He grew up on a peanut farm. He served in the submarine fleet. He won a longshot campaign to be the 39th president. He devoted himself to global health, peace and democracy.
From humble beginnings to historical figure, Jimmy Carter influenced polices and politics in the United States and beyond from the 1960s to his death in December 2024 at age 100.
As an acknowledgement of Carter’s legacy, the USA TODAY Network will publish “Jimmy Carter: Peanut Farmer, 39th President, Humanitarian” to chronicle a lifetime for the ages that lasted ages.
How to buy our exclusive Jimmy Carter book
As a state legislator and governor in Georgia, Carter declared the era of segregation had ended and was hailed as a symbol of a new, fairer South. As the president from 1977-81, he negotiated peace between Israel and Egypt, expanded public lands in Alaska and formalized diplomatic relations with China. As an elder statesman, he mediated conflicts around the globe, helped ensure foreign elections were free and fair, and built houses for the poor.
He also soldiered through dark times, such as when he lost the White House because of inflation, gas prices and hostages in Iran and when he faced numerous health issues. But he relied on his Christian faith, his marriage that lasted 77 years and his sense of responsibility.
“I can’t deny that I was a better ex-president than I was a president,” Carter said with a wry laugh in his later years.
You can own a piece of American history with “Jimmy Carter: Peanut Farmer, 39th President, Humanitarian,” a stunning 160-page hardcover volume from the USA TODAY Network, whose reporters and photographers cover tomorrow’s history today around the world.
You can order the book at CarterPictorialBook.com. Books will ship Aug. 1 and can be pre-ordered for a 20% discount at $31.95, plus tax and shipping. Once released, the retail price will be $39.95.
Buy’Jimmy Carter’book at a discount