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The Life of James Earl (Jimmy) Carter Jr.

The Life of James Earl (Jimmy) Carter Jr.
39th President of the United States

Jimmy Carter was a man of high principle, steadfast integrity, and deep religious faith who dedicated his life to public service. As a private citizen and public official, he pursued the causes of human rights, peace, and care for the least fortunate with passionate determination and boundless energy.
Throughout his life, he repeatedly placed what he believed to be right above personal and political considerations. His quiet voice and ready smile masked a bulldog determination and an aversion to compromise on matters of principle.

In his 1977 inaugural address, President Carter quoted the prophet Micah: “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” For many who knew and worked with him, those words aptly summarize his life of faith and service.

Jimmy Carter grew up on a farm near the small town of Plains in southwest Georgia and graduated from the United States Naval Academy. As an officer serving in the Navy’s elite nuclear submarine program, he planned a career in the military. Those plans were cut short by his father’s death when, inspired by the many tributes to his father’s contributions to individuals and the community, he decided to return home. After a few difficult years, the family farm and business prospered, and his interests turned again to public service.

He won election as a Georgia state senator in 1962 and 1964 and as governor in 1970. As was to be the case in his presidency, Jimmy Carter’s service in those two offices was marked by the determination to engage difficult and controversial issues — including racial discrimination and government waste — and do what he felt was right regardless of political consequences.

Jimmy Carter rose from virtual political obscurity in 1976 to win election as the 39th president of the United States. He led an extremely active administration, taking on a weighty accumulation of controversial problems and issues, and initiating reforms that continue to benefit the nation and the world.

As a former president, he was equally dedicated to public service in his work through The Carter Center, which he founded with his wife, Rosalynn. He was widely acclaimed for his relentless campaigning for human rights, mediating conflicts around the world, and fighting debilitating diseases in developing countries. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian efforts and for his commitment from the time of his presidency to “the principles that conflicts must as far as possible be resolved through mediation and international co-operation based on international law, respect for human rights, and economic development.”

In 1928, the Carter family moved to a 350-acre farm near Plains in the tiny community of Archery, Georgia. A young Jimmy Carter is pictured here atop his Shetland pony named Lady.

In a 2013 Washington Post interview, he was asked how he wanted to be remembered. His response: “As a champion of human rights. Human rights are more than just freedom of speech, the right to elect one’s own leaders, and freedom of assembly. They also include the right to a home, access to adequate health care, and to live in peace. That is how I want to be remembered, for human rights and peace.”
President and Mrs. Carter married in 1946 and had four children. The Carters often described their relationship as a full partnership in which they were each other’s best friend. He was a devoted father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

In Nigeria, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter visit with young victims of schistosomiasis disease during a 2007 trip to assess Carter Center health programs.

In Nigeria, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter visit with young victims of schistosomiasis disease during a 2007 trip to assess Carter Center health programs.
Jimmy Carter was a deeply religious man, a Baptist lay leader, teaching Sunday school most of his adult life while at the same time adamantly adhering to the separation of church and state. For three decades, he and Mrs. Carter spent one week a year helping build housing for the poor through Habitat for Humanity. He was the author of 32 books. He also was a skilled woodworker, accomplished painter, and an active outdoorsman, enjoying fishing, hunting, and birding throughout his life.

President and Mrs. Carter wave to inaugural ball guests on the evening of January 20, 1977.

Observers found Jimmy Carter to be resolute and implacable when faced with challenges, which he met with perseverance and pragmatism supported by his bedrock religious faith. He was relentlessly energetic, seemingly perpetually in motion, and his attention to even the tiniest program or policy detail was legendary. His calls for human rights, relief for the sick and oppressed, and religious tolerance were imbued with a sense of higher moral purpose and were favorably and admiringly received throughout the world, even by many of those who did not look kindly on his White House years.

Presidential Campaign and the Carter Presidency

When he embarked on his quest for the presidency in 1974, he was a politician so little known that political pundits greeted his candidacy with the question, “Jimmy who?” His successful 1976 presidential campaign strategy was based on renewing the nation’s spirit and reforming its government following the national doldrums and divisions of the post-Watergate, post-Vietnam era.

In that campaign, Jimmy Carter promised to strive for “a government as good as its people,” an administration that would not be “business as usual” or “go along to get along.” When he emerged victorious over President Gerald R. Ford, President Carter made good on those pledges, sometimes to the consternation of the political establishment, including leaders of his own party.

The Carter Presidency

Jimmy Carter was sworn into office on January 20, 1977. On a day full of promise, he surprised the nation by walking down Pennsylvania Avenue along the inaugural parade route from the U.S. Capitol to the White House. In Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President, he wrote of the reaction as he and Mrs. Carter emerged from the presidential limousine: “There were gasps of astonishment and cries of ‘They’re walking! They’re walking!’ The excitement flooded over us; we responded to the people with broad smiles and proud steps. It was bitterly cold, but we felt warm inside…. We were surprised at the depth of feeling from our friends along the way. Some of them wept openly, and when I saw this, a few tears
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library of joy ran down my cold cheeks. It was one of the few perfect moments in life when everything seems absolutely right.”

Jimmy Carter was sworn in as president of the United States on January 20, 1977, by Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger.

President Carter’s most praised successes in office were the Camp David Accords and the subsequent peace treaty between Egypt and Israel; the Panama Canal treaties; the establishment of full diplomatic relations with China; and the advancement of human rights, making this a continuing principle of American foreign policy. Determined to increase diversity, he appointed more women, African Americans, and Hispanics to judgeships and senior positions than all of his 38 predecessors combined. He won passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the largest conservation action ever, which more than doubled the size of the U.S. National Park and Wildlife Refuge System and tripled the size of the U.S. Wilderness System. And, as the first president from the Deep South since before the Civil War, he helped to heal the wounds of racial discrimination and division.

A number of other battles and accomplishments have taken on added significance as history has underscored their importance: his campaign for a national energy policy; a politically costly struggle with inflation, which had escalated dramatically because of the oil shock of 1979-80, when worldwide oil prices doubled; a vigorous campaign against nuclear proliferation; an effort to provide health insurance for children and families; and a major focus on education, including the creation of the Department of Education and dramatically increased funding for early childhood education as well as college tuition assistance. Further, President Carter pushed through much-needed deregulation of airlines, rail, and trucking, and the loosening of government controls over financial services and communications— actions that made the American economy more flexible and efficient and better prepared for the global competition of the 21st century.

President Carter was defeated in his re-election bid in large measure because of issues he had devoted much time and effort to resolving: the Iran hostage crisis; the state of the U.S. economy, including the adverse effects of American dependence on imported oil; the Soviet Union’s continued intervention in Afghanistan; and ideological divisions within his own party.

Human Rights

In his January 14, 1981, farewell message to the nation, President Carter said: “Our American values are not luxuries, but necessities — not the salt in our bread but the bread itself. Our common vision of a free and just society is our greatest source of cohesion at home and strength abroad, greater even than the bounty of our material blessings.”

As president, his espousal of human rights had been criticized by much of the foreign policy establishment and many foreign leaders as being naïve and counterproductive. But it had two major long-term impacts. In Latin America, the change in the 1980s from military dictatorships to democracies, which still holds today, was strongly influenced by the firm stand President Carter took against repressive policies in Argentina, Chile, and elsewhere. His support for the right of dissidents to speak out in the Soviet Union, from Anatoly (Natan) Scharansky to Andrei Sakharov, and for the protection of the Polish Solidarity Movement from Soviet intervention, were essential influences on the unraveling of the Soviet Communist System.

President Carter wrote in Keeping Faith, “I was often criticized, here and abroad, for aggravating other government leaders and straining international relations. At the same time, I was never criticized by the people who were imprisoned or tortured or otherwise deprived of basic rights. When they were able to make a public statement or to smuggle out a private message, they sent compliments and encouragement, pointing out repeatedly that the worst thing for them was to be ignored or forgotten. This was particularly true of prisoners behind the Iron Curtain.”

Legislative Record

President Carter’s relationship with Congress was frequently rocky because of his disinclination to defer controversial issues and refusal to accept “half a loaf” while he thought more was possible. Despite the controversy, his legislative record of success was impressive, 76.4 percent, according to Congressional Quarterly, placing him third-highest among post-WWII presidents (Johnson, 84.4; Kennedy, 83.0). In Keeping Faith, he would acknowledge that his “relationship with Congress would have been smoother” and the “impression of undue haste and confusion would have been avoided” if he had attempted less. But, he maintained, “We would not have accomplished any more, and perhaps less.”

Energy Policy

The most notable example of his determination to tackle tough issues despite the political consequences was his four-year struggle to institute a national energy policy that would reverse America’s growing dependence on imported petroleum and move the country toward alternative sources of energy. In an April 18, 1977, address to the nation, he predicted the difficulty of the task:

“Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the president and the Congress to govern this nation. This difficult effort will be the ‘moral equivalent of war,’ except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy.”

In the process, he faced resistance within Congress and from various interest groups on the right and the left. He believed there needed to be incentives for both the development of energy resources and for conservation. Despite controversy and resistance, in the end, with the invaluable support of courageous congressional leaders from both parties, he gained enactment of 60 percent of his energy proposals. The United States was able to slash its dependence on foreign oil, cutting oil imports in half from 1977 to 1982, in significant part because of President Carter’s efforts.

President Carter endorsed the use of solar power as part of a comprehensive plan to strengthen the nation’s energy security.

He created the Department of Energy and deregulated oil and natural gas prices, allowing market forces to work and create incentives for traditional production. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of encouraging alternative sources such as solar, geothermal, and wind. He supported the use and development of ethanol and synthetic fuels. Instituting stiff standards for automobile fuel efficiency
and incentives for home insulation saved energy that otherwise would have been wasted.

Some of President Carter’s more significant accomplishments were later reversed by his successors. His emphasis on massive energy research and development, fuel efficiency, and conservation lost support, and America slowly returned to an increasing dependence on imported oil.

In 1979, President Carter launched an ambitious plan to research and promote the use of solar energy. He had solar panels installed on the White House roof to provide both hot water and a high-profile symbolic example. While the panels remained until 1986, when they were removed for roof repairs and quietly not returned, funding for the solar energy program was gutted within months of President Carter leaving office. It was not until 2014 that solar panels were installed again on the roof of the White House.

Middle East Peace Process

When President Carter left office, there was a wide consensus that his greatest accomplishment was the accord between Israel and Egypt, reached in 1978 at Camp David, the presidential hideaway in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountain Park. His intensive personal involvement in the negotiations, followed by an unprecedented round of presidential shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East to implement the agreements, produced a treaty of peace between Israel and its most powerful Arab neighbor that has continued to be honored by both countries, and a framework for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian issues that he believed would have been just as successful if it had been aggressively pursued by following administrations.

