JIMMY CARTER . 1977-1981

Jimmy Carter aspired to make Government "competent and compassionate." His achievements were notable, but in an era of rising energy costs, inflation and continuing tensions, it was impossible for his administration to meet these high expectations.

Carter was born October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. Peanut farming, politics, and devotion to the Baptist faith were mainstays of his upbringing. After graduating in 1946 from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he served seven years as a naval officer. In 1962 he entered Georgia politics, and eight years later was elected governor. He emphasized ecology, efficiency in government, and the removal of racial barriers. Carter announced his candidacy for president in December 1974 and began a two-year campaign. At the Democratic Convention, he was nominated on the first ballot. Campaigning hard against President Gerald R. Ford, he won the 1976 election.

As president, Carter combated the continuing woes of inflation and unemployment. By the end of his administration, he could claim an increase of nearly eight million jobs and a decrease in the budget deficit. Unfortunately, inflation and interest rates were at near record highs, and efforts to reduce them caused a short recession. Domestically, Carter dealt adeptly with the energy shortage, prompted civil service reform, and deregulated the trucking and airline industries. His expansion of the national park system included protection of 103 million acres of Alaskan lands. He also created the Department of Education, bolstered the Social Security system, and appointed record numbers of women, blacks, and Hispanics to government jobs.

In foreign affairs, Carter’s championing of human rights was coldly received by the Soviet Union and some other nations. Through the Camp David agreement of 1978, he helped bring amity between Egypt and Israel. He obtained ratification of the Panama Canal treaties. Building upon the work of predecessors, he established full diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and completed negotiation of the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union.

But there were setbacks. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the suspension of plans for ratification of the SALT II pact. News of the hostage seizure of the U.S. embassy staff in Iran dominated the administration’s last 14 months. The consequences of Iran's holding Americans captive, along with continuing inflation at home, contributed to Carter's defeat in 1980. Even then, he continued the difficult negotiations over the hostages. Iran finally released the 52 Americans the same day Carter left office.

RONALD REAGAN . 1981-1989

At the end of his two terms in office, Ronald W. Reagan viewed with satisfaction the achievements of his innovative program known as the Reagan Revolution, which aimed to reinvigorate the American people and reduce their reliance upon government.

Born February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan worked his way through Eureka College. He studied economics and sociology, played on the football team, and acted in school plays. Upon graduation, he became a radio sports announcer. A screen test in 1937 won him a Hollywood contract. Over the next 20 years he appeared in 53 films.

As president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan became embroiled in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry. His politics went from liberal to conservative, and he toured as a television spokesman for conservatism. He was elected governor of California in 1966, then re-elected in 1970 by a margin of a million votes. Reagan won the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 and voters, troubled by inflation and the year-long confinement of Americans in Iran, swept him into the White House. Soon after he took office, he was shot by a would-be assassin, but quickly recovered and returned to duty. His grace and wit during the dangerous incident caused his popularity to soar.

Reagan obtained legislation to cut taxes, stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase employment and strengthen national defense. Even when the strengthening of defense forces led to a large deficit, he refused to deviate from his course. A renewal of national self-confidence by 1984 helped his administration win a second term. In 1986 Reagan obtained an overhaul of the income tax code. At the end of his administration, the nation was enjoying its longest recorded period of peacetime prosperity without recession or depression.

In foreign policy, Reagan sought "peace through strength." In meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he negotiated a treaty that would eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Reagan declared war against international terrorism, sending American bombers against Libya after that country was involved in an attack on American soldiers in a West Berlin nightclub. By ordering naval escorts in the Persian Gulf, he maintained the free flow of oil during the Iran-Iraq war. In keeping with the Reagan Doctrine, he supported anti-Communist insurgencies in Central America, Asia, and Africa.

He left office in 1989, retiring to his California ranch. Overall, the Reagan years saw a restoration of prosperity, and the goal of peace through strength seemed to be within grasp. President Ronald Reagan passed away after ten years of Alzheimer's, at 93 years of age.

GEORGE BUSH . 1989-1993

George Bush brought to the White House a dedication to traditional American values and a determination to make the United States "a kinder and gentler nation." In his inaugural address he pledged to use American strength as "a force for good."

George Herbert Walker Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, on June 12, 1924. He became a student leader at Phillips Academy in Andover, and on his 18th birthday he enlisted in the armed forces. The youngest pilot in the navy when he received his wings, he flew 58 combat missions during World War II. While on a mission over the Pacific as a torpedo bomber pilot his plane was shot down by Japanese antiaircraft fire. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action.

Bush returned from the war and went to Yale University, where he was captain of the baseball team and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation Bush embarked on a career in the oil industry of West Texas. He became interested in public service and politics and served two terms as a representative to Congress from Texas. Twice he ran unsuccessfully for the Senate. Then he was appointed to a series of high-level positions, including ambassador to the United Nations, chairman of the Republican National Committee and director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

In 1980 Bush became vice president under Ronald Reagan and in 1988 he won the presidency. As president, Bush faced a dramatically changing world. The Cold War had ended, the Berlin Wall had fallen and the Communist empire was broken up. The Soviet Union ceased to exist, and while Bush hailed the march of democracy, he insisted on restraint in U. S. policy toward the group of new nations. In other areas of foreign policy, he sent American troops into Panama to overthrow the corrupt regime that was threatening the security of the canal.

But Bush's greatest test came when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, then threatened to move into Saudi Arabia. Bush rallied the forces and sent 425,000 American troops. They were joined by 118,000 troops from allied nations. After weeks of air and missile bombardment, the 100-hour land battle, dubbed Desert Storm, routed Iraq's million-man army.

Despite unprecedented popularity from this military and diplomatic triumph, Bush was unable to withstand discontent at home from a faltering economy, rising violence in inner cities, and continued high deficit spending. In 1992 he lost his bid for re-election to Democrat William Clinton.