Jimmy Carter James Earl " Jimmy " Carter , Jr . ( born October 1 , 1924 ) is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States ( 1977 – 1981 ) and was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize , the only U . S . President to have received the Prize after leaving office . Before he became President , Carter , a Democrat , served as a U . S . Naval officer , was a peanut farmer , served two terms as a Georgia State Senator and one as Governor of Georgia ( 1971 – 1975 ) . During Carter ' s term as President , he created two new cabinet - level departments : the Department of Energy and the Department of Education . He established a national energy policy that included conservation , price control , and new technology . In foreign affairs , Carter pursued the Camp David Accords , the Panama Canal Treaties , the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks ( SALT II ) , and returned the Panama Canal Zone to Panama . He took office during a period of international stagnation and inflation , which persisted throughout his term . The end of his presidential tenure was marked by the 1979 – 1981 Iran hostage crisis , the 1979 energy crisis , the Three Mile Island nuclear accident , the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan , the United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow ( the only U . S . boycott in Olympic history ) , and the eruption of Mount St . Helens in Washington state . By 1980 , Carter ' s popularity had eroded . He survived a primary challenge against Ted Kennedy for the Democratic Party nomination in the 1980 election , but lost the election to Ronald Reagan , the Republican candidate . On January 20 , 1981 , minutes after Carter ' s term in office ended , the 52 U . S . captives held at the U . S . embassy in Iran were released , ending the 444 - day Iran hostage crisis . To this day , he remains the most recent sitting Democrat to lose a bid for re - election , along with being the second latest presidential incumbent to lose an election . Carter and his wife Rosalynn founded the Carter Center in 1982 , a nongovernmental , not - for - profit organization that works to advance human rights . He has traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations , observe elections , and advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations . Carter is a key figure in the Habitat for Humanity project , and also remains particularly vocal on the Israeli – Palestinian conflict . Early life . James Earl Carter , Jr . , was born at the Wise Sanitarium on October 1 , 1924 , in the tiny southwest Georgia city of Plains , near Americus . The first president born in a hospital , he is the eldest of four children of James Earl Carter and Bessie Lillian Gordy . Carter ' s father was a prominent business owner in the community , and his mother was a registered nurse . Carter has Scots - Irish and English ancestry ( one of his paternal ancestors arrived in the American Colonies in 1635 ) . His family has lived in the state of Georgia for several generations . Ancestors of Carter fought in the American Revolution , and he is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution . Carter ' s great - grandfather , Private L . B . Walker Carter ( 1832 – 1874 ) , served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War . Education . Carter was a gifted student from an early age who always had a fondness for reading . By the time he attended Plains High School , he was also a star in basketball . While he was in high school , he was in the Future Farmers of America ( later the National FFA Organization ) , serving as the Plains FFA Chapter Secretary . Naval career . After high school , Carter enrolled at Georgia Southwestern College , in Americus . Later , he applied to the United States Naval Academy and , after taking additional mathematics courses at Georgia Tech , he was admitted in 1943 . Carter graduated 59th out of 820 midshipmen at the Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree with an unspecified major , as was the custom at the academy at that time . After serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific U . S . Submarine Fleets , Jimmy Carter attended graduate school majoring in reactor technology and nuclear physics . Carter served on surface ships and on diesel - electric submarines in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets . As a junior officer , he completed qualification for command of a diesel - electric submarine . He applied for the US Navy ' s fledgling nuclear submarine program run by then Captain Hyman G . Rickover . Rickover ' s demands on his men and machines were legendary , and Carter later said that , next to his parents , Rickover had the greatest influence on him . Carter has said that he loved the Navy , and had planned to make it his career . His ultimate goal was to become Chief of Naval Operations . Carter felt the best route for promotion was with submarine duty since he felt that nuclear power would be increasingly used in submarines . Carter was based in Schenectady , New York , and worked on developing training materials for the nuclear propulsion system for the prototype of a new submarine . On December 12 , 1952 , an accident with the experimental NRX reactor at Atomic Energy of Canada ' s Chalk River Laboratories caused a partial meltdown . The resulting explosion caused millions of liters of radioactive water to flood the reactor building ' s basement , and the reactor ' s core was no longer usable . Carter was ordered to Chalk River , joining other American and Canadian service personnel . He was the officer in charge of the U . S . team assisting in the shutdown of the Chalk River Nuclear Reactor . Once they arrived , Carter ' s team used a model of the reactor to practice the steps necessary to disassemble the reactor and seal it off . During execution of the disassembly , each team member , including Carter , donned protective gear , was lowered individually into the reactor , where he could stay for only a few seconds at a time to minimize exposure to radiation . They had to use hand tools to loosen bolts , remove nuts , and take the other steps necessary to complete the disassembly process . During and after his presidency , Carter indicated that his experience at Chalk River shaped his views on nuclear power and nuclear weapons , including his decision not to pursue completion of the neutron bomb . Upon the death of his father James Earl Carter , Sr . , in July 1953 , Carter was urgently needed to run the family business . Resigning his commission , he was discharged from the Navy on October 9 , 1953 . Farming . Though Carter ' s father , Earl , died a relatively wealthy man , between his forgiveness of debts and the division of his wealth among heirs , his son Jimmy Carter inherited comparatively little . For a year , due to a limited real estate market , the Carters lived in public housing ( Carter is the only U . S . president to have lived in housing subsidized for the poor ) . Knowledgeable in scientific and technological subjects , Carter took over the family peanut farm . Carter took to the county library to read up on agriculture while Rosalynn learned accounting to manage the business ' financials . Though they barely broke even the first year , Carter managed to expand in Plains . His farming business was successful . By his 1970 gubernatorial campaign , he was considered a wealthy peanut farmer . Early political career . Georgia State Senate . Jimmy Carter started his political career by serving on various local boards , governing such entities as the schools , hospitals , and libraries , among others . In the 1960s , he was elected to two terms in the Georgia Senate from the fourteenth district of Georgia . His 1961 election to the state Senate , which followed the end of Georgia ' s County Unit System ( per the Supreme Court case of " Gray v . Sanders " ) , was chronicled in his book " Turning Point : A Candidate , a State , and a Nation Come of Age " . The initial results showed Carter losing , but this was the result of fraudulent voting . Joe Hurst , the sheriff of Quitman County was involved in system abuses , including votes recorded from deceased persons , and tallies filled with people who supposedly voted in alphabetical order . Carter challenged the results ; when fraud was confirmed , he won the election . Carter was reelected in 1964 , to serve a second two - year term . For a time in the State Senate , he chaired its Education Committee . In 1966 , Carter declined running for re - election as a state senator to pursue a gubernatorial run . His first cousin , Hugh Carter , was elected as a Democrat and took over his seat in the Senate . Campaigns for governor . In 1966 , Carter considered running for the United States House of Representatives . His Republican opponent , Howard Callaway , dropped out and decided to run for Governor of Georgia . Carter did not want to see a Republican governor of his state , and joined the race . He lost the Democratic primary , but drew enough votes as a third - place candidate to force the favorite , liberal former governor Ellis Arnall , into a runoff election . A chain of events resulted in the nomination of Lester Maddox , a segregationist Democrat . Maddox was elected as governor of Georgia by the Georgia General Assembly , although he finished a close second in a three - way general election race with Callaway and Arnall , who ran as a Write - in candidate . During the primary , Carter ran as a moderate alternative to both the liberal Arnall and conservative Maddox . Although Carter lost , his strong third - place finish was viewed as a success for the little - known state senator . Carter returned to his agriculture business and , during the next four years , carefully planned his next campaign for Governor in 1970 . He made more than 1 , 800 speeches throughout the state . During his 1970 campaign , he ran an uphill populist campaign in the Democratic primary against the former governor Carl Sanders , labeling his opponent " Cufflinks Carl " . Carter was never a segregationist , and refused to join the White Citizens ' Council . This caused a boycott of his peanut warehouse . His family was one of two among their congregation to vote to admit blacks to the Plains Baptist Church . ( Note : Most blacks had quickly left the Southern Baptist Convention after the Civil War , setting up independent black Baptist congregations and , quickly , state and national associations . Others joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church or the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church , independent black denominations founded in the early 19th century by free blacks in the North . ) The historian E . Stanley Godbold wrote , Carter ' s campaign aides handed out a photograph of his opponent Sanders celebrating with black basketball players . Following his close victory over Sanders in the primary , Carter was elected governor over the Republican Hal Suit . After his election , Carter said , Leroy Johnson , a Georgia State Senator , reflected : Governor of Georgia . Carter was sworn in as the 76th Governor of Georgia on January 12 , 1971 , and held this post for one term , until January 14 , 1975 . At the time , governors of Georgia were not allowed to succeed themselves . His predecessor as governor , Lester Maddox , became the Lieutenant Governor . Carter and Maddox found little common ground during their four years of service , often publicly feuding with each other . In Georgia , the Governor and Lieutenant Governor were not elected as a team . Civil rights politics . Carter declared in his inaugural speech that the time of racial segregation was over , and that racial discrimination had no place in the future of the state ; he was the first statewide officeholder in the Deep South to say this in public . Carter appointed many African Americans to statewide boards and offices . He was often called one of the " New Southern Governors " much more moderate than their predecessors , and supportive of racial desegregation and expanding African - Americans ' rights . State government reforms . Carter improved government efficiency by merging about 300 state agencies into 30 agencies . One of his aides recalled that Governor Carter " was right there with us , working just as hard , digging just as deep into every little problem . It was his program and he worked on it as hard as anybody , and the final product was distinctly his . " He also pushed reforms through the legislature , to provide equal state aid to schools in the wealthy and poor areas of Georgia , set up community centers for mentally handicapped children , and increase educational programs for convicts . Carter took pride in his program for the appointment of judges and state government officials . Under this program , all such appointments were based on merit , rather than political influence . Death penalty and crime . After the U . S . Supreme Court overturned Georgia ' s death penalty law in 1972 as unconstitutional , Carter quickly proposed state legislation to replace the death penalty with life in prison without parole ( an option that previously did not exist ) . When the Georgia legislature passed a new death penalty statute , Carter , despite expressing reservations about its constitutionality , signed the new legislation on March 28 , 1973 . It authorized the death penalty for murder , rape and other offenses , and implemented trial procedures to conform to constitutional requirements . In 1976 , the U . S . Supreme Court upheld Georgia ' s new death penalty for murder . In the case of " Coker v . Georgia " , the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional as applied to rape . Many people in the United States were outraged when Lieutenant William Calley was convicted in a military trial and sentenced to life for his role in the My Lai Massacre in South Vietnam . Carter instituted " American Fighting Man ' s Day " and asked Georgians to drive for a week with their lights on in support of Calley . Indiana ' s governor asked for all state flags to be flown at half - staff for Calley , and Utah ' s and Mississippi ' s governors also disagreed with the verdict . United States Senate appointment . Richard Russell , Jr . , then President pro tempore of the United States Senate , died in office on January 21 , 1971 . Only nine days into his governorship , on February 1 Carter appointed David H . Gambrell , state Democratic Party chair , to fill the unexpired Russell term in the Senate . Gambrell was defeated in the next Democratic primary by the more conservative Sam Nunn . Other activities . During the 1972 Democratic National Convention , Carter endorsed the candidacy of Senator Henry M . Jackson of Washington . In 1973 , as governor , Carter filed a report on a 1969 UFO sighting with the International UFO Bureau in Oklahoma City . In 2007 , Carter said that he did not remember why he filed the report , and that he likely did it at the request of one of his children . He also said he does not believe it was an alien spacecraft , but likely a military experiment being conducted from a nearby military base . In 1974 , Carter appeared as the first guest on an episode of the game show " What ' s My Line " , signing in as " X " , to hide his occupation . After his job was identified on question seven of ten by Gene Shalit , he talked about having brought movie production to the state of Georgia , citing " Deliverance " , and the then - unreleased " The Longest Yard " . In 1974 , Carter was chairman of the Democratic National Committee ' s congressional , as well as gubernatorial , campaigns . 1976 presidential campaign . When Carter entered the Democratic Party presidential primaries in 1976 , he was considered to have little chance against nationally better - known politicians . His name recognition was two percent . When he told his family of the decision to run for president , his mother asked , " President of what ? " As the Watergate scandal of President Nixon was still fresh in the voters ' minds , Carter ' s position as an outsider , distant from Washington , D . C . , became an asset . He promoted government reorganization . Carter published " Why Not the Best ? " in June 1976 to help introduce himself to the American public . Carter became the front - runner early on by winning the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary . He used a two - prong strategy : In the South , which most had tacitly conceded to Alabama ' s George Wallace , Carter ran as a moderate favorite son . When Wallace proved to be a spent force , Carter swept the region . In the North , Carter appealed largely to conservative Christian and rural voters ; he had little chance of winning a majority in most states . He won several Northern states by building the largest single bloc . Carter ' s strategy involved reaching a region before another candidate could extend influence there . He had traveled over 50 , 000 miles , visited 37 states , and delivered over 200 speeches before any other candidates announced that they were in the race . Initially dismissed as a regional candidate , Carter proved to be the only Democrat with a truly national strategy , and he clinched the nomination . The national news media discovered and promoted Carter , as Lawrence Shoup noted in his 1980 book " The Carter Presidency and Beyond " : Carter was interviewed by Robert Scheer of " Playboy " for the November 1976 issue , which hit the newsstands a couple of weeks before the election . While discussing his religion ' s view of pride , Carter said : " I ' ve looked on a lot of women with lust . I ' ve committed adultery in my heart many times . " He is the only American president to have been interviewed by " Playboy " . As late as January 26 , 1976 , Carter was the first choice of only four percent of Democratic voters , according to a Gallup poll . Yet " by mid - March 1976 Carter was not only far ahead of the active contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination , he also led President Ford by a few percentage points " , according to Shoup . He chose Senator Walter F . Mondale as his running mate . He attacked Washington in his speeches , and offered a religious salve for the nation ' s wounds . Carter began the race with a sizable lead over Ford , who narrowed the gap during the campaign , but lost to Carter in a narrow defeat on November 2 , 1976 . Carter won the popular vote by 50 . 1 percent to 48 . 0 percent for Ford , and received 297 electoral votes to Ford ' s 240 . Carter became the first contender from the Deep South to be elected President since the 1848 election . Carter carried fewer states than Ford — 23 states to the defeated Ford ' s 27 — yet Carter won with the largest percentage of the popular vote ( 50 . 1 percent ) of any non - incumbent since Dwight Eisenhower . Presidency . Carter ' s tenure was a time of continuing inflation and recession , as well as an energy crisis . On January 7 , 1980 , Carter signed Law H . R . 5860 aka Public Law 96 - 185 known as " The Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Act of 1979 , " bailing out Chrysler Corporation . He cancelled military pay raises during a time of high inflation and government deficits . 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 the Panama Canal ; 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 . U . S . energy crisis . On April 18 , 1977 , Carter delivered a televised speech declaring that the U . S . energy crisis during the 1970s was the moral equivalent of war . He encouraged energy conservation by all U . S . citizens and installed solar water heating panels on the White House . He wore sweaters to offset turning down the heat in the White House . EPA Love Canal Superfund . 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 the neighborhood , which was 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 were built on top of the dump ; and to remediate the dump and construct a containment area for the hazardous wastes . This 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 " . Deregulation . Beer . In 1979 , Carter deregulated the American beer industry by making it legal to sell malt , hops , and yeast to American home brewers for the first time since the effective 1920 beginning of Prohibition in the United States . This deregulation led to an increase in home brewing over the 1980s and 1990s that by the 2000s had developed into a strong craft microbrew culture in the United States , with over 2 , 000 breweries and brewpubs in the United States by 2012 . U . S . airline industry . In 1977 , Carter appointed Alfred E . Kahn , a professor of economics at Cornell University , to be chair of the Civil Aeronautics Board ( CAB ) . He was part of a push for deregulation of the industry , supported by leading economists , leading ' think tanks ' in Washington , a civil society coalition advocating the reform ( patterned on a coalition earlier developed for the truck - and - rail - reform efforts ) , the head of the regulatory agency , Senate leadership , the Carter administration , and even some in the airline industry . This coalition swiftly gained legislative results in 1978 . The Airline Deregulation Act ( ) was signed into law by President Carter on October 24 , 1978 . The main purpose of the act was to remove government control over fares , routes and market entry ( of new airlines ) from commercial aviation . The Civil Aeronautics Board ' s powers of regulation were to be phased out , eventually allowing market forces to determine routes and fares . The Act did not remove or diminish the FAA ' s regulatory powers over all aspects of airline safety . U . S . boycott of the Moscow Olympics . In response to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan , Carter decided to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow , which raised a bitter controversy . It was the only time since the founding of the modern Olympics in 1896 that the United States had not participated in a Summer or Winter Olympics . The Soviet Union retaliated by boycotting the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles . It did not withdraw troops from Afghanistan until 1989 ( eight years after Carter left office ) . 1980 presidential campaign . Carter later wrote that the most intense and mounting opposition to his policies came from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party , which he attributed to Ted Kennedy ' s ambition to replace him as president . Kennedy surprised his supporters by running a weak campaign , and Carter won most of the primaries and secured renomination . However , Kennedy had mobilized the liberal wing of the Democratic Party , which gave Carter weak support in the fall election . Carter ' s campaign for re - election in 1980 was one of the most difficult , and least successful , in history . He faced strong challenges from the right ( Republican Ronald Reagan ) , the center ( independent John B . Anderson ) , and the left ( Democrat Ted Kennedy ) . He had to run against his own " stagflation " - ridden economy , while the hostage crisis in Iran dominated the news every week . He alienated liberal college students , who were expected to be his base , by re - instating registration for the military draft . His campaign manager and former appointments secretary , Timothy Kraft , stepped down some five weeks before the general election amid what turned out to have been an uncorroborated allegation of cocaine use . Carter was defeated by Ronald Reagan in a landslide , and the Senate went Republican for the first time since 1952 . Public image . " The Independent " writes , " Carter is widely considered a better man than he was a president . " While he began his term with a 66 percent approval rating , this had dropped to 34 percent approval by the time he left office , with 55 percent disapproving . In the wake of Nixon ' s Watergate Scandal , exit polls from the 1976 Presidential election suggested that many still held Gerald Ford ' s pardon of Nixon against him . By comparison Carter seemed a sincere , honest , and well - meaning Southerner . His administration suffered from his inexperience in politics . Carter paid too much attention to detail . He frequently backed down from confrontation and was quick to retreat when attacked by political rivals . He appeared to be indecisive and ineffective , and did not define his priorities clearly . He seemed to be distrustful and uninterested in working with other groups , or even with Congress when controlled by his own party , which he denounced for being controlled by special interest groups . Though he made efforts to address many of these issues in 1978 , the approval he won from his reforms did not last long . In the 1980 campaign , Ronald Reagan projected an easy self - confidence , in contrast to Carter ' s serious and introspective temperament . Carter ' s personal attention to detail , his pessimistic attitude , his seeming indecisiveness and weakness with people were accentuated in contrast to Reagan ' s charismatic charm and delegation of tasks to subordinates . Reagan used the economic problems , Iran hostage crisis , and lack of Washington cooperation to portray Carter as a weak and ineffectual leader . Carter was the first elected president since Hoover in 1932 to lose a reelection bid . In the years since then , his reputation has much improved . Carter ' s presidential approval rating , at 31 percent just prior to the 1980 election , was polled in early 2009 at 64 percent . His post - Presidency activities have been favorably received . Carter believes that George H . W . Bush , who actively sought him out and was far more courteous and interested in his advice than Reagan , contributed to the rise in his reputation . Post - presidency . In 1981 , Carter returned to Georgia to his peanut farm , which he had placed into a blind trust during his presidency to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest . He found that the trustees had mismanaged the trust , leaving him more than one million dollars in debt . In the years that followed , he has led an active life , establishing the Carter Center , building his presidential library , teaching at Emory University in Atlanta , Georgia , and writing numerous books . He has also contributed to the expansion of Habitat for Humanity , to build affordable housing . As of September 8 , 2012 , Carter has lived longer after leaving office than any other U . S . President . Carter Center and Nobel Prize . Carter has been involved in a variety of national and international public policy , conflict resolution , human rights and charitable causes . In 1982 , he established The Carter Center in Atlanta to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering . The non - profit , nongovernmental Center promotes democracy , mediates and prevents conflicts , and monitors the electoral process in support of free and fair elections . It also works to improve global health through the control and eradication of diseases such as Guinea worm disease , river blindness , malaria , trachoma , lymphatic filariasis , and schistosomiasis . It also works to diminish the stigma of mental illnesses and improve nutrition through increased crop production in Africa . A major accomplishment of The Carter Center has been the elimination of more than 99 percent of cases of Guinea worm disease , from an estimated 3 . 5 million cases in 1986 to 1 , 058 reported cases in 2011 . The Carter Center has monitored 81 elections in 33 countries since 1989 . It has worked to resolve conflicts in Haiti , Bosnia , Ethiopia , North Korea , Sudan and other countries . Carter and the Center support human rights defenders around the world and have intervened with heads of state on their behalf . In 2002 , President Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work " to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts , to advance democracy and human rights , and to promote economic and social development " through The Carter Center . Three sitting presidents , Theodore Roosevelt , Woodrow Wilson and Barack Obama , have received the prize ; Carter is unique in receiving the award for his actions after leaving the presidency . He is , along with Martin Luther King , Jr . , one of only two native Georgians to receive the Nobel . Diplomacy . North Korea . In 1994 , North Korea had expelled investigators from the International Atomic Energy Agency and was threatening to begin processing spent nuclear fuel . In response , then - President Clinton pressured for US sanctions and ordered large amounts of troops and vehicles into the area to brace for war . Bill Clinton secretly recruited Carter to undertake a peace mission to North Korea , under the guise that it was a private mission of Carter ' s . Clinton saw Carter as a way to let North Korean President Kim Il - sung back down without losing face . Carter negotiated an understanding with Kim Il - sung , but went further and outlined a treaty , which he announced on CNN without the permission of the Clinton White House as a way to force the US into action . The Clinton Administration signed a later version of the Agreed Framework , under which North Korea agreed to freeze and ultimately dismantle its current nuclear program and comply with its nonproliferation obligations in exchange for oil deliveries , the construction of two light water reactors to replace its graphite reactors , and discussions for eventual diplomatic relations . The agreement was widely hailed at the time as a significant diplomatic achievement . In December 2002 , the Agreed Framework collapsed as a result of a dispute between the George W . Bush Administration and the North Korean government of Kim Jong - il . In 2001 , Bush had taken a confrontational position toward North Korea and , in January 2002 , named it as part of an " Axis of Evil " . Meanwhile , North Korea began developing the capability to enrich uranium . Bush Administration opponents of the Agreed Framework believed that the North Korean government never intended to give up a nuclear weapons program , but supporters believed that the agreement could have been successful and was undermined . In August 2010 , Carter traveled to North Korea in an attempt to secure the release of Aijalon Mahli Gomes . Gomes , a U . S . citizen , was sentenced to eight years of hard labor after being found guilty of illegally entering North Korea . Carter successfully secured the release . Middle East . Carter and experts from The Carter Center assisted unofficial Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in designing a model agreement for peace – - called the Geneva Accord – - in 2002 – 2003 . Carter has also in recent years become a frequent critic of Israel ' s policies in Lebanon , West Bank , and Gaza . In 2006 , at the UK Hay Festival , Carter stated that Israel has at least 150 nuclear weapons . He expressed his support for Israel as a country , but criticized its domestic and foreign policy ; " One of the greatest human rights crimes on earth is the starvation and imprisonment of 1 . 6m Palestinians , " said Carter . He mentioned statistics showing nutritional intake of some Palestinian children was below that of the children of Sub - Saharan Africa and described the European position on Israel as " supine " . In April 2008 , the London - based Arabic newspaper " Al - Hayat " reported that Carter met with exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on his visit to Syria . The Carter Center initially did not confirm nor deny the story . The US State Department considers Hamas a terrorist organization . Within this Mid - East trip , Carter also laid a wreath on the grave of Yasser Arafat in Ramallah on April 14 , 2008 . Carter said on April 23 that neither Condoleezza Rice nor anyone else in the State Department had warned him against meeting with Hamas leaders during his trip . Carter spoke to Mashaal on several matters , including " formulas for prisoner exchange to obtain the release of Corporal Shalit . " In May 2007 , while arguing that the United States should directly talk to Iran , Carter again stated that Israel has 150 nuclear weapons in its arsenal . In December 2008 , Carter visited Damascus again , where he met with Syrian President Bashar Assad , and the Hamas leadership . During his visit he gave an exclusive interview to Forward Magazine , the first ever interview for any American president , current or former , with a Syrian media outlet . Carter visited with three officials from Hamas who have been living at the International Red Cross office in Jerusalem since July 2010 . Israel believes that these three Hamas legislators had a role in the 2006 kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit , and has a deportation order set for them . Africa . Carter held summits in Egypt and Tunisia in 1995 – 1996 to address violence in the Great Lakes region of Africa . Carter played a key role in negotiation of the Nairobi Agreement in 1999 between Sudan and Uganda . On June 18 , 2007 , Carter , accompanied by his wife , arrived in Dublin , Ireland , for talks with President Mary McAleese and Bertie Ahern concerning human rights . On June 19 , Carter attended and spoke at the annual Human Rights Forum at Croke Park . An agreement between Irish Aid and The Carter Center was also signed on this day . Americas . Carter led a mission to Haiti in 1994 with Senator Sam Nunn and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powell to avert a US - led multinational invasion and restore to power Haiti ' s democratically elected president , Jean - Bertrand Aristide . Carter visited Cuba in May 2002 and had full discussions with Fidel Castro and the Cuban government . He was allowed to address the Cuban public uncensored on national television and radio with a speech that he wrote and presented in Spanish . In the speech , he called on the US to end " an ineffective 43 - year - old economic embargo " and on Castro to hold free elections , improve human rights , and allow greater civil liberties . He met with political dissidents ; visited the AIDS sanitarium , a medical school , a biotech facility , an agricultural production cooperative , and a school for disabled children ; and threw a pitch for an all - star baseball game in Havana . The visit made Carter the first President of the United States , in or out of office , to visit the island since the Cuban revolution of 1959 . Carter observed the Venezuela recall elections on August 15 , 2004 . European Union observers had declined to participate , saying too many restrictions were put on them by the Hugo Chávez administration . A record number of voters turned out to defeat the recall attempt with a 59 percent " no " vote . The Carter Center stated that the process " suffered from numerous irregularities , " but said it did not observe or receive " evidence of fraud that would have changed the outcome of the vote " . On the afternoon of August 16 , 2004 , the day after the vote , Carter and Organization of American States ( OAS ) Secretary General César Gaviria gave a joint press conference in which they endorsed the preliminary results announced by the National Electoral Council . The monitors ' findings " coincided with the partial returns announced today by the National Elections Council , " said Carter , while Gaviria added that the OAS electoral observation mission ' s members had " found no element of fraud in the process . " Directing his remarks at opposition figures who made claims of " widespread fraud " in the voting , Carter called on all Venezuelans to " accept the results and work together for the future " . A Penn , Schoen & Berland Associates ( PSB ) exit poll had predicted that Chávez would lose by 20 percent ; when the election results showed him to have won by 20 percent , Douglas Schoen commented , " I think it was a massive fraud " . " US News & World Report " offered an analysis of the polls , indicating " very good reason to believe that the [ Penn , Schoen & Berland ] exit poll had the result right , and that Chávez ' s election officialsand Carter and the American mediagot it wrong . " The exit poll and the government ' s programming of election machines became the basis of claims of election fraud . An Associated Press report states that Penn , Schoen & Berland used volunteers from pro - recall organization Súmate for fieldwork , and its results contradicted five other opposition exit polls . Following Ecuador ' s severing of ties with Colombia in March 2008 , Carter brokered a deal for agreement between the countries ' respective presidents on the restoration of low - level diplomatic relations announced June 8 , 2008 . Vietnam . On November 18 , 2009 , Carter visited Vietnam to build houses for the poor . The one - week program , known as Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project 2009 , built 32 houses in Dong Xa village , in the northern province of Hải Dương . The project launch was scheduled for November 14 , according to the news source which quoted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Nguyen Phuong Nga . Administered by the non - governmental and non - profit Habitat for Humanity International ( HFHI ) , the annual program of 2009 would build and repair 166 homes in Vietnam and some other Asian countries with the support of nearly 3 , 000 volunteers around the world , the organization said on its website . HFHI has worked in Vietnam since 2001 to provide low - cost housing , water , and sanitation solutions for the poor . It has worked in provinces like Tiền Giang and Đồng Nai as well as Ho Chi Minh City . The Elders . On July 18 , 2007 , Carter joined Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg , South Africa , to announce his participation in The Elders , a group of independent global leaders who work together on peace and human rights issues . The Elders work globally , on thematic as well as geographically specific subjects . The organization ' s priority issue areas include the Israeli - Palestinian conflict , the Korean Peninsula , Sudan and South Sudan , sustainable development , and equality for girls and women . Carter has been actively involved in the work of The Elders , participating in visits to Cyprus , the Korean Peninsula , and the Middle East , among others In October 2007 , Carter toured Darfur with several of the Elders , including Desmond Tutu . Sudanese security prevented him from visiting a Darfuri tribal leader , leading to a heated exchange . He returned to Sudan with fellow Elder Lakhdar Brahimi in May 2012 as part of The Elders ’ efforts to encourage the presidents of Sudan and South Sudan to return to negotiations , and highlight the impact of the conflict on civilians . In November 2008 , President Carter , former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan , and Graça Machel , wife of Nelson Mandela , were stopped from entering Zimbabwe , to inspect the human rights situation , by President Robert Mugabe ' s government . The Elders instead made their assessment from South Africa , meeting with Zimbabwe - and South Africa - based leaders from politics , business , international organisations and civil society in Johannesburg . Criticism of U . S . policy . In 2001 , Carter criticized President Bill Clinton ' s controversial pardon of Marc Rich , calling it " disgraceful " and suggesting that Rich ' s financial contributions to the Democratic Party were a factor in Clinton ' s action . Carter has also criticized the presidency of George W . Bush and the Iraq War . In a 2003 op - ed in " The New York Times " , Carter warned against the consequences of a war in Iraq and urged restraint in use of military force . In March 2004 , Carter condemned George W . Bush and Tony Blair for waging an unnecessary war " based upon lies and misinterpretations " to oust Saddam Hussein . In August 2006 , Carter criticized Blair for being " subservient " to the Bush administration and accused Blair of giving unquestioning support to Bush ' s Iraq policies . In a May 2007 interview with the Arkansas Democrat - Gazette , he said , " I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world , this administration has been the worst in history , " when it comes to foreign affairs . Two days after the quote was published , Carter told NBC ' s Today that the " worst in history " comment was " careless or misinterpreted , " and that he " wasn ' t comparing this administration with other administrations back through history , but just with President Nixon ' s . " The day after the " worst in history " comment was published , White House spokesman Tony Fratto said that Carter had become " increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments . " On May 19 , 2007 , Mr . Blair made his final visit to Iraq before stepping down as British Prime Minister , and Carter criticized him afterward . Carter told the BBC that Blair was " apparently subservient " to Bush and criticized him for his " blind support " for the Iraq war . Carter described Blair ' s actions as " abominable " and stated that the British Prime Minister ' s " almost undeviating support for the ill - advised policies of President Bush in Iraq have been a major tragedy for the world . " Carter said he believes that had Blair distanced himself from the Bush administration during the run - up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 , it might have made a crucial difference to American political and public opinion , and consequently the invasion might not have gone ahead . Carter states that " one of the defenses of the Bush administration . . . has been , okay , we must be more correct in our actions than the world thinks because Great Britain is backing us . So I think the combination of Bush and Blair giving their support to this tragedy in Iraq has strengthened the effort and has made the opposition less effective , and prolonged the war and increased the tragedy that has resulted . " Carter expressed his hope that Blair ' s successor , Gordon Brown , would be " less enthusiastic " about Bush ' s Iraq policy . In June 2005 , Carter urged the closing of the Guantanamo Bay Prison in Cuba , which has been a focal point for recent claims of prisoner abuse . In September 2006 , Carter was interviewed on the BBC ' s current affairs program " Newsnight " , voicing his concern at the increasing influence of the Religious Right on US politics . Due to his status as former President , Carter was a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention . Carter announced his endorsement of Senator ( now president ) Barack Obama . Speaking to the English Monthly Forward magazine of Syria , Carter was asked to give one word that came to mind when mentioning President George W . Bush . His answer was : the end of a very disappointing administration . His reaction to mentioning Barack Obama was : honesty , intelligence , and politically adept . In September 2009 , Carter put weight behind allegations by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez , pertaining to United States involvement in the 2002 Venezuelan coup d ' état attempt by a civilian - military junta , saying that Washington knew about the coup and may have taken part . On June 16 , 2011 , the 40th anniversary of Richard Nixon ' s official declaration of America ' s War on Drugs , Carter wrote an op - ed in " The New York Times " urging the United States and the rest of the world to " Call Off the Global War on Drugs " , explicitly endorsing the initiative released by the Global Commission on Drug Policy earlier that month and quoting a message he gave to Congress in 1977 saying that " [ p ] enalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself . " Criticisms of President Obama . Carter has criticized the Obama administration for their use of drone strikes against suspected terrorists . Carter also said that he disagrees with President Obama ' s decision to keep the Guantánamo Bay detention camp open , saying that the inmates " have been tortured by waterboarding more than 100 times or intimidated with semiautomatic weapons , power drills