He was the first president to state unambiguously that the Egypt President Anwar Sadat, President Carter, and Israel Prime Minister Menachem Begin shake hands at the March 26, 1979, White House signing of the Israel-Egypt peace treaty that began an era of lasting peace between the two nations.
President Carter failed to persuade Congress to enact higher taxes on gasoline or to create an energy mobilization board to speed the development of major energy projects. The Three Mile Island accident in 1978 made it politically impossible to win support for expanding the nuclear power industry. But even his failures emphasized the overarching importance he attached to the issue of energy security.
As he noted in his memoirs, “Our administration left the country with petroleum inventories at record levels, a natural gas surplus and a fair distribution system for it, more exploration under way for new petroleum than at any time in history, and an orderly plan for eliminating the unnecessary federal restraints. The rate of growth of domestic coal production doubled, and oil imports and even total consumption dropped rapidly. A substantial portion of the succeeding oil glut was caused by the worldwide shift to more efficient uses of energy and emphasis on fuels other than oil and gas.”
Had his energy policies been fully implemented and carried on in subsequent administrations, the U.S. and the world would be far better positioned to address climate change.

Egypt President Anwar Sadat, President Carter, and Israel Prime Minister Menachem Begin shake hands at the March 26, 1979, White House signing of the Israel-Egypt peace treaty that began an era of lasting peace between the two nations.

Palestinian people must have a “homeland” if there were to be a comprehensive peace agreement that would ensure Israel’s security. That statement provoked fierce criticism at the time. It foreshadowed other statements and actions by him in the decades that followed, all designed to move the peace process forward by pushing participants to deal with the facts.

In his memoirs, President Carter wrote, “Looking back on the four years of my Presidency, I realize that I spent more of my time working for possible solutions to the riddle of Middle East peace than on any other international problem. At the beginning, I never dreamed of the many hours of exhilaration and despair that lay ahead. As was the case with the Panama Canal treaties, I have asked myself many times if it was worth the tremendous investment of my time and energy. Here again, the answer has not always been the same. It will depend on the wisdom and dedication of the leaders of the future.”
Perhaps because even his successful efforts proved to be a political liability, and because of the difficulty of the issues, no succeeding president has pursued the peace process with anything approaching the same level of aggressive, personal commitment.

Africa Policy

Believing that Africa deserved far more attention from the United States, Jimmy Carter, in April 1978, became the first American president to pay a state visit to sub-Saharan Africa. The economy and culture of the United States had benefitted greatly from its African Diaspora, which had originated with Africans initially brought to American shores by the terrible Atlantic slave trade. He thought this created a special obligation to assist African nations in their efforts to achieve human rights and economic development. Optimistic about the potential of the people of Africa, he sought their partnership. President Carter worked to bring justice and majority rule to southern Africa, and his administration paid special attention to the people of that region, supporting those who were struggling to overcome apartheid and other forms of racism.

Panama Canal Treaties

The Panama Canal treaties were strongly opposed by many conservatives, but received courageous support from Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker, former President Ford, Sen. Barry Goldwater, a number of other Republican senators, and some of the most conservative Southern Democrats. Less than two years later, although the most vocal critics of the treaties won control of both the legislative and executive branches, they made no effort to revoke, renegotiate, or reinterpret any significant aspect of the agreements.

President Carter’s determination to seek approval of the Panama Canal treaties was typical of the sort of issue his advisors frequently counseled him to defer to a second term, when there would no longer be re-election considerations.

President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian Gen. Omar Torrijos join other dignitaries at the signing ceremony for the Panama Canal treaties, June 16, 1978, in Panama City.

President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian Gen. Omar Torrijos join other dignitaries at the signing ceremony for the Panama Canal treaties, June 16, 1978, in Panama City.
“And, what if there’s not a second term?” he responded more than once, making it clear that he was determined to move forward on issues he considered important to the nation, regardless of the political cost. In a highly personal campaign addressed to both the American people and Congress, he changed overwhelming opposition to the treaties into positive approval. The treaties were not only critical in preserving a peaceful relationship with Panama and assuring that the canal would remain free from terrorist incidents, but also added immeasurably to U.S. prestige throughout Latin America.

Defense and the Cold War

President Carter obtained the first real increase in defense spending since the Vietnam War, encountering opposition from the left, but also cancelled weapons systems that he considered to be an inefficient use of resources, drawing criticism from the right. He increased funding for stealth technology, cruise missiles, and special operations capabilities—decisions that history has clearly validated. He managed to obtain agreement from our NATO allies to an annual 3 percent real increase in defense spending. His introduction of theater nuclear weapons to Europe sent a strong message to the Soviet Union at a time when it was deploying new SS-20 missiles aimed at Europe. His determined response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan—economic sanctions, including a politically explosive embargo on grain sales; boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics; and the arming of the Afghan resistance—eventually helped lead the way to a Soviet withdrawal.

Given his strong identification with human rights and as a man of peace, many Americans came to view President Carter as a pacifist, a serious misreading of his record. Of 20th century presidents, only Dwight D. Eisenhower had a longer period of military service than did Jimmy Carter; and while instinctively opposed to the “unnecessary” use of military force, President Carter was fiercely proud that the strong defense policies of his administration helped set the stage for the end of the Cold War.
Robert M. Gates, CIA director under President George H. W. Bush and secretary of defense under both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, would write in his 1996 book, From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider’s Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War: “I believe historians and political observers alike have failed to appreciate the importance of Jimmy Carter’s contributions to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. He was the first president during the Cold War to challenge, publicly and consistently, the legitimacy of Soviet rule at home. Carter’s human rights policy … by the testimony of countless Soviet and East European dissidents and future democratic leaders, challenged the moral authority of the Soviet government and gave American sanction and support to those resisting that government.”

SALT and Nuclear Arms Reductions

Many of the same conservative critics who assailed the Panama Canal treaties also attacked President Carter’s aggressive proposal for “deep cuts” in U.S. and Soviet nuclear arsenals and the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty he negotiated with the Soviet Union in 1979. Although the subsequent Soviet invasion of Afghanistan made ratification of SALT II politically impossible, both sides continued to honor provisions throughout the Cold War; and his once-reviled “deep cut” proposals became the basis for arms control agreements under both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. ‘We Kept Our Country at Peace’

At the conclusion of a summit meeting in Vienna, Austria, on June 18, 1979, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev sign the SALT II treaty specifying guidelines and limitations for nuclear weapons.

At the conclusion of a summit meeting in Vienna, Austria, on June 18, 1979, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev sign the SALT II treaty specifying guidelines and limitations for nuclear weapons.

In a 2011 interview with The (London) Observer, President Carter summed up his perspective on much of his administration’s foreign policy activity this way: “We kept our country at peace. We never went to war. We never dropped a bomb. We never fired a bullet. But still we achieved our international goals. We brought peace to other people, including Egypt and Israel. We normalized relations with China, which had been nonexistent for 30-something years. We brought peace between the U.S. and most of the countries in Latin America because of the Panama Canal treaties. We formed a working relationship with the Soviet Union.”

The Modern Vice Presidency

Before 1977, American vice presidents primarily carried out ceremonial roles, often leading to frustration on their part; no vice president had played a sustained, substantive role in the executive branch. Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale changed that for their administration and those that followed.

When, as a finalist for running mate, Mondale met with candidate Carter, there was an instant chemistry; the two men discovered they were both personally and politically compatible. Carter made it clear he wanted a partner who could help him accomplish the goals of his administration, and Mondale made it clear he wanted to be an integral part of policymaking as well as its implementation.
Once elected, the two worked together closely, and for the first time in American history a president-elect involved his vice president-elect in Cabinet selection and policy development. President-elect Carter asked Mondale for a memorandum outlining his proposals for the office of the vice president. Mondale and his top aides studied the office and prepared a lengthy memo outlining his prospective role: He would have access to all information in the White House, including all intelligence reports; there would be regular meetings between the two; he would play a troubleshooting role as the president’s emissary to Congress, in foreign policy and in working out disputes with Cabinet and other officials; and he would serve as the president’s liaison to important political constituencies such as labor and the Democratic National Committee.

President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale in the Rose Garden on December 4, 1979.

President Carter agreed to Mondale’s requests. He also provided him an office in the West Wing and instituted a weekly private luncheon with him. These actions both symbolically and logistically made the vice president a far more important player in the executive branch. The president also integrated the vice president’s staff into his own senior staff and made it clear that any request from the vice president should be viewed by his staff and Cabinet as having come from the president himself. For all vice presidents who have followed Mondale, weekly luncheons with the president, a West Wing office, and a substantive role have been part of the position.

Health Insurance

In 1979, President Carter crafted and proposed a plan to provide basic health insurance for every American child and catastrophic coverage for every American family. With Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress and the prospect of significant Republican support, it should have passed easily; but key Democratic congressional leaders withheld support, with the stated hope of getting a more comprehensive bill later. Politics related to the upcoming battle for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination were also a significant factor.

Inflation

In 1979, President Carter appointed Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve, a bold move that served the national interest despite political costs to the administration. The United States and the rest of the industrialized world were in the tenth year of persistent, debilitating inflation, further exacerbated by the international oil shock of 1978-79. Volcker had briefed the President on the stringent policy he would impose if appointed. Having learned that less draconian measures did not work, President Carter gave him the job, knowing the politically poisonous monetary medicine that Volcker would administer. The political cost was huge: Short-term interest rates rose to 20 percent and unemployment spiked in the election year of 1980. But the medicine worked, though not in time to bring any political benefits to President Carter.

A Sea Change in Executive Branch and Judicial Appointments

In an unprecedented and successful effort to dramatically increase diversity, President Carter appointed more women, African Americans, and Hispanics to judgeships and senior positions than all of his 38 predecessors combined.

He doubled the number of women to ever hold a Cabinet post when he appointed three women to his Cabinet, one of whom was African American, and named two African Americans to the Cabinet-level position of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

By early 1980, women held 22 percent of President Carter’s 2,110 appointments. These included three of the five women to ever serve as under secretaries of a Cabinet department, 80 percent of all women to ever serve as assistant secretaries of a Cabinet department, and 40 percent of all women to ever hold an ambassadorial post.

When President Carter took office, no women had ever been appointed to the Federal Reserve Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. He named a woman to each of them. No women had ever been general counsel of a Cabinet department. He appointed six to those posts.

President Carter appointed 57 minority judges and 41 female judges to the federal judiciary, more than all previous presidents combined. Pre-Carter, only 31 minorities had ever been named to federal judgeships. He named 57. Pre-Carter, only eight women had ever been named to federal judgeships. He named 41. When President Carter left office, he had appointed 41 of the 46 women serving as federal judges. Former President Jimmy Carter meets with nine of the 52 freed American hostages in Wiesbaden, West Germany, January 22, 1981.

