Born in 1924 in Plains, Georgia, Jimmy Carter, the thirty-ninth president of the United States, studied science at the United States Naval Academy and helped develop the nuclear submarine. Eventually returning to Plains, where he became involved in community work, Carter became governor of Georgia in 1971.

Carter was elected president of the United States in 1976, serving from 1977 to 1981. Among President Carter’s most successful accomplishments include the Camp David Accords – the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel; the Panama Canal Treaty; the SALT II Treaty between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, which decreased the number of nuclear weapons in each country; and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China.

In 1982, Carter and his wife Rosalyn established the Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University. The Center, which is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering, seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.

The author of seventeen books, President Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work with the Carter Center, making Carter the only former U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize after his presidential term.

On July 18, 2007, Carter joined Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa, to announce his participation in The Elders, a group of independent global leaders who work together on peace and human rights issues.