Jimmy Carter was born into a Georgian family of several generations on 1 October 1924.
In 1943 he entered the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, graduating in 1946 and being commissioned as an Ensign in the US Navy.
After two years of service working on experimental radar and gunnery vessels, he switched to submarines.
He subsequently applied, and was accepted to participate in the fledgling nuclear submarine construction programme, taking courses in nuclear physics and reactor technology in Union College.
On the death of his father, he cut short his naval career, returning to run the family business of peanut-farming and fertilizer production.
He built it into a prosperous business and became involved in civic and church affairs.
He was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 1963, serving two terms until 1967.
He ran for Governor of Georgia in 1966, but failed to secure the nomination, he ran again in 1970 and was successful.
As Governor, he publicly denounced racial discrimination, the first state-wide office holder to do so in the Deep South.
He reorganised government, significantly reducing the number of agencies and streamlining the administration.
He announced his candidature for the 1976 Presidential election and was successful in securing the Democratic nomination and was pitted against Gerald Ford, the Republican nominee, after a very tight contest Carter prevailed, becoming the thirty-ninth President of the United States.
Once in the White House, he stressed human rights in international affairs; in domestic affairs he highlighted the necessity for energy conservation and reformed the civil service.
He handed back the Panama canal to Panama which was a very contentious issue amongst the American public.