Although there were no vacancies on the Supreme Court during his term, President Carter appointed two judges to the U.S. Court of Appeals who were later elevated to the Supreme Court: Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer.

Iran Hostage Crisis and 1980 Presidential Election

The persistence, physical energy, and attention to crucial details that were hallmarks of President Carter’s approach to the presidency also were applied in responding to the seizure of American hostages in Iran. All the hostages were eventually freed without a confrontation that could have provided the Soviet Union with a significant strategic opening in a vital and unstable region, but public frustration over the lengthy captivity and an unsuccessful rescue attempt contributed substantially to his failure to win re-election.

Former President Jimmy Carter meets with nine of the 52 freed American hostages in Wiesbaden, West Germany, January 22, 1981.

Despite the continuing hostage crisis, the nation’s economic woes, and continuing division within the Democratic Party, the presidential race between President Carter and Gov. Ronald Reagan was close as the campaign entered its last weekend. Two days before the election, a new message from the Iranian government made the release of the hostages seem possible. President Carter canceled campaign appearances and flew back to Washington. In Keeping Faith, he recalled, “Now my political future might well be determined by irrational people on the other side of the world over whom I had no control. If the hostages were released, I was convinced my reelection would be assured; if the expectations of the American people were dashed again, there was little chance that I could win.”

On the day before the election, it became clear the hostages would not be released in the near future. That day also happened to be the first anniversary of the taking of the hostages. Yet again, news coverage was dominated by grim reminders of another disappointing delay, the failed rescue operation, and Americans still held hostage. What President Carter described in his memoirs as a “wave of disillusionment” swept the country, leading to “a precipitous drop in support” and an overwhelming victory for Reagan.

On January 20, 1981 — at the very moment President Carter was watching Reagan sworn in as his successor — the hostages were finally released. They had been held for 444 days.

Of that day, President Carter wrote in Keeping Faith: “It is impossible for me to put into words how much the hostages had come to mean to me, or how moved I was that morning to know they were coming home. At the same time, I was leaving the home I’d known for four years, too soon for all I had hoped to accomplish. I was overwhelmed with happiness—but because of the hostages’ freedom, not mine.”

Citizen Carter: the Post-Presidency

The Carter Center

In his “Farewell Address to the Nation” in January 1981, President Carter said, “In a few days I will lay down my official responsibilities in office to take up once more the only title in our democracy superior to that of president, the title of citizen.” And he meant that. After a brief period of decompression, President and Mrs. Carter went back to work to serve the ideals that had guided their lives. In 1982, President Carter became University Distinguished Professor at Emory University in Atlanta and, in partnership with Emory, he and Mrs. Carter founded The Carter Center to “wage peace, fight disease, and build hope” in nations around the world.

Since its founding, the nonpartisan, not-for-profit Center has had numerous achievements: leading the international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, which has reduced cases by more than 99.99 percent; helping establish grassroots health care delivery systems in thousands of communities in Africa; observing more than 110 elections in 40 countries; furthering avenues to peace in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Liberia, Sudan, Uganda, the Korean Peninsula, Haiti, and Bosnia and Herzegovina; expanding efforts to diminish stigma against people with mental illness; and strengthening international standards for human rights.

In 2002, during the 20th anniversary year of the Carter Center’s founding, President Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

The Center’s headquarters are located at the Carter Presidential Center complex in Atlanta, which was dedicated in October 1986 and also includes the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, administered by the National Archives. President Carter celebrated his 85th birthday on October 1, 2009, with the reopening of a totally redesigned Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum. It is the first presidential museum to highlight a president’s post-presidential career, a period that for President Carter was substantially longer than his political career. The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, Georgia, which includes President Carter’s boyhood home, is administered by the National Park Service.

Health

Through its health programs, the Center has advanced disease prevention and agriculture in the developing world. Its campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease was launched in 1986 when the disease afflicted an estimated 3.5 million people. By 2022, the Center and its partners had reduced the number of cases to 13. The Center also works on regional control and elimination of diseases such as river blindness (onchocerciasis), which affects nearly 18 million people in the Americas and Africa. River blindness is preventable through annual treatment with the medicine Mectizan,® donated by Merck. The Center has distributed more than 455 million treatments of Mectizan Jimmy Carter consoles a young Guinea worm patient in Savelugu, Ghana, in February 2007. The Carter Center leads the international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease.

Jimmy Carter consoles a young Guinea worm patient in Savelugu, Ghana, in February 2007. The Carter Center leads the international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease.

Worldwide since the River Blindness Elimination Program began in 1996. In the Americas, the Center is working with ministries of health in affected endemic countries to halt transmission of the disease.
The Carter Center also targets four other tropical diseases: trachoma, malaria, lymphatic filariasis, and schistosomiasis. In the United States, as well as abroad, the Center strives to reduce the stigma of mental illness and improve access to and the quality of mental health care.

Peace

Activities of the Center often found the former president involved in unofficial diplomatic missions and conflict mediations that pursued new avenues to peace or eased tensions in such areas as Ethiopia and Eritrea (1989), Liberia (1991), North Korea (1994), Haiti (1994), Bosnia (1994), Sudan (1995), the Great Lakes region of Africa (1995-96), Sudan and Uganda (1999), Cuba (2002), Venezuela (2002.2004), and the Middle East (2008).

North Korea

In 1994, President and Mrs. Carter received permission from President Bill Clinton to travel to North Korea to try to dissuade the North from pursuing a nuclear weapons program. The day before the Carters arrived in Pyongyang, the North Korean government withdrew its membership from the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and threatened to expel IAEA inspectors. The United States began pushing for U.N. sanctions against the North. With no means of direct communication, some began to fear the two countries were heading toward war.

North Korea President Kim Il-Sung welcomes Jimmy Carter to Pyongyang in June 1994 for talks that resulted in an eight-year freeze of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

After two days of talks, President Carter broke the nuclear impasse when President Kim agreed to freeze his country’s nuclear program in exchange for the resumption of his dialogue with the United States. As a gesture of good will, he also promised to allow joint U.S.-North Korean teams to search for and recover the remains of American soldiers killed in the Korean War.

North Korea President Kim Il-Sung welcomes Jimmy Carter to Pyongyang in June 1994 for talks that resulted in an eight-year freeze of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The talks between the U.S. government and Pyongyang continued after President Carter’s visit and culminated in the signing of a U.S.-Korea agreement. International inspectors again began monitoring the North’s nuclear program.
In August 2010, President Carter returned to North Korea to seek the release of an American sentenced to eight years of hard labor for illegally crossing into that country from China. The humanitarian mission was a success, and the former president accompanied 30-year-old English teacher Aijalon Mahli Gomes back to Boston for an emotional reunion with his family.

Haiti

In September 1994, President Carter was asked by Haiti military junta leader General Raoul Cédras to help avoid a U.S. military invasion of Haiti. The United States was calling for Cédras to reinstate the deposed leader, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who had been democratically elected three years earlier. President Carter relayed this information to President Clinton, who approved his undertaking a mission to Haiti with Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Colin Powell.
During the negotiation, a U.S. invasion was imminent, and Powell later said he was struck by President Carter’s firmness and decisiveness, stating that the president’s actions showed toughness and a determination that impressed him. The U.S. invasion was averted, and the military junta signed an agreement to step down and restore Mr. Aristide to power.

Rosalynn Carter, Gen. Colin Powell, Jimmy Carter, and Sen. Sam Nunn traveled to Haiti in 1994 to help avert a U.S. invasion.

A New York Times editorial on September 18, 1994, said: “In undertaking a special mission to Haiti for President Clinton, Jimmy Carter is showing once again that a former president can be a unique diplomatic resource.… Mr. Carter has not flinched from risk-taking and has played a crucial role as an honest broker, most notably in spurring nuclear talks with North Korea but also in civil conflicts in Ethiopia, the Sudan and Liberia.”

Sudan

President Carter and the Carter Center’s Conflict Resolution Program worked for more than a decade to find a peaceful resolution to Sudan’s civil war. Among the program’s achievements was the negotiation of the 1995 “Guinea worm cease-fire,” which gave international health workers—including the Center’s Guinea Worm Eradication Program—an unprecedented period of almost six months of relative peace, allowing health workers to enter areas of Sudan previously inaccessible due to fighting. This was the longest humanitarian cease-fire ever achieved anywhere in the world.

In 1999, an important breakthrough for peace occurred when President Carter brokered the Nairobi Agreement between Sudan and Uganda, in which the governments pledged to stop supporting rebels acting against each other and agreed to eventually re-establish diplomatic relations.

Cuba

In May 2002, President Carter became the first former or sitting U.S. president to travel to Cuba since 1928. In an unprecedented live speech broadcast on Cuban radio and television, President Carter, speaking in Spanish, called on the United States to end an “ineffective 43-year-old economic embargo” and on President Castro to hold free elections, improve human rights, and allow greater civil liberties.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter addresses an audience in Havana, Cuba, on May 12, 2002, during a historic visit to urge the United States and Cuban governments to mend relations. Also pictured are Cuba President Fidel Castro and Rosalynn Carter.

“Analysts said it was the first time in 43 years that citizens had heard any public criticism of the Cuban government, much less direct condemnation of human rights violations,” President Carter wrote in his report from the trip. “I anticipated President Castro would be upset, but he greeted me after the session.”
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter addresses an audience in Havana, Cuba, on May 12, 2002, during a historic visit to urge the United States and Cuban governments to mend relations. Also pictured are Cuba President Fidel Castro and Rosalynn Carter.

Middle East

President Carter decided that the inaugural project of The Carter Center would be to analyze and pursue the opportunities for peace in the Middle East. In the spring of 1983, he traveled to Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, and Morocco, meeting with leaders and scholars. Many of them subsequently came to Emory University for a major consultation co-chaired by Presidents Ford and Carter. A book followed, The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East, laying out what remained to be done in order to achieve peace with security and justice between Israel and its neighbors.
For the next three decades, President Carter and The Carter Center continued to work, sometimes publicly and sometimes privately, to support the peace process. This seemed to be going well when the Oslo Agreement was achieved in 1993. Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization agreed on a process that could lead to Palestinian self-government. The Carter Center assisted with the implementation of the agreement by monitoring the first election of the Palestinian National Authority in 1996. But after 2000, when Israeli-Palestinian negotiations broke down at Camp David, the peace process stalled and Israel increased the building of settlements within the West Bank and began building a separation barrier.

Frustrated by the continuing lack of progress, President Carter decided that the only way to get people moving was to be provocative. In November 2006, he published Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. The use of the word “apartheid” in the title stirred great controversy. As he explained the next year in an afterword to a new edition of The Blood of Abraham, “I was accused falsely by some as being anti-Israel. I had left the presidency thirty years before believing that Israel would soon realize its dream of peace with its neighbors. I envisioned a small nation, no longer beleaguered, exemplifying the finest ideals based on the Hebrew scriptures…. Unfortunately, I have been bitterly disappointed by the actual current state of affairs in Israel and Palestine.” While disappointed, President Carter never gave up on his mission to advance peace. He continued to do everything he could for the cause: lobbying government offices, speaking out to the media, advising participants, and writing op-eds and books.

