Jimmy Carter, who passed the incredible milestone of reaching 100 years old in 2024, was one of the most important US statesmen of the 20th century. Leading America as its President during the late 70s and early 80s, Carter proved to be a divisive yet progressive leader in many ways – though he would be the last Democrat President in charge for over a decade, when Bill Clinton succeeded Ronald Reagan.
However, there’s more to Jimmy Carter than just his stance on democracy – despite having gained detractors over the years, he’s remained incredibly inspirational for millions in America and around the world.
Love him or hate him, here are some interesting facts about Jimmy Carter you might find interesting or even useful for the next pub quiz!
1. Carter believed in a compassionate government.
Jimmy Carter was a big believer in delivering a US government that genuinely cared about all of its people. One of his biggest platforms was compassion and competency – hoping to set the standard for the decades to come.
However, Carter’s administration struggled during a dark economic period for the US, meaning his government struggled to support its citizens financially despite focusing more on being compassionate.
2. He was in charge towards the end of the 1970s.
Jimmy Carter took over as US President Gerald Ford, who himself had taken over from Richard Nixon amid the Watergate scandal. The US had experienced a long stretch of Republican governing, which meant that Carter’s election shifted policy and governance in a different direction.
Carter took over as the 39th President in 1977, but would only serve a single term in office. He would lose to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1981, who would go on to oversee the US government for most of the decade.
3. He grew up in a peanut farming family.
Carter is famous for coming from a rural background, from a farming family based in Plains, Georgia. He was born in 1924 and brought up to be a Baptist, eventually leaving the farm to become a naval officer for seven years.
However, at the end of his service, he returned to his home of Plains, and would begin moving into politics – becoming the Governor of Georgia.
4. Carter’s politics were progressive and eye-opening.
What set Carter apart from other politicians as a young governor was the fact he focused on several socially and economically progressive issues. In particular, he was a champion of civil rights, fighting for racial equality in the state. He also believed in a more efficient government – and it wasn’t long before people started to talk about his potential as a future US President.
Carter would therefore enter the race for nomination in late 1974, eventually making it to the ballot alongside Minnesota’s Walter Mondale, and beating Gerald Ford at the ballot box 297 electoral votes against 241. It was a clear win!
5. Carter was the very first US President to be born in a hospital!
It’s true! Believe it or not, no Presidents before Carter were born in hospital – it helped that his mother was a nurse! Lillian Carter was encouraged to give birth in an open room in the hospital rather than to head home.
The story behind this is that the doctor who suggested the hospital birth simply wanted Ms Carter to get back to work faster! Times have changed, thankfully!
6. Carter could have been valedictorian, but skipped school instead.
Yes – for all Jimmy Carter has been a paragon of positivity and an upstanding citizen over these past decades, he was prone to a few schoolboy escapades that, regrettably, affected his chances of being valedictorian – he skipped class and was salutatorian of his class instead!
That said, he proved to be a fantastic student when he actually attended school! Believe it or not, he was the only person in his class to graduate with a college degree. And, if he hadn’t skipped school one fateful day, would he have become President? Who knows!
7. He’s a multi-award winner.
Like Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter is an ex-US President with a variety of awards in his trophy cabinet. In particular, he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, some 20+ years after he left office – recognising his efforts to change society for the better.
However, did you know he’s even won three Grammy awards? No, he hasn’t dropped any mixtapes, but he has won the covered Best Spoken Word Album award on three occasions, having been nominated for the accolade ten times in total.
In fact, at the time of writing, he’s the third-oldest person ever to win a Grammy. He was 94 years old when he won in 2019, and at present, he’s the oldest Grammy winner who’s still living.
8. There’s a species of fish named after Jimmy Carter!
Yes – believe it or not, Carter’s political prominence has stretched as far as the scientific community, who named the bluegrass darter after him. This fish has the Latin name Etheostoma jimmycarter!
