President Carter addresses the nation from the White House on his energy proposal on April 18, 1977.
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Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
President Carter addresses the nation from the White House on his energy proposal on April 18, 1977.
Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter passed away on December 29, 2024 at 100 years old. He was a Georgia governor when he began his bid to become the 39th president on a campaign of decency, equality and freedom. Carter served a single term, from 1977 to 1981, most memorable for his human rights-centered foreign policy and for establishing the departments of education and energy, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Camp David Accords were the Carter administration’s greatest foreign policy achievement. Carter brought together Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat at the presidential retreat in Maryland. On Sept. 17, 1978, the accords were signed, leading to an official peace treaty between the two countries the following year.
After his presidency, Carter continued in his pursuit of human rights. He and his wife, Rosalynn, founded The Carter Center and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, helping to build and advocate for affordable housing.
Here’s a look at Carter’s time as President in photos.
Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter walk down Pennsylvania Avenue after Carter was sworn in as the nation’s 39th president on Jan. 20, 1977, in Washington, D.C.
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Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter walk down Pennsylvania Avenue after Carter was sworn in as the nation’s 39th president on Jan. 20, 1977, in Washington, D.C.
AP
President Jimmy Carter receives the applause of members of Congress who witnessed his signature on a bill creating the Department of Energy in a Rose Garden ceremony Thursday, Aug. 4, 1977, at the White House in Washington, D.C.
Barry Thumma/AP
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Barry Thumma/AP
President Jimmy Carter receives the applause of members of Congress who witnessed his signature on a bill creating the Department of Energy in a Rose Garden ceremony Thursday, Aug. 4, 1977, at the White House in Washington, D.C.
Barry Thumma/AP
Ed and Mary Cashat of Pasadena, Texas, listen to the address on energy by President Carter before a joint session of Congress on April 21, 1977. Ed Cashat is a foreman of the operations department that handles machinery and equipment at a Shell Oil Company refinery.
Ed Kolenovsky/AP
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Ed Kolenovsky/AP
Ed and Mary Cashat of Pasadena, Texas, listen to the address on energy by President Carter before a joint session of Congress on April 21, 1977. Ed Cashat is a foreman of the operations department that handles machinery and equipment at a Shell Oil Company refinery.
Ed Kolenovsky/AP
In this handout file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin chats informally with Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat and President Carter during their peace talks on Sept. 6, 1978, at Camp David in Maryland.
Moshe Milner/GPO via Getty Images
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Moshe Milner/GPO via Getty Images
In this handout file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin chats informally with Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat and President Carter during their peace talks on Sept. 6, 1978, at Camp David in Maryland.
Moshe Milner/GPO via Getty Images
President Carter waves to the crowd gathered in the House chamber of the Capitol building on Jan. 23, 1979, as he prepares to deliver his annual State of the Union address.
AP
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AP
President Carter waves to the crowd gathered in the House chamber of the Capitol building on Jan. 23, 1979, as he prepares to deliver his annual State of the Union address.
AP
Deng Xiaoping and President Carter sign diplomatic agreements between the United States and China on Jan. 31, 1979.
HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
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HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Deng Xiaoping and President Carter sign diplomatic agreements between the United States and China on Jan. 31, 1979.
HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
President Carter poses with a baby in Quincy, Ill., in 1979, during a summer vacation cruising the Mississippi River. The baby’s T-shirt reads “I’m a Carter Nut” above the outline of a peanut.
Wally McNamee/Corbis via Getty Images
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Wally McNamee/Corbis via Getty Images
President Carter poses with a baby in Quincy, Ill., in 1979, during a summer vacation cruising the Mississippi River. The baby’s T-shirt reads “I’m a Carter Nut” above the outline of a peanut.
Wally McNamee/Corbis via Getty Images
Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat, left, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin stand at attention as the national anthems of their respective countries are played on the north lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 24, 1979.
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Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat, left, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin stand at attention as the national anthems of their respective countries are played on the north lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 24, 1979.
AP
The Rev. Martin Luther King Sr., left, President Carter and Coretta Scott King, the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. pray during the convocation at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Jan. 14, 1979.
Jim Wells/AP
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Jim Wells/AP
The Rev. Martin Luther King Sr., left, President Carter and Coretta Scott King, the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. pray during the convocation at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Jan. 14, 1979.
Jim Wells/AP
President Carter, his daughter Amy, South Korean President Park Chung-hee and others wave during a motorcade in Seoul on June 30, 1979.
John Duricka/AP
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John Duricka/AP
President Carter, his daughter Amy, South Korean President Park Chung-hee and others wave during a motorcade in Seoul on June 30, 1979.
John Duricka/AP
President Carter poses for photographers in the Oval Office on Jan. 14, 1981, just prior to delivering his farewell address on national television.
Charles Tasnadi/AP
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Charles Tasnadi/AP
President Carter poses for photographers in the Oval Office on Jan. 14, 1981, just prior to delivering his farewell address on national television.
Charles Tasnadi/AP
Days after his term ended, in January 1981, former President Carter boards Air Force One in Georgia to return to Washington, D.C., and continue onto Wiesbaden, Germany, to greet the newly released Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days.
Chuck Fishman/Getty Images
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Chuck Fishman/Getty Images
Days after his term ended, in January 1981, former President Carter boards Air Force One in Georgia to return to Washington, D.C., and continue onto Wiesbaden, Germany, to greet the newly released Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days.
Chuck Fishman/Getty Images
The audio portion of this story is from Up First Sunday, hosted by Rachel Martin. Don Gonyea contributed to the reporting. The audio was produced by Dan Girma, and edited by Jennifer Schmidt. Digital support by Audrey Nguyen.
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