James Earl Carter was the first President from the Deep South since before the Civil War. Carter was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains. He graduated from West Point in 1946 and entered the submarine program in 1952. He studied nuclear physics at Union College. After the death of his father in 1953, Carter left the Navy to run the family businesses. He served in the Georgia state senate and was governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. Nominated by the Democrats to run against Gerald R. Ford in 1976, Carter won the election in November.

During his administration, Carter pardoned all Vietnam draft evaders and played a major role in peace negotiations between Israel and Egypt. However, he received criticism for his policies on the domestic economy and the Iran hostage crisis that began in November 1979 was devastating to his popularity. He lost the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan. Since leaving office, he has been active in humanitarian causes.

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