It’s thought the fish was named after Carter in recognition of the ex-President’s dedication to ecology and wilderness support.
9. He’s given his name to a naval submarine, too.
Carter’s time in the US Navy hasn’t gone unnoticed, either. By 1998, the Navy had launched the USS Jimmy Carter, the final Seawolf submarine in its fleet.
What’s even more notable is that this submarine was the first of its kind to be named after someone alive at the time – and that was over 25 years ago!
10. Carter famously pardoned draft dodgers.
One of Jimmy Carter’s first acts upon taking office as US President was to grant freedom to all who had violated the Military Service Act during the Vietnam War. Effectively, Carter nullified the convictions of anyone who had evaded drafts into the military for the duration of the war.
This was a bold move that Carter enacted just two days into the job! Proclamation 4483, and Executive Order 11967, effectively reversed convictions for all who dodged the draft between August 4th 1964 and March 28th 1973.
11. He didn’t always see eye to eye with Congress.
President Carter was something of an infamous figure when it came to discussing policy matters with the US Congress. This was largely down to the fact that he was something of a nonconformist! Issues developed between Carter and Senators behind the scenes to such an extent that he made a public address claiming that he’d found a “growing sense of cooperation” with them.
Perhaps surprisingly, it was Congressional Democrats who he had struggled – specifically, the liberal end of the party. That said, the House in general would step in the way of some of Carter’s plans and suggestions – for example, he was blocked from finding standby gas rationing in 1979.
“The majority of the House members are unwilling to take the responsibility – the political responsibility – for dealing with a potential, serious threat to our nation,” he commented at the time.
12. He was deeply committed to conserving energy.
Carter believed in protecting the planet during his time in office, to an extent where he went on national TV to state that the energy crisis was occurring as a “moral equivalent of war” – a statement that would go on to be one of the hallmarks of his Presidency.
He would deliver on his rhetoric by refitting the White House with solar panels, and would establish a Department of Energy in the summer of 1977.
13. Carter shunned the usual Presidential wardrobe.
Bizarrely enough, Jimmy Carter was only one of two Presidents – the other being Ronald Reagan – to not wear Brooks Brothers suits during his tenure. Although you’d have typically seen Carter wearing black suits and ties for galas and balls, he would typically wear suits considered less formal than most when in office.
14. He wasn’t an early favourite to win the Presidency.
Far from it, in fact – it’s thought that Carter was around 12th place in early polls, putting the likes of Hubert Humphrey ahead in the race for he White House.
However, he would develop his position as an outsider to centralised politics to help gain momentum and eventually beat Gerald Ford at the ballot box.
15. Carter has a favourite President.
Who do you think it is? Well, Jimmy Carter revealed all about his favourite US statesman in an interview back in 2011. Specifically, he named Harry S Truman as his top President, largely because he never tried to make profits off of his position as leader.
16. He might have been the first President to live in public housing.
Carter is known for coming from humble beginnings, and he famously left the Navy to support his family on the peanut farm after his father passed away in 1953. The family had to move into public housing thanks to a lack of estate available after the war.
Interestingly, it’s thought this experience helped to inspire Jimmy Carter to support Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit organisation that helps to support people in need of housing. The Carters famously helped the project over the years by building and raising houses.
It’s thought the organisation has helped to bring over one million more houses to US citizens who find themselves struggling for places to live.
17. Carter was even more closely involved with Habitat for Humanity.
Carter and his family didn’t just physically support Habitat for Humanity – after leaving the White House, he became a board member of the nonprofit, and regularly led renovation teams. On one such occasion, Carter made global news by spearheading a renovation project that would help to house 19 families in Manhattan.
Every year since 1984, Carter physically made sure to dedicate a week out of his time to support work crews with the charity both in the US and abroad – he’s been a major support in raising the organisation’s profile, and the cause it stands for.
