Former US President Jimmy Carter died today at age 100.
Former U.S. President and Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter was born, raised, and lived in Plains, Georgia, for the majority of his life. His roots in Georgia run deep, and his influence can be felt throughout the state. Learn more about this U.S. president from Georgia with the quick facts and places to visit below.
1. Carter grew up on a farm in South Georgia.
Born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, James “Jimmy” Earl Carter, Jr., is the only U.S. president to date who was born and raised in Georgia. He lived on a farm from age 4 until he departed for college in 1941. Tour his Boyhood Farm in Plains, part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, to hear stories about his childhood and peek inside his father’s commissary and various other buildings.
2. Carter graduated high school in 1941.
In 1921, Carter graduated from Plains High School, now a museum and visitor center for the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains. The museum displays memorabilia of the president’s life and times, including an exact replica of the desk he used in the Oval Office while president.
3. Carter won three Grammy Awards.
President Carter is the author of 32 books, and he received three Grammys in Best Spoken Word Album for “Our Endangered Values: America’s Most Moral Crisis” (2006), “A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety” (2015), and “Faith: A Journey For All” (2018). One of the awards is on display at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park museum in Plains.
4. Carter was a Georgia state senator and governor.
Carter served two terms as Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967 and as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. See his statue on the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol.
5. Carter won a Nobel Peace Prize.
Carter is one of only four U.S. presidents to have received a Nobel Peace Prize. President Carter received the Nobel 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.” The prize can be seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum in Atlanta.
6. Carter did not wear designer suits.
Carter was one of only two U.S. presidents in the 20th century who did not wear Brooks Brothers suits. (President Reagan was the other. Source: Brooks Brothers.) Carter opted for less-formal suiting for his swearing-in but did wear a tuxedo for the inaugural balls. You can see his inaugural tuxedo and Rosalynn’s dress at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum in Atlanta.
7. Carter legalized homebrewing.
In 1978, President Carter signed a bill that included the federal legalization of home beermaking in the U.S. Visitors can buy Billy Beer cans at local shops in downtown Plains and see Billy Beer paraphernalia at the Billy Carter Gas Station Museum in Plains.
8. Carter established the Georgia Film Office.
As Governor, Carter established the Georgia Film Office 50 years ago, in 1973, because of the economic benefits the 1972 film “Deliverance” brought to northeast Georgia. Find filming locations for many other movies and television shows filmed in Georgia, such as “The Walking Dead” and “The Vampire Diaries,” at ExploreGeorgia.org/film.