or threats to sexually assault their mothers . " He claimed that the U . S . government had no moral leadership , and was committing human rights violations , and is no longer " the global champion of human rights " . In July 2013 , Carter expressed his criticism of current federal surveillance programs as disclosed by Edward Snowden indicating that " America has no functioning democracy at this moment . " Author . Carter has been a prolific author in his post - presidency , writing 21 of his 23 books . Among these is one he co - wrote with his wife , Rosalynn , and a children ' s book illustrated by his daughter , Amy . They cover a variety of topics , including humanitarian work , aging , religion , human rights , and poetry . " Palestine : Peace Not Apartheid " . In a 2007 speech to Brandeis University , Carter stated : " I have spent a great deal of my adult life trying to bring peace to Israel and its neighbors , based on justice and righteousness for the Palestinians . These are the underlying purposes of my new book . " In his book " " , published in November 2006 , Carter states : He declares that Israel ' s current policies in the Palestinian territories constitute " a system of apartheid , with two peoples occupying the same land , but completely separated from each other , with Israelis totally dominant and suppressing violence by depriving Palestinians of their basic human rights . " In an Op - Ed titled " Speaking Frankly about Israel and Palestine , " published in the " Los Angeles Times " and other newspapers , Carter states : While somesuch as a former Special Rapporteur for both the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the International Law Commission , as well as a member of the Israeli Knessethave praised Carter for speaking frankly about Palestinians in Israeli occupied lands , othersincluding the envoy to the Middle East under Clinton , as well as the first director of the Carter Centerhave accused him of anti - Israeli bias . Specifically , these critics have alleged significant factual errors , omissions and misstatements in the book . The 2007 documentary film , " Man from Plains " , follows President Carter during his tour for the controversial book and other humanitarian efforts . In December 2009 , Carter apologized for any words or deeds that may have upset the Jewish community in an open letter meant to improve an often tense relationship . He said he was offering an " Al Het " , a prayer said on Yom Kippur , the Jewish Day of Atonement . Involvement with Bank of Credit and Commerce International . After Carter left the presidency , his interest in the developing countries led him to having a close relationship with Agha Hasan Abedi , the founder of Bank of Credit and Commerce International ( BCCI ) . Abedi was a Pakistani , whose bank had offices and business in a large number of developing countries . He was introduced to Carter in 1982 by Bert Lance , one of Carter ' s closest friends . ( Unknown to Carter , BCCI had secretly purchased an interest in 1978 in National Bank of Georgia , which had previously been run by Lance and had made loans to Carter ' s peanut business . ) Abedi made generous donations to the Carter Center and the Global 2000 Project . Abedi also traveled with Carter to at least seven countries in connection with Carter ' s charitable activities . The main purpose of Abedi ' s association with Carter was not charitable activities , but to enhance BCCI ' s influence , in order to open more offices and develop more business . In 1991 , BCCI was seized by regulators , amid allegations of criminal activities , including illegally having control of several U . S . banks . Just prior to the seizure , Carter began to disassociate himself from Abedi and the bank . 2012 Presidential race . In the Republican party 2012 Presidential primary , Carter endorsed former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in mid - September , not because he supported Romney , but because he felt Obama ' s re - election bid would be strengthened in a race against Romney . Carter added that he thought Mitt Romney would lose in a match up against Obama and that he supported the president ' s re - election . Carter addressed the gathering in North Carolina by videotape , and did not attend the convention in person . Other activities . Carter has participated in many ceremonial events such as the opening of his own presidential library and those of Presidents Ronald Reagan , George H . W . Bush , and Bill Clinton . He has also participated in many forums , lectures , panels , funerals and other events . Carter delivered a eulogy at the funeral of Coretta Scott King and , most recently , at the funeral of his former political rival , but later his close , personal friend and diplomatic collaborator , Gerald Ford . President Jimmy Carter serves as an Honorary Chair for the World Justice Project . The World Justice Project works to lead a global , multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the Rule of Law for the development of communities of opportunity and equity . Carter serves as Honorary Chair for the Continuity of Government Commission ( he was co - chair with Gerald Ford until the latter ' s death ) . The Commission recommends improvements to continuity of government measures for the federal government . Personal views . Death penalty . During his presidential campaigns , he expressed his opposition to the death penalty , as had George McGovern . Two successive nominees , Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis , also opposed the death penalty . Carter is known for his strong opposition to the death penalty ; in his Nobel Prize lecture , he urged " prohibition of the death penalty " . Carter continued to speak out against the death penalty in the US and abroad . In a letter to the Governor of New Mexico , Bill Richardson , Carter urged the governor to sign a bill to eliminate the death penalty and institute life in prison without parole instead . New Mexico abolished the death penalty in 2009 . Carter wrote : " As you know , the United States is one of the few countries , along with nations such as Saudi Arabia , China , and Cuba , which still carry out the death penalty despite the ongoing tragedy of wrongful conviction and gross racial and class - based disparities that make impossible the fair implementation of this ultimate punishment . " In 2012 , Carter wrote an op - ed in the LA " Times " supporting passage of a state referendum which would have ended the death penalty . He opened the article : " The process for administering the death penalty in the United States is broken beyond repair , and it is time to choose a more effective and moral alternative . California voters will have the opportunity to do this on election day . " Carter has also called for commutations of death sentences for many death - row inmates , including Brian K . Baldwin ( executed in 1999 in Alabama ) , Kenneth Foster ( sentence in Texas commuted in 2007 ) and Troy Anthony Davis ( executed in Georgia in 2011 ) . Torture . In a 2008 interview with Amnesty International , Carter criticized the alleged use of torture at Guantanamo Bay , saying that it " contravenes the basic principles on which this nation was founded . " He stated that the next President should publicly apologize upon his inauguration , and state that the