18. Carter started a new Presidential trend.
Ever one to buck trends and to go against stuffy advice, Jimmy Carter raised eyebrows by walking from the Capitol to the White House on Inauguration Day in 1977. This was particularly notable because it wasn’t a move that the secret service was so keen on!
However, he set a trend that day – the practice has been followed ever since.
19. He’s only ever had two home bases.
Jimmy Carter’s most famous property was, of course, the White House – but did you know he’s lived in the same property belonging to his family going back 60 years?
After his Presidency ended, Carter once again bucked trends by moving back to his old property – hardly a comedown, as he and his family still owned 209 Woodlawn Avenue.
The address served Carter well over the years – this ranch home saw him go from strength to strength as a senator, governor, and later President.
20. His international success was mixed.
Jimmy Carter came to power during a time where the US was continuing to bristle with the then-Soviet Union, just years away from the Cold War coming to a head under Ronald Reagan. His focus on human rights wasn’t particularly shared by some nations, though he spearheaded some peace accords that have gone down in history.
For example, he was instrumental in setting up the Camp David accords to bring agreements together between Israel and Egypt. However, the final days of his administration were marred by US embassy employees being taken hostage in Iran. Some believe that his government’s handling of the embassy crisis may have contributed to his election failure in 1980.
21. He’s written several books.
As someone with plenty of spoken word awards to his name, it’s hardly surprising that Jimmy Carter is something of a prolific writer. He’s thought to have published more than 30 different books, all based on his experiences.
These range from autobiographical memoirs to revelations about his time in the White House – one of his most famous books, “A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety” was one of the Grammy recipients mentioned earlier. Even at 90+ years old, he was still writing and recording!
22. Carter helped to put Georgia on the map as a filming destination.
Carter is still famously known as “Georgia’s President” to many – but did you know he had a specific hand in building up the state’s film industry?
In particular, Carter set up the Georgia Film Office in 1973, when he was still state governor – on the back of the financial benefits the state had previously received by providing filming locations.
Years on, you can still see areas of Georgia used as key filming locations. If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead, for example, you have Jimmy Carter to thank for the locations used!
23. He has a historical park in his home town.
Jimmy Carter’s home town of Plains, Georgia, pays immense tribute to the ex-President. There’s a National Historical Park here – and, even more interesting, there’s a museum with a full replica of his desk within the Oval Office!
But that’s not all – the museum actually used to be his old high school – what a fantastic accolade!
24. Carter has weighed in diplomatically on Presidents who have taken up the top job since he left.
Jimmy Carter has been critical and empathetic towards both Barack Obama and Donald Trump – he approved of Obama early on in his Presidential run, but was critical of his decision to keep running Guantanamo Bay.
He was empathetic towards Trump’s first run in office based on what he referred to as harsh media coverage – but was critical of how he handled the protests over knee-taking during the US National Anthem.
25. Americans can brew at home thanks to Jimmy Carter.
Believe it or not, it wasn’t legal to brew beer at home in the US until President Carter legalized private beermaking in 1978 – barely a year into the job!
This led to “Billy Beer” mania – you can still buy merchandise based around Carter’s homebrew legalization from the museum and gift shop in his home town.
FAQs About Jimmy Carter
Why did Jimmy Carter stop being President?
Carter lost the Presidency in the 1980 election, conceding to incoming Republican Ronald Reagan. It was considered a landslide defeat, with voters divided over his economic and social approaches, and his handling of international affairs.
Is Carter the longest-living US President in history?
Yes – as of the time of writing, Jimmy Carter is the longest-living person to have ever been US President, and he was the first President to live to 100 years of age!
Did Jimmy Carter fight in World War II?
No, Carter was too young to have fought in the conflict, but he served in the US Navy on general orders at the time of the conflict. He left the Navy in 1953, some years after the conflict came to an end.
Further reading
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/james-carter/
https://www.habitat.org/carter-work-project
Do you know any interesting facts about Jimmy Carter? Share them in the comments below!
