Jimmy Carter’s life in pictures from Naval Academy to the Oval Office and Nobel prize-winning achievements
Former US President Jimmy Carter has died after spending two years in a hospice, leaving behind a vibrant legacy of service and generosity.
The highly regarded 39th president’s achievements extend beyond his time in the Oval Office: He served in the Navy and devoted his later years to philanthropy.
Carter, who died at the age of 100, was born and raised in the small town of Plains, Georgia with his parents and three siblings, Billy, Gloria and Ruth.
His mother Lillian was a nurse and his father Earl was a hardworking peanut farmer and local politician.
The 39th president dreamed of serving in the Navy throughout his youth and finally achieved his goal when he attended the US Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1942.
He was the only American president to ever graduate from the prestigious Naval Academy.
In 1946, he earned his Navy commission and married the love of his life, Rosalynn. The couple moved to Norfolk, Virginia.
Carter and his family had to move frequently due to his career in the Navy, but Carter left the military in 1953 when his father passed away.
He moved back to Plains to run his father’s peanut warehouse, weathering financial hardships while supporting his family.
Jimmy Carter dreamed of joining the Navy since childhood and achieved his goal, making him the only president to graduate from the US Naval Academy.
Carter served as president from 1977 to 1981 after defeating Gerald Ford
Carter spent his time after his presidency giving back to global communities through charity work
The return to Plains inspired Carter politically, as he joined local community boards and accepted a position on the Sumter County Board of Education.
In 1971, Carter became Georgia’s sixth governor. Five years later, he was elected to govern the entire country, defeating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford.
During Carter’s diplomatic presidency, he built friendly relations with the People’s Republic of China and brokered an agreement between Egypt and Israel at Camp David.
Another key moment in his presidential career was negotiating the release of American hostages from Iran just minutes before his presidential term ended.
He and Rosalynn went to Germany to meet the hostages before returning to Plains in 1981.
Carter’s efforts did not end when his oval tenure did. He and his wife, an activist and writer herself, founded the nonprofit Carter Center in Atlanta.
The beloved president was born and raised in Plains, Georgia, where he returned in later years
Carter graduated from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1946 and began his naval career
Carter and former first lady Rosalynn married in 1964 before moving to Virginia
Carter hugged his wife after winning the 1976 presidential election (photo)
Near the beginning of his presidency, Carter visited the South Bronx, accompanied by New York politicians Patricia Harris (left) and Mayor Abraham Beame (right)
Carter and his family posed for their White House portrait (pictured). Carter had four children and more than twenty grandchildren and great-grandchildren
Carter and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Sr. hugged each other during a campaign rally, where the activist supported the Democratic candidate in 1976 (photo)
The former president and first lady danced at the White House Christmas party in 1979 (photo)
In his later years after becoming president, Carter wrote about twenty books
Carter’s political work continued throughout his life. In 2007 he and Rosalynn met Taoiseach Bertie Ahern TD in Dublin (pictured)
Former President Bill Clinton presented Carter with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999 (photo)
Carter, known for his diplomacy, stood with Cuban President Fidel Castro at a baseball game in 2002 (pictured)
Former South African President Nelson Mandela and Carter shake hands during a ceremony for Mandela’s birthday in 2007 (photo)
Former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Clinton and Carter pictured in the Oval Office in 2009
Carter worked with Habitats for Humanity to build homes for those in need, even in his old age
Rosalynn died in 2023 at the age of 96. the former first lady was her husband’s closest advisor
Carter rubbing elbows with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin during Middle East peace talks at Camp David (photo)
Carter taught Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church on the outskirts of town
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 after founding the Center for the Promotion of Human Rights Worldwide.
Well into his old age, Carter traveled the world helping build homes with Habitat for Humanity. He also wrote about two dozen books in his post-presidential years and taught Sunday school classes.
The former first lady died last year at the age of 96. Carter is survived by four children – Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy – and more than twenty grandchildren and great-grandchildren.