In 2009, he published We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work. He tried to convince Hamas and the PLO to unite with a practical Palestinian peace proposal. He tried to convince Israelis that it was both just and in their long-term interest to agree to negotiate permanent boundaries, to withdraw from occupied territories, and support the creation of a Palestinian state. While many in Israel agreed with him, recent Israeli governments have not, and he received much criticism for his efforts. Until the end, he believed that the majority of Israelis and Palestinians wanted what he wanted.

Election Observation

Under President Carter’s leadership, The Carter Center became a pioneer in the field of election observation, helping to strengthen democracy by serving as an independent, neutral monitor in more than 110 elections in 40 countries throughout the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Before and after elections, the Center works to encourage respect for rule of law and human rights, government decisions that are open and transparent, and adequate resources for all candidates to compete fairly for public office.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in Jakarta during the Carter Center’s observation of elections in Indonesia, June 7, 1999.

Panama

The Carter Center’s first election observation was in Panama in 1989. The mission was co-led by President Carter, President Ford, and former Belize Prime Minister George Price. Panama’s military dictator, Manuel Noriega, was confident of victory, but when it became clear that his candidates had lost badly, he had the results falsified. President Carter publicly denounced this to the election officials, saying in Spanish, “Son ustedes honestos, o ladrones?” (“Are you honest people, or thieves?”) After the world media reported this, Noriega’s candidates never took office, and eventually he was ousted by U.S. troops.

Jimmy Carter briefs the media during the 1989 elections in Panama, the frst observed by The Carter Center.

Nicaragua

In 1990, President Carter again was a voice for democracy in the Americas when he persuaded leftist Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega to concede the election he had lost.
“I went to see him,” President Carter recalled in The Carter Center at 30. “There were nine Sandinista comandantes (cabinet members) in the room. I met with them and told them in no uncertain terms that they had lost. They were in a quandary about how to accept it. I told them that I also had lost when I ran for re-election. I never wanted to go back into politics; but I told them that if they accepted the defeat graciously, they had a chance to run again in the future.” Indeed, after several unsuccessful runs for re-election, Ortega was elected Nicaragua’s president again in November 2006, during the fourth national Nicaraguan election observed by The Carter Center.

Human Rights

Human rights was a constant theme throughout both the Carter presidency and post-presidency and became emblematic of Jimmy Carter. His advancement of human rights throughout the world and his campaigns for the release of political prisoners in virtually every country he visited were credited with the release of thousands of such prisoners in the decades that followed his time in elective office.
With The Carter Center as their vehicle, President and Mrs. Carter spent the decades after leaving the White House attacking a host of seemingly insoluble problems throughout the world: alleviating unnecessary suffering from preventable diseases, mediating political conflicts, and building stronger democracies that protect human rights.

The Carters and The Carter Center placed a major emphasis on advancing the rights of women and girls.
In his book, A Call to Action, President Carter wrote, “The world’s discrimination and violence against women and girls is the most serious, pervasive, and ignored violation of basic human rights.” In public addresses, he decried misinterpretation of religious scriptures relegating women to a secondary position compared to men and practices of genital mutilation of women, honor killings, and sex trafficking.
Carter Center programs emerged to promote women’s leadership in peacebuilding, combat sexual exploitation, strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations in less developed nations to promote gender equality, improve women’s access to public information, and align religious life with human rights, especially for women and girls.

Habitat for Humanity

For more than three decades, President and Mrs. Carter led annual week-long Carter Work Projects for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps needy people in the United States and other countries renovate and build homes for themselves. The Carters were tireless advocates, active fundraisers, and hands-on construction volunteers. They rallied thousands of volunteers and celebrities, helping Habitat for Humanity become internationally recognized for its work. As of 2018, President and Mrs. Carter had worked alongside more than 103,000 volunteers to help build, repair, or renovate 4,331 homes.

Beginning in 1984, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteered one week a year to build homes for Habitat for Humanity.

In 1984, the international headquarters of Habitat was located in Americus, Georgia, nine miles from Plains. President Carter invite Beginning in 1984, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteered one week a year to build homes for Habitat for Humanity.

Millard Fuller, Habitat’s founder, to tell him and Mrs. Carter about the organization. The Carters quickly realized that the mission aligned with their values of social justice and basic human rights. Later that year, the Carters led a busload of Georgians to New York City to work alongside 19 families, renovating an abandoned apartment building to provide the families safe, affordable housing. This was the inaugural Carter Work Project and, since then, work projects have taken place every year in a different location allover the world.

“Habitat has successfully removed the stigma of charity by substituting it with a sense of partnership,” President Carter said.

Religion

President Carter described himself as a “born-again Christian.” It was clear to all who knew him that his faith was central to who he was and all that he did. Throughout his life he was active in church work, and for decades in his post-presidency he taught Sunday school at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains. Consistent with the earliest traditions of Southern Baptists, he was a committed defender of the separation of church and state.

Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia.

In October 2000, after much soul searching, he broke with the Southern Baptist Convention over what he considered to be its increasingly rigid theological positions inconsistent with his own faith and the conscience of many of his fellow Baptists. “This has been a very difficult thing for me,” Carter told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “My grandfather, my father, and I have always been Southern Baptists, and for 21 years, since the first political division took place in the Southern Baptist Convention, I have maintained that relationship. I feel I can no longer in good conscience do that.” He said that after years of feeling “increasingly uncomfortable and somewhat excluded,” he and Mrs. Carter had reached the decision to disassociate themselves from the Southern Baptist Convention. The final determination was made, he said, with the passage of a denominational statement that prohibited women from being pastors, said wives should be submissive to their husbands, and eliminated language from an earlier version that said “the criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.”
President Carter repeatedly sought to find common ground and foster unity among Baptists and other Christian groups. In concert with former President Clinton, he led an effort that convened more than 14,000 people at an early 2008 “Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant” meeting in Atlanta. The three-day gathering united major Black and white Baptist

Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia.
groups, and President Carter said he hoped the gathering would help convince conservative Southern Baptists and other Christians to end divisions over the Bible and politics. “We can disagree on the death penalty, we can disagree on homosexuality, we can disagree on the status of women and still bind our hearts together in a common, united, generous, friendly, loving commitment,” he told the assembly.

Author

President Carter wrote 32 books. Some of his books are now in revised editions, and include: Why Not the Best?, 1975, 1996; A Government as Good as Its People, 1977, 1996; Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President, 1982, 1995; Negotiation: The Alternative to Hostility, 1984, 2003; The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East, 1985, 1993, 2007; Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life, written with Rosalynn Carter, 1987, 1995; An Outdoor Journal: Adventures and Reflections, 1988, 1994; Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age, 1992; Talking Peace: A Vision for the Next Generation, 1993, 1995; Always a Reckoning, and Other Poems, 1995; The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer, illustrated by Amy Carter, 1995; Living Faith, 1996; Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith, 1997; The Virtues of Aging, 1998; An Hour before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood, 2001; Christmas in Plains: Memories, 2001; The Nobel Peace Prize Lecture, 2002; The Hornet’s Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War, 2003; Sharing Good Times, 2004; Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis, 2005; Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, 2006, 2007; Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope, 2007; A Remarkable Mother, 2008; We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work, 2009; The White House Diary, 2010; Through the Year with Jimmy Carter: 366 Daily Meditations from the 39th President, 2011; as general editor, NIV Lessons from Life Bible: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter, 2012; A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power, 2014; The Paintings of Jimmy Carter, 2014; A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety, 2015; The Craftsmanship of Jimmy Carter, 2018; and Faith: A Journey for All, 2018.

Hornet’s Nest was the first novel ever written by a president, and its cover is evidence of President Carter’s wide range of talents: dissatisfied with the artwork his publisher proposed for the book, Jimmy Carter painted his own to adorn the dust jacket. He garnered Grammy Awards for three of his audio books, winning for Best Spoken Word Album in 2018 (Faith: A Journey for All), 2015 (A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety), and 2006 (Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis). He was nominated and a finalist for six additional Grammy Awards.

President Ford

In a development that would hardly have been predicted by either of them when presidential candidate Carter bested President Gerald R. Ford in the 1976 election, the two former presidents became close friends. They ignored any continuing political differences and concentrated on areas of agreement, working together on dozens of projects and co-chairing several national commissions. These members of that most exclusive of clubs, former presidents of the United States, developed a relationship of friendship and mutual respect that was important to both men.

At the January 3, 2007, funeral service for President Ford, President Carter eulogized his predecessor: “You learn a lot about a man when you run against him for president, and when you stand in his shoes and assume the responsibilities that he has borne so well, and perhaps even more after you both lay down the burdens of higher office and work together in a nonpartisan spirit of patriotism and service.” President Carter spoke of the two men’s “valued personal friendship” and “personal bond,” adding, “We enjoyed each other’s private company. And he and I commented often that, when we were traveling somewhere in an automobile or airplane, we hated to reach our destination, because we enjoyed the private times that we had together.”

Alluding to the opening line of his 1977 inaugural speech, President Carter, choking back emotion, concluded his remarks: “I still don’t know any better way to express it than the words I used almost exactly 30 years ago: ‘For myself and for our nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he did to heal our land.’”

United States Federal Election Reform

After the failures of the electoral system in Florida during the 2000 presidential election, the need for comprehensive reform became very clear. President Carter and President Ford agreed to co-chair a bipartisan commission to study and address the problems. The national commission, organized by The Miller Center of the University of Virginia, received support on the federal, state, and local levels. Its recommendations were submitted to the president and Congress and led to the Help America Vote Act of 2002. A follow-up commission, launched in 2005 with President Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker as co-chairs, proposed additional reforms, some of which inspired state legislation.

The Elders

President Carter was one of nine founding members of a group of independent global leaders brought together in 2007 by Nelson Mandela. While no longer holding office, they remained committed to peace and human rights. They worked to bring attention to serious problems in nations such as Syria, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar, as well as advocating for equality for girls and women and the need to address climate change.

Emory University

As University Distinguished Professor since 1982, President Carter taught and lectured in a variety of classes, conferences, and special forums for students, faculty, and staff in all the schools and colleges. His annual Town Hall Meeting became one of Emory’s most important traditions and a rite of passage for freshmen. At The Carter Center, President Carter worked closely with Emory associates, especially with Emory presidents, but also with trustees, faculty, and student interns.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

In 1999, President Clinton awarded America’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to both President and Mrs. Carter. President Clinton said the Carters had formed an “extraordinary partnership,” and that “Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have done more good for more people in more places than any other couple on the face of the Earth.”

Nobel Peace Prize

A key moment in his post-presidency occurred on December 10, 2002, when the Norwegian Nobel Committee presented President Carter the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee noted President Carter’s role in negotiating the Camp David Accords during his presidency as well as his post-presidential work at The Carter Center: “Through his Carter Center, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2002, Carter has since his presidency undertaken very extensive and persevering conflict resolution on several continents. He has shown outstanding commitment to human rights, and has served as an observer at countless elections all over the world. He has worked hard on many fronts to fight tropical diseases and to bring about growth and progress in developing countries. Carter has thus been active in several of the problem areas that have figured prominently in the over one hundred years of Peace Prize history.”
In his wide-ranging acceptance speech in Oslo, he expressed his gratitude to his wife, Rosalynn, his colleagues at The Carter Center, and the “many others who continue to seek an end to violence and suffering throughout the world.”

In 2002, Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

In 2002, Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

President Carter perhaps best summed up the guiding principles of his post-presidency service when he said, “I am not here as a public official, but as a citizen of a troubled world who finds hope in a growing consensus that the generally accepted goals of society are peace, freedom, human rights, environmental quality, alleviation of suffering, and the rule of law.”

He concluded his remarks with this declaration: “War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices. God gave us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes — and we must.”
He was the third U.S. president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, joining presidents Theodore Roosevelt (1906) and Woodrow Wilson (1919). President Obama was awarded the prize in 2009.

The USS Jimmy Carter

The last of the Seawolf class of attack submarines, the most heavily armed submarine ever built, was named after the only president ever to serve on a submarine. In the February 2005 commissioning ceremony in Groton, Connecticut, President Carter said, “The most deeply appreciated and emotional honor I’ve ever had is to have this great ship bear my name.” He said he expected the crew of the USS Jimmy Carter to use the ship’s “extraordinary capabilities — many top secret — to preserve peace, to protect our country, and to keep high the banner of human rights around the world.”

Presidential Longevity

President Carter reached several significant milestones for longevity. On October 17, 2019, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter established the record for the longest marriage of a presidential couple, 73 years and 102 days, passing George H.W. and Barbara Bush. When Mrs. Carter died on November 19, 2023, the Carters had been married for 77 years and 135 days.

On May 23, 2006, Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale became the president and vice-president who had survived the longest after their term in office. They passed President John Adams and Vice President Thomas Jefferson who had left office on March 4, 1801. Both died on July 4, 1826. September 8, 2012, marked 11,554 days for Jimmy Carter as a former president, surpassing the record set by Herbert Hoover.

The Early Years

In his 1975 autobiography, Why Not the Best?, presidential candidate Carter wrote, “Within our free society each of us has an opportunity to develop a wide range of abilities, characteristics, responsibilities, and interests. I am a Southerner and an American. I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and, among other things, a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and Dylan Thomas’s poetry.”

It was not by chance that the future president would first identify himself as a Southerner. He grew up in southwest Georgia during the Great Depression and felt deeply about his roots. His family had been in Georgia since the 1700s, and his father was the fourth generation—and Jimmy Carter was to become the fifth—to own and farm land in Sumter County near Plains, the small town where he was born on October 1, 1924, and to which he returned following his presidency.

Jimmy Carter’s Parents

In Why Not the Best?, Jimmy Carter affectionately described his parents. His father, James Earl Carter Sr. — known as “Mr. Earl” — “was a very firm but understanding director of my life and habits. In retrospect, the farm work sounds primitive and burdensome, but at the time it was an accepted farm practice, and my dad himself was an unusually hard worker. Also, he was always my best friend.” The son said his father “was an extremely competent farmer and businessman who later developed a wide range of interest in public affairs” and “was extremely intelligent, well read about current events, and was always probing for innovative business techniques or enterprises.”

James “Jimmy” Earl Carter, Jr., was born on October 1, 1924, to James Earl and Lillian Carter. In this photograph, he is one month old in his mother’s arms.

Jimmy Carter’s mother, widely known as “Miss Lillian,” was a registered nurse. “During my formative years,” he wrote, “she worked constantly, primarily on private duty either at the nearby hospital or in patients’ homes … and during her off-duty hours she had to perform the normal functions of a mother and a housekeeper. She served as a community doctor for our neighbors and for us, and was extremely compassionate towards all those who were afflicted with any sort of illness. Although my father seldom read a book, my mother was an avid reader, and so was I.” Miss Lillian later famously joined the Peace Corps at age 68 and served for two years in India.

Parents, Lillian and James Earl Carter.

Life on the Farm

Although President Carter was the first U.S. president to be born in a hospital, there was no indoor plumbing or electricity on the family farm in Archery during his early years. In Why Not the Best?, he described how, when he was a teenager, “an almost unbelievable change took place in our lives when electricity came to the farm. The continuing burden of pumping water, sawing wood, building fires in the cooking stove, filling lamps with kerosene, and closing the day’s activity with the coming of night … all these things changed dramatically.” But his family had done well. In addition to the large family farm, Jimmy Carter’s father “bought peanuts from other farmers on a contract basis for a nearby oil mill, and … he eventually began to sell fertilizer, seed, and other supplies to neighboring farmers.”

Jimmy Carter remembered walking from the farm to sell boiled peanuts on the streets of Plains from the time he was a youngster: “Even at that early age of not more than six years, I was able to distinguish very clearly between the good people and the bad people of Plains. The good people, I thought, were the ones who bought boiled peanuts from me! I have spent much time since then in trying to develop my ability to judge other people, but that was the simplest method I ever knew, despite its limitations. I think about this every time I am tempted to judge other people hastily.”

Education

Throughout his career in public service, President Carter repeatedly paid tribute to his beloved high school teacher, Miss Julia Coleman, who encouraged him to read widely, introduced a 12-year-old Jimmy Carter to War and Peace, and in the small, agriculture-based Plains community exposed all students to literature, art, music, plays, and composition. Many former students fondly recall Miss Coleman telling each of her classes, “Study hard. One of you could become the president of the United States!” Little did she know that one of her students would indeed do so, and that another would be first lady. In both his inauguration and Nobel Peace Prize speeches, the president referred to Miss Coleman’s repeated admonition: “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.” It was an admonition that those who worked most closely with Jimmy Carter felt aptly characterized a life of almost constant change and unwavering commitment to high principle.

In An Hour Before Daylight, the former president recalled that from the time he was 5 years old he had decided to attend the Naval Academy and become a naval officer. He was inspired by his Uncle Tom Gordy, younger brother of his mother, who was an enlisted man in the Navy and sent him mementos and letters “filled with information about the exotic places his ships were visiting.”

Naval portrait of Jimmy Carter.

President Carter, the first Carter in his line to graduate from high school, attended Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology before proceeding to the Naval Academy in 1943. After graduation, he became a submariner and won assignment to the Navy’s elite new nuclear submarine program.

Why Not the Best?

That program put him under the command and strong influence of then-Capt. Hyman Rickover, a stern taskmaster who President Carter said “had a profound effect on my life—perhaps more than anyone except my own parents.” In his presidential campaign autobiography and speeches, candidate Carter recounted repeatedly how when he interviewed for the nuclear submarine program, Rickover asked about his academic standing in his Naval Academy class. The future president responded that he was 59th out of 820, and awaited Rickover’s praise. Instead, the captain asked, “Did you do your best?” Faltering, naval officer Carter gulped and said, “No, sir, I didn’t always do my best.” Recounted President Carter: “He looked at me for a long time, and then turned his chair around to end the interview. He asked one final question, which I have never been able to forget — or to answer. He said, ‘Why not?’ I sat there for a while, shaken, and then slowly left the room.”

That question provided the future president with both the title of his campaign-related autobiographical book, Why Not the Best?, and his 1976 presidential campaign slogan. As the years passed, it was clear that those words had also become an inspiration for an extraordinary life.

Rosalynn Smith Carter

On July 7, 1946, the summer after his graduation from Annapolis, Naval officer Carter married Rosalynn Smith, who was also the fifth generation of her family to live in the Plains area. The future president wrote in Why Not the Best? that after his first date with Rosalynn, less than a year before they were married, he “returned home later that night and told my mother that Rosalynn had gone to the movies with me. Mother asked if I liked her, and I was already sure of my answer when I replied, ‘She’s the girl I want to marry.’” Jimmy Carter referred frequently to his “full partner” or “equal partner” Rosalynn, and their work together to aid the world as projects “we did,” rather than “I did.” In Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President, he wrote: “We had been ridiculed at times for allowing our love to be apparent to others. It was not an affectation, but was as natural as breathing.” On the day she passed away, President Carter said in a statement, “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished. She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”

Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Smith were married July 7, 1946, in Plains, Georgia.

The Navy and the Return to Plains

In his campaign autobiography, President Carter described his love of the Navy. He and his growing family enjoyed their assignments in Hawaii, California, Virginia, and Connecticut, and a sense of seeing more of the world. But his father’s 1953 death from cancer and the realization of the positive role his father had played in the life of the community led him to resign his commission that same year and take over the family farm and business.

Jimmy Carter returned to Plains to run the family business.

Although the first-year business profit was less than $200, with the help of his wife he eventually expanded the business into a flourishing enterprise. Besides farming 3,100 acres, the family had a seed and fertilizer business, warehouses, a peanut shelling plant, a cotton gin, and a farm supply operation.

Matter of Principle

It was during the fledgling days of his business life that Jimmy Carter faced an early test of principle. It was the 1950s in the Deep South, and segregation advocates formed White Citizens’ Councils throughout the region. The groups were determined to maintain school segregation, and Jimmy Carter was soon visited by two council members trying to sign him up—the chief of police and the local railroad depot agent. He declined. A few days later the two paid another visit, claiming that virtually every adult white male in the community had joined the council except him. He again declined.
After a further few days, the two returned with several close friends of his, some of them customers of his seed and fertilizer business. They told him his refusal to join would injure his reputation and harm his business, and that out of concern for his welfare they would pay his council dues for him. He wrote in Why Not the Best?: “My response was that I had no intention of joining the organization on any basis; that I was willing to leave Plains if necessary; that the $5 dues requirement was not an important factor; and that I would never change my mind. Rosalynn and I became quite troubled about our future.” A
small boycott organized against him proved to be short-lived. But Jimmy Carter’s stand on principle would become only one of many.

Politics Beckons—State Senator and Governor

As his businesses prospered, the future president grew more active in civic affairs. He became a member of both the county library board and hospital authority, was elected county school board chairman, became the first president of the Georgia Planning Association, state president of the Certified Seed Organization, and district governor of Lions Clubs International. He ran for the state Senate in 1962. He appeared to have lost the Democratic primary after a county political “boss” stuffed a ballot box, but Jimmy Carter and his friends worked to expose the fraud and through various legal proceedings got the results overturned. He went on to win the general election.

This poster is from Jimmy Carter’s Georgia State Senate campaign. He was elected to the Georgia State Senate twice, in 1962 and 1964.

Although he had low statewide name recognition, he ran for governor in 1966. He finished third in the Democratic primary. He waited about a month, then launched another campaign for governor.
He made 1,800 speeches in the next four years. He wrote in Why Not the Best?, “Rosalynn and I in that time personally shook hands with more than 600,000 people in Georgia — more than half the total number who vote. During the last few months each of us would meet at least three factory shifts each day.” The energy and tenacity he showed in this campaign served as a model for his presidential race.
After an upset victory in the Democratic primary, Jimmy Carter easily won election as governor, and in his inaugural address declared, “At the end of this long campaign, I believe I know the people of this state as well as anyone. Based on this knowledge of Georgians north and south, rural and urban, liberal and conservative, I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over. Our people have already made this major and difficult decision, but we cannot underestimate the challenge of hundreds of minor decisions yet to be made. Our inherent human charity and our religious beliefs will be taxed to the limit. No poor, rural, weak, or Black person should ever have to bear the additional burden of being deprived of the opportunity for an education, a job, or simple justice.”

The speech gained widespread attention and, along with other actions, led to stories about Carter as a “New South” governor. This included his first of nearly 30 appearances on the cover of Time magazine. The cover story of May 31, 1971, was titled “Dixie Whistles a Different Tune” and subtitled “Georgia’s Governor Jimmy Carter.” Later in his term in office, Governor Carter in 1974 arranged for the hanging of a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. in the state Capitol — an act that had great symbolism in the context of the times.

As governor, he hired the first African American to serve on the staff of a Georgia governor, and increased employment of African Americans in state government by nearly 40 percent. This included hiring the first African Americans in positions of responsibility in many state government agencies. He appointed the first African Americans to serve on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, and as a trial court judge.

For the first time, an African American state trooper was assigned as a member of a Georgia governor’s security detail. When Jimmy Carter became governor, only three African Americans were members of major state boards and commissions. There were 53 when he left office.

His service as governor of Georgia from 1971-1975 and Georgia state senator from 1963-1967 was marked by the same determination to engage difficult and controversial issues as evidenced in his presidency, ranging from bureaucracy and budgeting to prison reform, education, and the environment.
As a state senator, he was responsible for Georgia’s first program to equalize funding for education between wealthy and poor school systems. As governor, he followed up on that initiative with an
educational reform package that reduced class size, supported vocational education, increased the state’s commitment to preschool education, and laid the groundwork for the eventual adoption of a statewide kindergarten program.

Jimmy Carter became Georgia’s 76th governor on January 12, 1971.

Other accomplishments included a drastic reorganization of state government that streamlined hundreds of state agencies, boards, bureaus, and commissions into dozens of more efficient, more accountable state agencies; reform of the state’s budgeting process; prison reform; professionalizing investment of state funds; reform of the state’s criminal justice system, including introduction of a merit system for selection of judges; and initiation of significant new mental health programs. Governor Carter appointed more women and minorities to his staff, the judiciary, and major state boards and agencies than all of his predecessors combined, and he became the first governor in the country to veto a Corps of Engineers water project because of environmental concerns and cost inefficiencies.

Halfway through his term as governor he began planning his run for the presidency. It was a campaign that carried him from relative obscurity to the White House and a prominent platform on the international stage—a platform he used to help better the world for decades beyond his four years in office.

President Carter’s Family

His Children and Their Families

President Carter, born James Earl Carter Jr., October 1, 1924, was predeceased by his wife, Rosalynn Smith Carter (August 18, 1927 – November 19, 2023), and is survived by their four children — John William (Jack), born July 3, 1947; James Earl III (Chip), born April 12, 1950; Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), born August 18, 1952; and Amy Lynn, born October 19, 1967 — and their families, including 12 grandchildren (one deceased) and 14 great-grandchildren.

President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter ride on a train March 9, 1979, in Alexandria, Egypt, during a trip to the Middle East.

His Parents, Sisters, and Brother

President Carter, the eldest child in his family, was preceded in death by his parents, James Earl Carter Sr., in 1953, and Lillian Carter, in 1983; as well as his sisters and brother: Ruth Carter Stapleton (Mrs. Robert T.), died in 1983; Gloria Carter Spann (Mrs. Walter G.), in 1990; and William Alton (Billy) Carter III, in 1988.

LAS VEGAS, NV, June 14, 2021 ” On the heels of his #1 hit, “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” with Olivia Newton-John, music legend and current Tik Tok sensation Paul Anka will release his second single, the title track from his forthcoming album, Making Memories.  The album, with all of the songs penned and performed by this legendary songwriter, is set for release on August 13, 2021, on Green Hill Productions, a subsidiary of Primary Wave Music. Pre-save Making Memories now at: https://greenhill.lnk.to/PAMakingMemories.  In addition, Anka will launch a 22-city North American concert tour, Anka Sings Sinatra, beginning October 22 and running through March 2022.

“I’ve been sitting around all year, like everybody else, and realizing all the memories that I’ve had of springs and summers of the past few years ” and those memories have gotten me through the last year,” said Anka about the inspiration behind Making Memories.  “It’s been a time of reflection and reminiscing – with someone or without – about the foundation of the great life you’ve been blessed with. Plus, how heightened it’s been while being with a loved one during this time of being so confined and isolated.”

With the release of Making Memories a brand-new collection of reimagined classics and new recordings, Anka is not only excited about this new music but getting back on the road to perform in concert for his fans.  This unique and highly anticipated tour will feature Anka paying tribute to his friend, one of the greatest entertainers ever to take the stage: Frank Sinatra.  Tickets go on sale starting Friday, June 18, 2021. VIP Packages will be available in select markets and will include exclusive Paul Anka merchandise.

“The Anka Sings Sinatra tour will honor a great artist who has influenced me more than anyone else throughout my career, Frank Sinatra,” said Anka. “This show will also feature the hits that have spanned my career on this 65th anniversary year. It will be a night filled with his songs, my songs, my way!”

Speaking of songs, Making Memories will not only feature the new, #1 duet with Newton-John but, also a newly reimagined version of his 1957 hit, “You Are My Destiny,”  which Anka performs with the multi-national classical crossover vocal group Il Divo.  On the heels of “My Way’s” 50th anniversary, perhaps one of his most famous self-penned hits, Anka has rerecorded this classic with vocals by Michael Bublé and Andrea Bocelli. In addition to revisiting these classics, Making Memories also features all new songs written by Anka.

To this day Anka, who has been called the ‘Justin Bieber of his time,’ continues to inspire and influence many musicians ” from Drake to The Weeknd to Michael Bublé to Michael Jackson ” all who share respect and admiration for Anka and his music.  Approaching his 80th birthday on July 30 with passion, the upcoming North American and new music, Anka will always be making new memories.

For additional information about the new album and concert tour visit www.PaulAnka.com and follow Paul on social media:

 

Instagram: @PaulAnkaOfficial  Twitter: @PaulAnka
Facebook: @PaulAnkaOfficial TikTok: @OfficialPaulAnka

PAUL ANKA – “ANKA SINGS SINATRA”
TOUR SCHEDULE 2021-2022

2021
October 22                  Westbury, NY             Theatre at Westbury
October 24                  Lancaster, PA             American Music Theatre
October 26                  Morristown, NJ            Mayo Performing Arts Center
October 27                  Bethlehem, PA            Wind Creek Casino
October 29                  Northfield, OH             MGM Northfield Park
October 30                  New Buffalo, MI          Silver Creek Events Center Four Winds Casino
November 2                St. Charles, IL             Aracada Theatre
November 6                Niagara Falls, ON       Fallsview Casino
November 7                Ledyard, CT                Mohegan Sun
November 10              Ridgefield, CT             Ridgefield Playhouse
November 12              Lynn, MA                     Lynn Auditorium
November 13              Bensalem, PA             Parx Casino
November 16              Staten Island, NY       St. George Theatre
November 19              Red Bank, NJ             Count Basie Center for the Arts

2022
February 17                Clearwater, FL            Ruth Eckerd Hall
February 19                The Villages, FL          The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center
February 20*               Sarasota, FL               Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
February 22                Ft. Lauderdale, FL      Broward Center: Au-Rene Theater
March 5                       Los Angeles, CA         Saban Theatre
March 10                     Las Vegas, NV            The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
March 12                     Palm Springs, CA       Fantasy Springs Casino
March 14**                  Scottsdale, AZ            Arizona Musicfest

