Facts about Jimmy Carter

"Globalization, as defined by rich people like us, is a very nice thing... you are talking about the Internet, you are talking about cell phones, you are talking about computers. This doesn't affect two-thirds of the people of the world" - Jimmy Carter

The world knows him as a leader who paid heed to his country's needs. He is a man with a humble and subtle personality. His family was into peanut business. Hence, after graduating from Annapolis and serving in the U.S. Navy, he left to manage his family business.

James Earl Carter, Jr., a.k.a. Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. Carter's family had emigrated to America from England in 1635 and were settled in Georgia in 1780. His father, James Earl Carter, Sr., was a farmer and a businessman and his mother, Lillian Gordy Carter was a registered nurse.

He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and later was chosen by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover (then a captain) for a nuclear submarine program.

He married Rosalynn Smith on July 7, 1946. His children are John William 'Jack' (1947), James Earl 'Chip' III (1950), Donnel Jeffrey 'Jeff' (1952) and Amy Lynn (1967).

He was elected as the US President on November 2, 1976 by defeating the sitting President, Gerald Ford. He won 50.06% of the American popular votes as against 48.00% for Ford. He won 297 seats in the electoral college whereas Ford won 240 seats. Jimmy Carter served as US President from January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981.

He was Georgia's 76th governor. He was the first Georgian to be elected as the US President and was the first US President elected from the deep South since 1848.

Carter pardoned the Vietnam War era draft evaders in 1977. In the Middle East, through the Camp David agreement of 1978, Carter helped bring peace between Egypt and Israel. Under his presidency, US officially recognized the people's republic of China in 1979.

He authored many books which include Negotiation: The Alternative to Hostility (1984), the Middle East study Blood of Abraham (1985), Living Faith (1996), the controversial Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (2006), and the memoirs Keeping Faith (1983) and Hours Before Daylight (2001).

President Carter mediated in conflicts in Ethiopia and Eritrea (1989), North Korea (1994), Liberia (1994), Haiti (1994), Bosnia (1994), Sudan (1995), the Great Lakes region of Africa (1995-96), Sudan and Uganda (1999), and Venezuela (2002-2003).

There were major setbacks, during his presidency. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the US to suspend plans for ratification of the SALT II pact. The hostages of the US embassy staff in Iran hogged media attention during the last 14 months of his administration.

The consequences of Iran's holding Americans captive, together with continuing inflation at home, were factors in Carter's defeat in the 1980 US Presidential elections. He pursued the difficult negotiations over the hostages and the day he left office, Iran finally released the 52 Americans.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 . It came as a response to his work in promoting human rights, trying to resolve conflicts peacefully and providing health care and food to the world's poor.

Jimmy and his wife volunteer one week a year for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps needy people in the United States and in other countries renovate and build homes for themselves.

Undoubtedly, when it comes to Presidents who were really popular with the American citizens, Jimmy Carter is right up there. His initiative in peacekeeping and overall charismatic personality has helped him to be rated as one of the finest Presidents of America.