United States will " never again torture prisoners . " Abortion . Although " personally opposed " to abortion , after the landmark US Supreme Court decision " Roe v . Wade " , 410 US 113 ( 1973 ) , Carter supported legalized abortion . As president , he did not support increased federal funding for abortion services . He was criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union for not doing enough to find alternatives . In March 2012 , during an interview on " The Laura Ingraham Show " , Carter expressed his view that the Democratic Party should be more pro - life . He said that it had been difficult for him , given his strong beliefs , to uphold " Roe v . Wade " while he was president . In a March 29 , 2012 interview with Laura Ingraham , Carter expressed his current view of abortion and his wish to see the Democratic Party becoming more pro - life : " I never have believed that Jesus Christ would approve of abortions and that was one of the problems I had when I was president having to uphold Roe v . Wade and I did everything I could to minimize the need for abortions . I made it easy to adopt children for instance who were unwanted and also initiated the program called Women and Infant Children or WIC program that ' s still in existence now . But except for the times when a mother ' s life is in danger or when a pregnancy is caused by rape or incest I would certainly not or never have approved of any abortions . I ' ve signed a public letter calling for the Democratic Party at the next convention to espouse my position on abortion which is to minimize the need , requirement for abortion and limit it only to women whose life are in danger or who are pregnant as a result of rape or incest . I think if the Democratic Party would adopt that policy that would be acceptable to a lot of people who are now estranged from our party because of the abortion issue . " Race in politics . Carter ignited debate in September 2009 when he stated , " I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man , that he is African - American . " Obama disagreed with Carter ' s assessment . On CNN Obama stated , " Are there people out there who don ' t like me because of race ? I ' m sure there are . . . that ' s not the overriding issue here . " Commitment to equality for women . In October 2000 , Carter , a third - generation Southern Baptist , announced that he was severing ties to the Southern Baptist Convention over its opposition to women as pastors . What led Carter to take this action was a doctrinal statement by the Convention , adopted in June 2000 , advocating a literal interpretation of the Bible . This statement followed a position of the Convention two years previously advocating the submission of wives to their husbands . Carter described the reason for his decision as due to : " an increasing inclination on the part of Southern Baptist Convention leaders to be more rigid on what is a Southern Baptist and exclusionary of accommodating those who differ from them . " " The New York Times " called Carter ' s action " the highest - profile defection yet from the Southern Baptist Convention . " In subsequent years , Carter has joined with other world leaders who have spoken out about the subjugation of women by religious and other institutions . On July 15 , 2009 , Carter wrote an opinion piece about equality for women in which he stated that he chooses equality for women over the dictates of the leadership of what has been a lifetime religious commitment . He said that the view that women are inferior is not confined to one faith , " nor , tragically does its influence stop at the walls of the church , mosque , synagogue or temple . " Carter stated : Personal life . Carter and his wife , Rosalynn , are well known for their work as volunteers with Habitat for Humanity , a Georgia - based philanthropy that helps low - income working people around the world to build and buy their own homes and access clean water . Carter ' s hobbies include painting , fly - fishing , woodworking , cycling , tennis , and skiing . Religion . From a young age , Carter showed a deep commitment to Christianity . He teaches Sunday school and is a deacon at the Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains . As president , Carter prayed several times a day , and professed that Jesus Christ was the driving force in his life . Carter had been greatly influenced by a sermon he had heard as a young man . It asked , " If you were arrested for being a Christian , would there be enough evidence to convict you ? " The " Times " noted that Carter had been instrumental in moving evangelical Christianity closer to the American mainstream during and after his presidency . In 2000 , Carter severed his membership with the Southern Baptist Convention , saying the group ' s doctrines did not align with his Christian beliefs . In April 2006 , Carter , former - President Bill Clinton and Mercer University President Bill Underwood initiated the New Baptist Covenant . The broadly inclusive movement seeks to unite Baptists of all races , cultures and convention affiliations . 18 Baptist leaders representing more than 20 million Baptists across North America backed the group as an alternative to the Southern Baptist Convention . The group held its first meeting in Atlanta , January 30 through February 1 , 2008 . Family . Carter had three younger siblings : sisters Gloria ( 1926 – 1990 ) and Ruth ( 1929 – 1983 ) , and brother " Billy " . During Carter ' s presidency , Billy was often in the news , usually in an unflattering light . He is a first cousin of politician Hugh Carter . He is a half - second cousin of Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr . on his mother ' s side , and a cousin of June Carter Cash . He married Rosalynn Smith in 1946 ; they have three sons , one daughter , eight grandsons , three granddaughters , and two great - grandsons . They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in July 2011 , making them the second - longest wed Presidential couple after George and Barbara Bush , a position they have held since passing John and Abigail Adams on July 10 , 2000 . Their eldest son Jack was the Democratic nominee for U . S . Senate in Nevada in 2006 , losing to incumbent John Ensign . Jack ' s son Jason was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 2010 . Funeral and burial plans . Carter intends to be buried in front of his home in Plains , Georgia . Both President Carter and his wife Rosalynn were born in Plains . Carter also noted that a funeral in Washington , D . C . with visitation at the Carter Center is being planned as well . In contrast , most presidents since Herbert Hoover have chosen burial at their presidential libraries or museums . Assassinated in office , John F . Kennedy was buried at Arlington National Cemetery . Lyndon B . Johnson chose to be buried at his ranch . Honors and awards . Carter has received honorary degrees from many American and foreign colleges and universities . They include : Among the honors Carter has received are the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 . Others include : In 1998 , the US Navy named the third and last Seawolf - class submarine honoring former President Carter and his service as a submariner officer . It became one of the first US Navy vessels to be named for a person living at the time of naming .