* Greatest Hits Show
** On sale June 28

# # # # #
About Paul Anka:
Born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Canada, into a close-knit family, Paul Anka didn’t waste time getting his life in music started. From an early age he sang in a choir, studied piano and honed his writing skills with journalism courses, even working as a cub reporter at the Ottawa Citizen. By 13, he had his own vocal group, the Bobbysoxers. Blinded by determination, he would take his mother’s car and drive to perform at every amateur night he could across the river in Quebec. Soon after, he won a trip to New York by winning a Campbell’s soup contest that required him to spend three months collecting soup can labels. After visiting the music hub of New York, was there that his dream to make it as a singer composer was solidified. There was not a doubt in his young tenacious mind. In 1956, he convinced his parents to let him travel to Los Angeles to visit his uncle, where he hitchhiked to a meeting with Modern Records that led to the release of Anka’s first single, “Blau-Wile Deveest Fontaine.” The inspiration for the song came from a book he was reading for a report he had to write for Fisher Park school by the former Governor General of Canada, John Buchan. Although it was not a hit, Anka kept plugging away. He went so far as to sneak into Fats Domino’s dressing room in Ottawa to meet him and his manager. In the dressing room, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry were sitting there and Anka sang his music to them. They told him to stay in school. When Anka returned to New York in 1957, he scored a meeting with Don Costa, the A&R representative for ABC Paramount Records, playing him a batch of songs that included “Diana”. Costa was duly enthusiastic about the potential of the young singer and songwriter. The rapid and enormous success of “Diana”, his first number one hit, made him a star at the young age of 15. Soon Paul found himself traveling by bus with the ‘Cavalcade of Stars’ with the top names of the day. He honed his craft surrounded by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Frankie Lymon, and Chuck Berry. Anka was the youngest entertainer to ever perform at the Copacabana. After a few hit songs, Anka confident in his talent as a writer wisely knew that being a songwriter meant the power was in the pen. As a result, he went on to write for Connie Francis, Leslie Gore, and Buddy Holly (including the last song Holly ever recorded, “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore”). Other hit songs include the Academy Award-nominated theme for the 1962 film in which he starred, The Longest Day. He notably penned the longest running theme in television history for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Songwriting and performing “are what gave me the confidence to keep going,” he says. In the early 60’s, he became a junior associate of Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Even with the British invasion, Anka still had chart records. He moved to Italy and outsold the Italians, selling an astonishing 4 million records there. In the late 60’s, Anka wrote “My Way” for Frank Sinatra and by the 70’s, he had another string of hits like “(You’re) Having My Baby”, “Don’t Like to Sleep Alone”, and “Times of Your Life” which confirmed his status as an icon of popular music. His later achievements as a recording artist included the charted song, “Hold Me ‘Til the Morning Comes,” a hit duet with Peter Cetera in 1983, the Spanish language album Amigos in 1996, and Body of Work, a 1998 duets album that featured Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Tom Jones and daughter Anthea Anka. If this wasn’t enough, it was revealed upon its release in 2009, that Anka cowrote Michael Jackson’s posthumous #1 worldwide hit, “This Is It,” which has further cemented his place upon the most prolific and versatile songwriters of any generation. Not one to rest on his laurels, Rock Swings and Classic Songs, My Way ” ingeniously featured songs originally created by some of the biggest rock performers of the day. Anka, of course, did the songs ‘his way.’ Rock Swings went Top 10 in the UK, and was certified gold in the UK, France, and Canada, hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart and went on to sell half a million units worldwide. On November 15, 2011, Anka released his first Christmas album in decades. Songs of December featured lush romantic versions of popular Christmas songs such as “Let It Snow”, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. All were recorded with a full orchestra in the renowned Capitol studios and sung by a music legend. It is a true holiday classic. In April 2013, Anka released his New York Times Bestselling autobiography, published by St. Martin’s Press, entitled My Way. This autobiography is a remarkable story of a decades-long career as an entertainer, actor, and songwriter. During the same time, his new 14-song album entitled Duets was released by Sony Music Entertainment and featured artists such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Tom Jones, Celine Dion, and Michael Bublé (who Anka was with from the start of his career as well as co-producer on his self-titled album in 2003). Duets provides a musical journey through the life and times of Paul Anka and includes heartfelt liner notes written by Anka himself as an introduction to the classic songs he and his collaborators have chosen. Duets set a milestone in Billboard Chart history because with the CD, Anka became the only artist to have a CD on the Billboard Top 100 Chart for seven consecutive decades. In 2014, Anka saw the release of another song he co-wrote with Michael Jackson entitled “Love Never Felt So Good” off of Jackson’s album Xscape. The song was also recorded as a duet with Justin Timberlake. As lead song off of Jackson’s CD and it’s first single, it has received massive radio, sales, and critical success and reached #1 in over 50 countries. 2018, Anka’s collaboration with Michael Jackson and Drake on the song “Don’t Matter to Me” was released on Drake’s “Scorpion”. The song alone had over 400 million downloads and reached the top 10 on Billboard charts. In 2020, Anka wowed the judges and audiences alike during his time on the hit television competition show, The Masked Singer.

About Green Hill:
Green Hill Productions, a subsidiary of Primary Wave Music, is a boutique record label currently celebrating 25 of creating top-quality lifestyle music for every mood. With over 500 titles in its diverse catalog, Green Hill covers an amazing variety of genres and targeted themes including jazz, New Age, Celtic, Christmas, chillout, bluegrass, Cajun, easy listening, nature, piano, romance, relaxation, oldies, beach, western, world patriotic, big band, classic crooners, and many others. In addition, Green Hill produces recordings on such performers as Olivia Newton-John, Paul Anka, Frankie Valli, David Arkenstone, Beegie Adair, Jim Brickman, Jack Jezzro, Luke Master, and more.

Source: Caprio Media Design

What to do if you are struggling to pay your mortgage or rent.

If you are struggling to pay your rent or mortgage amid the pandemic’s economic fallout, the federal government and some local authorities have announced a series of moratoriums on evictions and other actions.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a foreclosure and eviction moratorium earlier this month for single-family homeowners for the next 60 days if they have Federal Housing Administration-insured mortgages.

The action “will allow households who have an FHA-insured mortgage to meet the challenges of COVID-19 without fear of losing their homes, and help steady market concerns,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson said in a statement.

More information on the HUD’s eviction and foreclosure moratorium can be found at www.hud.gov (HUD COVID-19 Resources and Fact Sheets)

Homeowners in danger of missing a payment should reach out immediately to their lender online rather than by phone because of recent staff reductions, according to the Housing Policy Council, a group of lenders whose members include JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup. The group is working to streamline procedures so lenders are not overwhelmed and requests can be quickly processed, in many cases without requiring immediate proof of need.

“And finally, it is critical that we continue to message that all those who can pay their mortgage, should pay their mortgage,” reads the group’s COVID-19 statement on its website.

Wells Fargo Home Lending said in a press release that they are granting an immediate three-month payment suspension for customers who request assistance on their mortgages. For customers who take advantage of the payment suspension, the lenders said they also won’t report past-due status to consumer reporting agencies or charge late fees during the three-month period.

Moreover, major cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego have also instituted moratoriums on evictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic if you are struggling to make rent. For more information, check your local city housing websites.

Experts also urge that if you think you are struggling to pay your rent, be sure to take action as soon as possible.

What if I can’t pay my energy bills?

Some electric and utility service providers have announced steps to help financially if you are unable to make payments for your home or small business.  For California, Pacific Gas and Electric announced measures, saying it “has voluntarily implemented a moratorium on service disconnections for non-payment,” amid the coronavirus pandemic.  PG&E’s moratorium applies to both residential and commercial customers.

“We recognize that this is a rapidly changing situation and an uncertain time for many of our customers. Our most important responsibility is the health and safety of our customers and employees. We also want to provide some relief from the stress and financial challenges many are facing during this worldwide, public health crisis,” the company’s chief customer officer and senior vice president Laurie Giammona said in a statement.

If you are worried about missing a payment or getting your services shut down, check to see what help is available with your local provider as soon as possible. Experts also urge reaching out to service providers online if possible, as many have reported long wait times or not being able to get through to someone on the phone amid the pandemic.

What if I can’t make an internet or phone payment?

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai urged internet and telephone services to ensure that Americans do not lose their broadband or telephone connectivity amid the crisis earlier this month, and a growing list of companies have signed the FCC’s “Keep Americans Connected” pledge to not terminate services over the next 60 days.

Relieving Joint Pain

The health benefits of regular exercise are undeniable, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends 30 minutes of exercise at least five times per week. However, high-impact exercises like running and weight training can lead to joint pain, especially if you have a joint condition. The good news is that smart exercises with low impact can alleviate joint pain and deliver the same health benefits.

Here are a few tips to consider:

Keep Moving

Trying to protect your joints by not moving actually does more harm than good. Regular exercise can actually help joint pain and ease symptoms of chronic joint conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just be sure to talk to your doctor about your exercise plan before you get started.

Go Low Impact

You don’t need to put tremendous weight on your joints or jump up and down in order to break a sweat or elevate your heartrate. When you’re already in pain, this type of exercise can actually make things worse. Instead, opt for high-quality, low-impact workouts.

There are now exercise machines available for home use that provide the same quality low-impact workout you’d get in physical therapy. Consider the Teeter FreeStep Recumbent Cross Trainer, a seated exercise machine that takes the weight off the joints while torching calories.

Unlike other recumbent machines which can be bad for the knees, the FreeStep mimics a natural stepping motion that prevents knees from traveling over the toes, as well as stabilizes the back and hips. And you don’t have to sacrifice workout quality ” in fact, research shows that FreeStep users burn 17.4 percent more calories than when using a recumbent bike at the same level of effort. Beyond calorie burn, it also offers full-body resistance training, which is especially important, as weak muscles can be a root cause of pain.

Hydrate

It may seem obvious, but ensuring that you drink the recommended daily intake of water is vital to reducing pain in your joints.

Proper hydration helps your body eliminate wastes and toxins that can lead to painful joint conditions. Plus, it helps to keep the joints lubricated and flexible, reducing friction and inflammation and helping to maintain healthy tissue.

Stretch Daily

Stretching increases flexibility and range of motion, improves movement and function, reduces pain and stiffness and prevents further injury. Just remember to move slowly and keep it gentle.

At the very least, spend a good five to 10 minutes in the morning stretching your hamstrings, quadriceps, calf muscles and hip flexors.

For a free photo guide to “5 Daily Stretches to Relieve Knee & Joint Pain,” visit teeter.com/freestep-guide.

With the right exercises and maintenance program, you can improve your health and get a stronger body, without pain.  (StatePoint)

Every year, many seniors are targeted by scammers who want to steal their Medicare numbers to do things like rack up fake health care charges and commit identity theft. These scams hurt seniors and other people eligible for Medicare, cost taxpayers money, and result in higher health care costs for everyone. The good news is that you can protect yourself from fraud and help Medicare stop scammers in their tracks.

How to Spot Medicare Fraud

The first step in protecting yourself from Medicare fraud is knowing how to spot it. Over time, scammers have become very sophisticated and advanced. One of the latest scams you should look out for concerns genetic testing. Scammers are offering “free” genetic tests and claiming Medicare will cover it – so they can get your Medicare number and use it to commit fraud and identity theft. Other Medicare scams include offers for free or reduced-price medical equipment, consultations, or health services. These scams can happen anywhere, including through telemarketing calls, health fairs, and even knocking on doors.

Last year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) removed Social Security numbers from all Medicare cards. Even with this change, people with Medicare should still guard their Medicare card and treat it like a credit card, check Medicare claims summary forms for errors, and be wary of any unsolicited requests for your Medicare number. Medicare will never call beneficiaries to ask for or check Medicare numbers.

To protect yourself from Medicare fraud, keep these things to “do” and “don’t do” in mind:

* DO protect your Medicare number and treat your Medicare card like it’s a credit card.

* DO remember that nothing is ever “free.” Don’t accept offers of money or gifts for free medical care.

* DO review your Medicare claims for errors and problems, including things like fake charges, double billing or other fraudulent activity, and waste or abuse.

* DO visit www.medicare.gov/fraud to learn more about how you can protect yourself from Medicare fraud.

* DON’T give your Medicare card or Medicare number to anyone except your doctor or people you know should have it.

* DON’T accept medical supplies, equipment, or genetic testing kits from door-to-door salesmen or solicitors at a mall or fair.

* DON’T let anyone persuade you to receive health care services you don’t need, such as genetic testing. Only make these decisions with your doctor.

Reporting Medicare Fraud

If you think you may have spotted fraud, you should report it right away. No matter how minimal the information you share is, it could be the missing piece to stopping the next fraud scheme. If you are a victim of fraud, know that you won’t be penalized or lose your coverage for reporting it. Even if you are not a victim, it’s important to report any fraud scams you encounter to Medicare. Report suspected fraud by calling 1-800-MEDICARE or online through the Office of the Inspector General.

