Atlanta History Center Remembers the Carters

The Carters sought to establish a precedent of peace, tolerance, and health for all communities in Georgia and around the world. The Carters’ mission will continue, and their legacy of aid will live on through the efforts of the driven experts, staff, and volunteers of The Carter Center. 

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James Earl Carter Jr. was born in Plains, Georgia in 1924. He was the son of farmer and businessman James Earl Carter Sr. and nurse Lillian Gordy Carter. When Jimmy was three, his mother helped deliver the newborn daughter of Wilburn and Frances Allethea Smith, who they named Eleanor Rosalynn Smith. Jimmy visited Rosalynn shortly after she was born when he was three years old. Jimmy was raised in the nearby hamlet of Archery, a community where almost all the residents were impoverished African American families. He was educated in Plains public schools for elementary and high school. Carter began his undergraduate studies in engineering at Georgia Southwestern College in Americus, Georgia, in 1941. 

Rosalynn was the eldest of four children born to the Smiths. Her father, a town councilman, auto mechanic, school bus driver, and store clerk, died when Rosalynn was just 13 years old. Mrs. Smith took on several jobs to support her four children. A young Mrs. Carter also supported her family at a local hairdresser’s shop. As a teen, Rosalynn had a crush on Jimmy, but at that time, he was at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Striving to meet her father’s wish for a good education for his eldest daughter, Rosalynn graduated from Plains High School as class salutatorian. She then attended Georgia Southwestern College for two years before leaving in 1946 to help her mother raise and support her siblings. That same year, Rosalynn, 18, and Jimmy, a 21-year-old graduate of the Naval Academy, married in Plains, Georgia.

Jimmy served in the Navy for seven years in the Atlantic and Pacific fleet. Rosalynn and their sons, John, James, and Donnel, (known as Jack, Chip, and Jeff) went to each stateside deployment to accompany him. They returned to Plains in 1953 where they operated Carter Farmers, the family’s peanut farming business and together became leaders in the community. As Mr. Carter aspired to hold political office, Mrs. Carter helped run his campaigns, beginning with his successful election to the Georgia State Senate.  

Change came quickly for the Carters with the birth of their daughter, Amy, in 1967 and Mr. Carter’s successful election to the Georgia governorship in 1970. During his governorship, Mr. Carter reorganized the state government, improving efficiency while also reducing costs. His improvements to the education system led to the creation of a statewide kindergarten program. One of his biggest accomplishments was promoting equal opportunities for women and minorities. As governor, Carter appointed more people of minority groups to state boards and agencies than all previous Georgia governors combined.  

At the same time, Mrs. Carter transformed her concern with mental health care in Georgia into tangible action. Many mental institutions closed in the 1970s and patients were left without the care that they desperately needed. As a result, the country began to experience a mental illness crisis. In light of this, Mrs. Carter committed herself to radically changing both the conversation about mental health and the governmental and medical responses to those who experienced mental health challenges. She served as a member of the Governor’s Commission to Improve Services to the Mentally and Emotionally Handicapped and oversaw statewide mental health care reform initiatives. 

Mr. Carter was elected the 39^th president of the United States in 1976. Mrs. Carter supported Mr. Carter throughout his run. She became the first candidate’s wife to issue her own campaign promise to the American public, asserting that she would promote legislative reform of American mental health programs. She worked closely with her husband to create a Presidential Commission on Mental Health and her efforts contributed to the passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980, which provided funding for community mental health support systems and social services She also lobbied vigorously for the Equal Rights Amendment.  

She pushed for the participation of women at all levels of the federal government and had her staff assemble a list of qualified women that Mr. Carter could consider for presidential appointments. As a result of her efforts and activity, Congress formally recognized the office of the First Lady for the first time as a federal position and provided funding for staff.  

Meanwhile, President Carter increased national human and social services by creating the Department of Education, strengthening the Social Security system, and appointing a record number of individuals from women and other minority groups to federal jobs. As an early advocate for renewable energy, he facilitated the installation of a 32-panel, water-heating solar power unit at the White House in 1979. He also expanded the National Park System to include the protection of 103 million acres of land in Alaska.  

He also made major progress abroad with foreign affairs. With human rights as his highest priority, President Carter facilitated the Camp David Accords between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. He helped secure the bipartisan ratification of the Panama Canal Treaties and established formal diplomatic relations with China.  

While Mr. Carter lost to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential race, neither his, nor Mrs. Carter’s, career ended. Jimmy and Rosalynn founded The Carter Center in 1982. The Carter Center monitors elections, works to eradicate diseases affecting lower-income communities across the world, and more. The Carters were also heavily involved in Habitat for Humanity which builds or renovates homes for people in need. In 1996, the Georgia Commission of Women awarded Mrs. Carter the Georgia Woman of the Year Award, and she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001. In 2002, Mr. Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  

The Carters left behind a distinct legacy of advocacy and humanitarianism. As the first and, so far, only president from Georgia, Mr. Carter redefined the nation’s view of the South. Mrs. Carter expanded the role of First Lady and challenged expectations for that position. Together, they will be remembered in Georgia, across the nation, and worldwide as a force for good and as a voice for the progress of all people.