites was "one of the grimmest discoveries of our modern era". Carter typically refused to conform to Washington's rules. He avoided phone calls from members of Congress and verbally insulted them. He was unwilling to return political favors. His negativity led to frustration in passing legislation. During
8100-643: Was to eventually work aboard USS Seawolf , which was intended to be the second U.S. nuclear submarine. His plans changed when his father died of pancreatic cancer in July, two months before construction of Seawolf began, and Carter obtained a release from active duty so he could take over the family peanut business. Deciding to leave Schenectady proved difficult, as Rosalynn had grown comfortable with their life there. She later said that returning to small-town life in Plains seemed "a monumental step backward." Carter left active duty on October 9, 1953. He served in
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