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.