Information provided by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (BPT)

Every year many Americans establish New Year’s resolutions, setting their sights high with the turn of the calendar, but few of them are able to sustain those resolutions. According to online global activity data analyzed by Strava, most people report failing their resolution by Jan. 12. Additionally, a study conducted by the University of Scranton found that just 8% of resolvers could stick to their pledge for two years without slips.

New Year’s resolutions are very difficult to maintain, especially if you are trying to build a healthier lifestyle. According to a 2019 Marist Poll, two of the top resolutions are losing weight and eating healthier. To sustain a nutritious diet, consumers need to identify food options that are not only healthy, but also delicious and convenient.

Protein is essential to a wholesome, balanced diet, and turkey is an excellent source of protein. Low in fat and packed with an abundance of minerals, turkey is perfect for many tasty, easy-to-prepare meals for individuals and families. Consumers can cook tacos with ground turkey, turkey burgers, spaghetti with turkey meatballs, turkey sheet pan dinners, turkey sausage or turkey skillet kits in less than a half hour and enjoy a convenient, nourishing meal.

No matter which form of turkey consumers are choosing, they are often hung up on a common question: white meat or dark meat? You cannot go wrong either way, according to nutritionist Dana Harrison. She notes that white meat is a great source of lean protein, low in fat and low in calories. However, the calorie disparity is not that large. For a three-ounce serving, any part of the turkey falls within a 160- to 190-calorie range.

While dark meat has a higher concentration of fat than white meat, those fats could help you feel more satiated by your meal. Dark meat is also higher in certain other nutrients, including iron, zinc, B vitamins and selenium. Ultimately, Harrison recommends that consumers simply eat the option they prefer taste-wise because white meat and dark meat both fit into a healthy, adequate and balanced diet.

For those wanting healthier options for their families, there are a wide variety of products including ground turkey, breast cutlets, tenderloins and turkey meal kits. The Honeysuckle White and Shady Brook Farms brands provide an array of healthy turkey recipes, such as Southwest-style chipotle turkey tenderloin with roasted veggies, sweet and spicy turkey tacos and white turkey chili.

For consumers on-the-go who want the health halo of turkey breast but need something speedy to whip up for dinner, the company also recently introduced Turkey Skillet Kits. Each kit includes four turkey breast cutlets – hand-seasoned in a flavorful blend – along with an internationally inspired gourmet sauce sauté packet, and they cook in fewer than 15 minutes.

Ground turkey is another quick, versatile dinner option. With 28 grams of protein and only one gram of fat per serving, 99% fat-free ground turkey breast provides a foundation for a wholesome entrée, such as tacos or chili. For families on the go, oven-ready turkey meatloaf is simple to prepare and perfect for busy schedules.

Keeping track of the food you are consuming can help you lose weight and determine if you’re eating enough in each food group. And with modern technology at our disposal, diet monitoring is a breeze. Online food calculators, such as the tool on WebMD, enable consumers to count calories and grams of fat, carbohydrates and protein from thousands of different foods. There are numerous mobile apps that allow you to track your exercise accomplishments, in addition to your dietary goals, to stay on pace with your resolution.

Upholding a healthy diet with balanced, wholesome meals only takes a few simple steps. Smart shoppers plan meals before heading to the store and stick to the outside perimeter of the supermarket to purchase fresh ingredients, including vegetables, fruit and lean meats. Moreover, a consistent meal-planning routine saves time and money by eliminating extra trips to eat out and cutting out the need to order delivery.

This is the year your New Year’s resolution does not have to end in frustration. Armed with a grocery shopping game plan and modern technology to monitor nutrition and wellness progress, consumers can be ready to maintain a healthy routine. Even on the busiest of nights, convenient and healthful turkey meal options ensure you can enjoy an appetizing dinner while keeping your resolution. (BPT)

 

Recognizing and taking steps to address the warning signs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias can be extremely challenging — especially in the early stages. It’s easy and common to dismiss cognitive changes in oneself or a family member as “normal aging.”

“Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging,” says Dr. Keith Fargo, director, scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer’s Association. “With normal aging, you may forget where you parked your car — that happens to all of us. But if you get in your car and get lost coming home — that’s not normal.”

Alzheimer’s is a fatal progressive disease that attacks the brain, killing nerve cells and tissue, affecting an individual’s ability to remember, think, plan and ultimately function. Today, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. By 2050, that number is projected to skyrocket to nearly 14 million.

To help families identify signs early on, the Alzheimer’s Association offers 10 Warning Signs and Symptoms, a list of some common signs that can be early symptoms of Alzheimer’s or other dementias:

1. Disruptive memory loss. Forgetting recently learned information, asking the same questions over and over and increasingly relying on memory aids.

2. Challenges in solving problems. Changes in one’s ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers, such as having trouble following a familiar recipe or keeping track of monthly bills.

3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks. Difficulty completing daily tasks, such as organizing a grocery list or remembering the rules of a favorite game.

4. Confusion with time or place. Losing track of dates, seasons and the passage of time.

5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships. Vision problems, which may lead to difficulty with balance or trouble reading.

6. New problems with words in speaking or writing. Trouble following or joining a conversation or a struggle with vocabulary. For example, calling a “watch” a “hand-clock.”

7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps. Putting things in unusual places and being unable to go back over one’s steps to find them again.

8. Decreased or poor judgment. Changes in judgment or decision-making when dealing with such matters as money and grooming.

9. Withdrawal from work or social activities. Changes in the ability to hold or follow a conversation can result in a withdrawal from hobbies or social activities.

10. Changes in mood and personality. Mood and personality changes, such as confusion, suspicion, depression, fearfulness and anxiety.

To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and to find resources, visit alz.org, the website of the Alzheimer’s Association or call its 24/7, free Helpline at 800.272.3900.

It’s important to note that exhibiting one or more of these 10 warning signs does not mean someone has Alzheimer’s. In fact, these signs may signal other — even treatable — conditions. However, it’s important to talk to your doctor to understand what is driving cognitive changes so you can better manage the condition — whatever the diagnosis.


PHOTO SOURCE: (c) Alzheimer’s Association

 

 

 

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are increasingly popular, offering robust benefits including vision, health, dental, drug coverage and more. For the more than 22 million people with an MA plan, the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP), running from Oct. 15-Dec. 7, is the only time each year when they can shop for alternate plans.

“Health care is one of the most important investments you’ll ever make,” says Brian Evanko, who heads Medicare for Cigna, which serves more than 3 million Medicare customers nationwide through its various plans. “For those unsatisfied with their MA plan, the AEP provides a valuable opportunity to shop for a new one that better meets their specific needs.”

Weighing your options this AEP? Consider the following tips from Cigna:

• Review changes. In late September, health plans send their current MA customers a document known as the Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) with information about plan changes for the upcoming year, including costs, benefits, available doctors and facilities. Don’t overlook this important document in the mail. It can help you determine if you need to change plans.

• Weigh extras. When comparing plans, pay attention to extra benefits not available in Original Medicare and consider whether you’re likely to use them. Some of the most popular are dental, vision, hearing and no-cost access to fitness programs. Others might include over-the-counter drug coverage and no-cost transportation to doctors and pharmacies.

• Consider other factors. Beyond cost, consider the doctors and facilities included in any given plan, making sure it includes your favorite physician. Check drug coverage, prices on your regular maintenance medications and whether it’s easy to see specialists. Also pay attention to copays (how much you’re required to pay out-of-pocket for doctor visits) and the deductible. Are they affordable?

• Know yourself. Learn as much as you can about the different plan types and choose one that best suits your budget, lifestyle and health status. Of course, priorities change, which could prompt a need for a plan change.

• Don’t forget prevention. Many MA plans cover health screenings beyond those covered by Original Medicare. Talk to your doctor about which screenings are important for you given your age and health status. Some MA plans may even provide rewards, such as gift cards, for completing certain screenings.

• Get assistance. Plan Finder, found at medicare.gov/find-a-plan, is an online tool available through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that helps you compare premiums, costs of medications and more. You can see how plans are rated from one to five stars based on different quality measures. Additionally, many insurance plans offer seminars at no cost and with no obligation to sign up. You can also check health plans’ websites or call their customer service for more information. Local and state agencies on aging also connect older adults and caregivers with resources.

“Medicare is a great program, but it can be complicated, especially for those who are new to it,” Evanko advises. “Seek out third-party resources and talk to friends and family who have been through the process, asking questions until you understand your options.”

 

 

 

 

 

Every day, roughly 10,000 baby boomers nationwide turn 65, according to the Pew Research Center, which means that a growing number of Americans are dealing with the many challenges associated with aging parents or relatives. Among them is determining when parents may need assistance they aren’t currently receiving.

“Asking for help and depending on others for care may make an individual feel like a burden to family or friends. The goal of home care should be to strengthen the mind and the body, lift spirits and support loved ones in a way that makes life worth living,” says Jennifer Sheets, president and chief executive officer of Caring Brands International and Interim HealthCare Inc. “This whole person and individualized approach allows caregivers to look for ways to empower people at home.”

Unfortunately, when seniors struggle with basic tasks such as self-care, transportation or household chores, they don’t always talk about it. They may be embarrassed or afraid of losing their independence or homes. Still others may not even realize anything is amiss, particularly if they’re in the beginning stages of dementia.

Interim HealthCare shares some warning signs that an aging loved one may be in need of senior care:

• A change in mood, such as depression, anxiety or a loss of interest in social activities and hobbies.

• Significant weight loss, which can happen for a variety of reasons, including serious physical and mental disorders.

• Issues with mobility and balance. These can be signs of joint, muscle or neurological problems, and increase the likelihood of falls.

• Bruises, cuts or scrapes are sometimes evidence of falls or kitchen mishaps, and a potential indication of declining physical agility.

• Piles of bills, un-watered plants and overflowing hampers — these are just a few of the many signs that basic tasks are being neglected.

• New dents or dings on your parents’ vehicle. These could be signs that safe driving has become an issue.

• Stains, missing buttons and untrimmed nails, are signs of neglected personal hygiene.

• No food in the house, or moldy, stale or spoiled food, might mean a parent is struggling to grocery shop or cook, or may have even lost interest in eating.

• A prescription stockpile could indicate your parent is forgetting to take critical pills.

• Stacks of unopened bills, late payment notices, unbalanced checkbooks and wads of cash stashed in odd places, are all signs of mismanaged money.

If a parent requires extra care, consider all your options, including in-home assistance, which allows older adults to continue living at home, while getting needed help. Look for care that offers a whole-person approach, such as Interim HealthCare’s HomeLife Enrichment standard of care, which looks beyond basic needs to encompass mind, body, spirit and family to develop specific protocols and interactive activities that stimulate the brain, improve motor functions and help seniors feel in control of their days. To learn more, visit interimhealthcare.com.

If your parents are displaying signs of needed care, getting them this support is crucial — both for their immediate health and safety, as well as their overall happiness and wellness. (StatePoint)

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