The Carter White House 1977-1981
Gallery
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In this photograph taken on January 20, 1977, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter walk down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House after the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
In this photograph taken on February 22, 1977, President Jimmy Carter and his daughter, Amy Carter, participate in a speed reading course in the Cabinet Room. During his time in office, President Carter took a night course -- along with Amy -- to learn how to speed read. Carter learned speed reading in order to keep on top of all the paperwork, memoranda, and correspondences that were required as a part of his responsibilities as President of the United States. The Cabinet Room is located in the West Wing of the White House.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
This photograph of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter was taken in the Blue Room of the White House on December 13, 1979. In the photograph, President and Mrs. Carter pose in front of the Blue Room Christmas Tree while attending a Christmas Party for the White House Press Corps.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
This is a photograph of President Jimmy Carter clasping hands with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the signing of the Egypt-Israeli Peace Treaty on the North Lawn, March 26, 1979.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
In this photograph, President Jimmy Carter lights a menorah in celebration of Hanukkah on December 17, 1979. This was the first lighting of the National Menorah, and took place in Lafayette Park, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. President Carter, in dressed in a tuxedo for a State Dinner held in honor of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain, put on an overcoat and walked across the street to the ceremony, which featured a small crowd of a few dozen. The lighting of the National Menorah historically takes place on the Ellipse and is overseen by a politician of the Jewish faith.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
This photograph of President Jimmy Carter was taken on April 11, 1977. President Carter is captured holding his grandson, Jason Carter, on his shoulders at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House Grounds. Carter and his grandson are surrounded by a crowd of attendees and security. Jason, the son of Carter's eldest son, Jack, was around one and a half years old when this photograph was taken.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
This photograph by Marion S. Trikosko captures President Jimmy Carter arriving at Camp David in Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland on November 23, 1979. Accompanying President Carter on the helicopter trip from the White House to Camp David was, from left to right, Secretary of Defense Harold Brown, Secretary of State Cyrus R. Vance, and Vice President Walter F. Mondale. The group was on hand to meet and discuss the Iran Hostage Crisis, which began earlier that month, on November 4. The hostages would be held for 444 days, until January 20, 1981. Camp David was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, then called Shangri-La, as a presidential retreat. President Dwight D. Eisenhower renamed the retreat Camp David after his grandson, David Eisenhower.
Library of Congress -
This photograph of President Jimmy Carter was taken on October 7, 1977. President Carter is captured holding his grandson, Jason Carter, in the Rose Garden just outside the Oval Office. Jason, the son of Carter's eldest son, Jack, was two years old when this photograph was taken.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
In this photograph, First Lady Rosalynn Carter works in her East Wing office on March 17, 1977. Seated at her desk, Mrs. Carter is captured alongside her personal assistant, Madeline McBean. Mrs. Carter was credited with establishing the Office of the First Lady through the passing of the White House Personnel Authorization Act of 1978. Previously, there had been no formal allocation of staff and resources to support the work of the first lady.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
In this photograph by Karl Schumacher, President Jimmy Carter speaks at a ceremony unveiling the official portraits of former President Gerald R. Ford and former First Lady Betty Ford on May 24, 1978. Joining President Carter onstage in the East Room of the White House were his wife, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and the Fords. The ceremony marked the first time that a former president and first lady were invited back to the White House for their official portrait unveiling, a tradition continued by most administrations in the future.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
In this photograph, First Lady Rosalynn Carter chairs a hearing on mental health on January 17, 1978. Mrs. Carter was appointed the honorary chair of the President's Commission on Mental Health by her husband, President Jimmy Carter, in 1977. During her time in the White House, Mrs. Carter dedicated her time focusing on the issues surrounding mental health, childhood immunization, and advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment, among many other initiatives.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
In this photograph taken by Warren K. Leffler, First Lady Rosalynn Carter and White House Assistant Executive Chef Hans Raffert view a gingerbread house in the State Dining Room of the White House on December 10, 1979. Chef Raffert created his first German A-frame gingerbread house for the Nixon White House holiday decorations in 1969, where they subsequently became an annual tradition. Even after the A-frame design was no longer used, Raffert's skills were often used to create the Official White House Gingerbread House until his retirement in 1992.
Library of Congress -
In this photograph, taken around January 24, 1980, Amy Carter enjoys a snack in the White House Kitchen, while her mother, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, laughs approvingly. They are joined by White House Executive Chef Henry Haller. This photograph is part of a collection belonging to Chef Henry Haller. Haller served as executive chef at the White House from 1966-1987.
Courtesy of Henry & Carole Haller and Family -
This photograph of President Jimmy Carter with David M. Rubenstein was taken by Mary Anne Fackelman on January 19, 1981. President Carter can be seen speaking with Rubenstein in the Oval Office on his last full day in office, the day before the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan. Rubenstein served as the deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy from 1977-1981. He would later go on to found the Carlyle Group in 1987 and become renowned for his philanthropic work and as a trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Gallery of Art, among many others.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
This photograph of President Jimmy Carter at a ceremony for the dedication of the solar panels he had installed on the roof of the West Wing was taken by Bill Fitz-Patrick on June 20, 1979. Known in part for his efforts to protect and improve the environment, Carter hoped that the 32 thermal solar collectors used to heat water for the White House staff mess would contribute to a nationwide effort to seek alternative energy sources. Ronald Reagan removed the panels in 1986, but George W. Bush and then Barack Obama reinstalled solar technology at the executive mansion.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA