James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr.

Obituary James Earl Carter, Jr.  (aka Jimmy Carter)

© - Toni Lee - https://www.toni-lee-author.com

1386 words ​

History has proven to us that when a spouse loses a partner after many years together, often the will to live seeps from the remaining partner’s heart, and their body soon follows.  Rarely do they live more than three additional years.  Such appears to be the case with President Jimmy Carter, who lost Rosalynn, his beloved wife of more than 77 years,  in November of 2023.  But before she left this world and her life mate,  the couple, married in 1946 had four children, John William “Jack”, James Earl “Chip” III, Donnel Jeffrey “Jeff” and Amy Lynn.  We must keep in perspective that almost eight decades is longer than most people live, yet the glue and common bonds of community service, dedication to country and the will to do good kept this couple alive and vibrant well into their 90’s, their brilliant light only waning mere days before their individual and bonded sunsets.  It is nearly impossible to talk about Jimmy Carter without including Rosalynn Carter, his partner in so many pursuits in life.  

A democrat, Jimmy Carter was a brilliant man, with an IQ higher than most, as proven by his work as a nuclear physicist, and as the second officer of the second nuclear submarine in the USA, the Seawolf.  It was a long way from the public schools of Plains, Georgia, where he was born and raised by James Earl Sr. a farmer and merchant, and Ms. Lilian Carter, a registered nurse.  It is  a town that today has a population of 776 people, and proudly displays this information in the header,  “Home of the 39th United States President and 2002 Nobel Prize Recipient Jimmy Carter” before telling you it is the official website for the city.  That coupled with the fascinating, weirdly creepy giant peanut statue on their history page, with undeniably Jimmy Carter teeth, speaks to the good humor of the 39th president for allowing it to represent him in a town he grew up and lived in till his last breath.  

I met and interviewed President Carter once, but we’ll get to that.   It is easy to know the big highlights of Carter’s life because they’ve always been on display since he came on the scene for the presidential race with “Hi, I’m Jimmy Carter and I want to be your next president!” in mid 1970s.   Many didn’t know his name or that he had been the Governor of Georgia, let alone his politics or capabilities. Some assumed he was a backward peanut farmer because of the soft southern drawl, but they would be very wrong.  A Graduate of the Naval Academy with a bachelor of science degree, and Union College’s nuclear power plant operation program, Carter, a veteran, served in active duty from 1946 to 1953, and in reserve status till 1961, leaving at the rank of lieutenant.    

After resigning from Naval service upon his father’s death, he returned to Plains to run Carter Farms and Carter’s Warehouse a seed and farm supply store, moving fast to become a community leader and public servant.  Board positions in hospital, library and education management associations quickly gave him a sound base for public management, and after one failed attempt in 1966, he became the State of Georgia’s 76th governor in January 1971.    In 1974 he announced his candidacy for president of the United States, won the party’s nomination and the election in November 1976, serving until 1981 when plagued by the Iran hostage crisis, he lost the chance for a second term to Ronald Reagan.   

Before leaving office, he had several successes including establishing diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, completing negotiation of the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union and ratification of the Panama Canal treaties in the Torrijos – Carter Treaties.  He also worked toward reducing the Arab-Israeli  conflict and arranged the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, a feat many doubted could be done.  His efforts and achievements in the energy program, finance, education, environment, conservation and the national parks system protecting 103 million acres of Alaskan land,  positively affected the USA and its citizens.    

His personal accomplishments are vast, having authored 32 books and winning the Nobel Peace Prize  in 2002 “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” making him one of only 137 laureates to date, since the organization’s awarding began in 1901.     Carter’s work continued, with his life-partner at his side, when they created the Carter Center in 1982, designed to address and alleviate human suffering by advancing support and rights to those in need.  This work includes addressing homelessness, fighting to irradicate the Guinea worm, improving economic opportunities and growth in nations in need, working with Habitat for Humanity and serving as political elections observers.  The list of his accomplishments are vast, and he continued to personally work on Habitat housing one week per year, well into his 90s.  

I have been lucky enough to meet two US presidents and one first lady in my lifetime;  Gerald Ford and Lady Bird Johnson, both of whom I met on a plane though not at the same time.  Then in later years, Jimmy Carter, when I was hired by an Atlanta, Georgia production company to interview him for a Swedish television station doing a documentary about Olaf Palme’s assassination, the Swedish Prime Minister murdered in 1986.  He and Carter had been friends.    

We had to submit questions before the interview at the Carter Center, and the assistant struck 4 of the 15 questions from the list, saying if I asked them, the interview would immediately be over.  We were given 14 minutes to interview him and told that it would end exactly at minute 14.  I was nervous when he came in but stood and acted professionally as he shook my hand.  He was smaller than I imagined, about my height at 5’8” maybe shorter than the generally recorded 5'10" due to age and time.   But his most striking feature was his eyes.  I had never seen eyes that blue or sparkling on any person ever before, or since.  Cerulean blue, I learned later, would be the closest color I could find to match them.  They were disarming, a bit intimidating, and seemed to look right through me, or anyone, to find your soul. I immediately understood how such an unassuming man rose to such power.  

We sat, and he asked to see the questions.  I gave him the paper, which he looked at for about 15 seconds before giving it back to me, with one word.  “Alright.”  I started asking the questions, shaking a bit from the weight of it all. After the second question, he quietly said, “Its okay.  Continue.”  I calmed down and finished the questions which he answered perfectly and clearly, but somewhere on the next to the last question, something in his answer made me pause to wonder if I was allowed to elaborate on the question, given the rules.  My pause was quick, but he responded, as if he had done this so many times, he knew exactly what was on my mind, and was there to help my confusion.  He quietly smiled and said, “Ms. Lee, I think you have about one minute left.  How would you like to spend it?”  It snatched me out of my stupor, and I moved on and asked the last question and he answered it, ending at 13 minutes and 49 seconds, which I didn’t know till he stood,  so of course I stood, and a flurry of assistants came to whisk him away.    

In retrospect, the last question and his answer to it, was more important for the documentary than an elaboration of the one before.  I had purposely researched and written them that way, but got lost in my own nervousness.  I suspect he had already assessed that too, but left the decision to me with his prompt. Apparently he was driven by some internal clock, guided by thousands of interviews over the years.   I thanked him, and he was polite and said it was a pleasure and was gone. I asked Ngaio Killingsworth, the producer who had been keeping track of the time, exactly how long the interview lasted, and he told me.   I began to suspect that Carter might not have asked to see the questions for his benefit, but for the interviewer's benefit, me in that case, so he could help us through fluster and keep us on track so we could reach our goal.  I doubt that he could be thrown by any question actually, after meeting him.  

As President Carter left the room, I felt I had been in the presence of quiet, centered and true greatness, and I was right.    

James Earl Carter, Jr., born October 1, 1924, taught Sunday school well into his late years, and leaves behind 4 children and 22 grandchildren and great grandchildren, all of whom he began taking on a yearly Christmas family vacation in the mid 1990s.  He holds the record in USA history as the longest married president ever.  He was known as a kind, forthright man who believed in public service, and was recognized as such by many despite political affiliation.  He will be missed as a beacon of decency and one who has always had love for family and the country he diligently served.

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Last Modified On Dec 30, 2024