Jimmy Carter biography: 16 things about 39th US president

Who was Jimmy Carter?

James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. was an American politician born at the Wise Sanitarium in Plains, Georgia, United States to James Earl Carter Sr. and Bessie Lilian Gordy Carter. Jimmy is the eldest among James Sr. and Bessie’s four children.

From 1946 to 1953, Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn Smith Carter lived in different U.S. states including California, Connecticut, Hawaii, New York and Virginia. They have three sons and one daughter together.

Jimmy was 5’10” tall. Here are 16 more things about him:

1. From 1937 to 1941, he attended Plains High School.
2. In 1941, he entered Georgia Southwestern College in Americus, Georgia to study engineering.
3. In 1942, he transferred to the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia.
4. In 1943, he received an appointment to the Naval Academy where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1946, the same year he and Rosalynn got married.
5. On July 3, 1947, Rosalynn gave birth to their son John William Carter in Portsmouth, Virginia.
6. On April 12, 1950, Rosalynn gave birth to their son James Earl Carter III in Honolulu, Hawaii.
7. On August 18, 1952, Rosalynn gave birth to their son Donnel Jeffrey Carter in New London, Connecticut.
8. On October 19, 1967, Rosalynn gave birth to their daughter Amy Lynn Carter in Plains.
9. From January 14, 1963 to January 9, 1967, he served as a member of the Georgia State Senate from the 14th district.
10. From January 12, 1971 to January 14, 1975, he served as the 76th governor of Georgia.
11. From January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981, he served as the 39th U.S. president.
12. In 2002, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to him.
13. In February 2023, he entered hospice care.
14. On November 19, 2023, his wife Rosalynn died in Plains at age 96.
15. On October 1, 2024, he turned 100.
16. On December 29, 2024, he died in Plains.