After serving as a Naval Officer for 7 years, Carter returned to the plains and entered state politics in 1962. Eight years later, he was elected Governor of Georgia, where his focuses were ecology, efficient government, and eliminating racial barriers.
In December 1974, Jimmy Carter announced his candidacy for President and began a two-year campaign. At the Democratic Convention, he secured the nomination on the first ballot and chose Senator Walter F. Mondale of Minnesota as his running mate.
Carter participated in three debates with President Gerald R. Ford during the campaign and ultimately won the election with 297 electoral votes compared to Ford’s 241.
On January 20, 1977, at the age of 52 years, 3 months, and 20 days, Carter was inaugurated as President.
During his presidency, Jimmy Carter is credited with creating approximately 8 million jobs and reducing the budget deficit as a percentage of the gross national product. However, challenges arose due to high inflation and interest rates, leading to a brief recession when efforts were made to decrease them. In terms of domestic affairs, Carter achieved several accomplishments. He implemented a national energy policy and deregulated domestic petroleum prices to stimulate production in order to address the energy shortage. Additionally, he focused on enhancing government efficiency through civil service reform and deregulation in the trucking and airline industries. Carter also prioritized environmental improvements by expanding the national park systems and protecting 103 million acres of Alaskan lands. Furthermore, he established the Department of Education, strengthened the Social Security system, and appointed women, blacks, and Hispanics to government positions.
In foreign affairs, Carter played a vital role in facilitating Middle Eastern peace through his work on the Camp David agreement in 1978 between Egypt and Israel. He also secured ratification of the Panama Canal treaties while establishing diplomatic relations with China’s People’s Republic. Moreover, he successfully concluded negotiations for SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with Soviet Union.
Despite these achievements however,his administration also faced failures.During this time, there were several setbacks. The failure to ratify the SALT II treaty was one of them. Unfortunately, the plans for its ratification had to be halted because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. At the same time, President Carter faced another challenge with the U.S. embassy staff in Iran being held hostage without any resolution actions taken for over a year.
Following his loss in the 1980 presidential election to Reagan, Carter returned to Georgia and founded a non-profit organization called the Carter Center in Atlanta in 1982. This center has a global mission that focuses on promoting peace and human rights. Operating in more than 65 countries, it has initiated various projects aimed at resolving conflicts, preventing human rights violations, promoting democracy, improving health conditions, and revitalizing urban areas.
It’s important to mention that both Carter and his wife Rosalynn still live in Plains.
