James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born
October 1, 1924) is an
American politician who served as the
39th President of the United States (1977--1981) and was awarded the
2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only
U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office. Before he became
President, Carter, a
Democrat, served as a
U.S. Naval officer, was a peanut farmer, served two terms as a
Georgia State Senator and one as
Governor of Georgia (1971--1975).[2]
During
Carter's term as
President, he created two new cabinet-level departments: the
Department of Energy and the
Department of Education. He established a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. In foreign affairs, Carter pursued the
Camp David Accords, the
Panama Canal Treaties, the second round of
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (
SALT II), and returned the
Panama Canal Zone to
Panama. He took office during a period of international stagflation, which persisted throughout his term.
The end of his presidential tenure was marked by the 1979--1981
Iran hostage crisis, the
1979 energy crisis, the
Three Mile Island nuclear accident, the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the
United States boycott of the
1980 Summer Olympics in
Moscow (the only
U.S. boycott in
Olympic history), and the eruption of
Mount St. Helens in
Washington state.
By
1980, Carter's popularity had eroded. He survived a primary challenge against
Ted Kennedy for the
Democratic Party nomination in the
1980 election, but lost the election to
Ronald Reagan, the
Republican candidate. On
January 20,
1981, minutes after Carter's term in office ended, the 52 U.S. captives held at the
U.S. embassy in
Iran were released, ending the 444-day Iran hostage crisis.[3]
After leaving office, Carter and his wife Rosalynn founded the
Carter Center in
1982,[4] a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization that works to advance human rights. He has traveled extensively to conduct
peace negotiations, observe elections, and advance disease prevention and eradication in developing nations. Carter is a key figure in the
Habitat for Humanity project,[5] and also remains particularly vocal on the Israeli--Palestinian conflict.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_carter
Gerald Rudolph "
Jerry" Ford, Jr. (born
Leslie Lynch King, Jr.; July 14, 1913 --
December 26,
2006) was the 38th President of the United States, serving from
1974 to
1977, and prior to this, was the 40th
Vice President of the United States serving from
1973 to 1974. He was the first person appointed to the
Vice Presidency under the terms of the
25th Amendment, after
Spiro Agnew had resigned. When he became President upon
Richard Nixon's resignation on
August 9, 1974, he became the first and to date only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being elected by the
Electoral College. Before ascending to the Vice Presidency,
Ford served nearly 25 years as the
Representative from
Michigan's 5th congressional district, eight of them as the Republican
Minority Leader.
As
President, Ford signed the
Helsinki Accords, marking a move toward détente in the
Cold War. With the conquest of
South Vietnam by
North Vietnam nine months into his presidency, U.S. involvement in
Vietnam essentially ended. Domestically, Ford presided over the worst economy in the four decades since the
Great Depression, with growing inflation and a recession during his tenure.[2] One of his more controversial acts was to grant a presidential pardon to
President Richard Nixon for his role in the
Watergate scandal. During
Ford's incumbency, foreign policy was characterized in procedural terms by the increased role
Congress began to play, and by the corresponding curb on the powers of the President.[3] In
1976, Ford narrowly defeated Ronald Reagan for the
Republican nomination, but lost the presidential election to Democrat
Jimmy Carter.
Following his years as president, Ford remained active in the
Republican Party. After experiencing health problems, Ford died in his home on December 26, 2006. Ford lived longer than any other
U.S. president, living 93 years and 165 days, while his 895-day presidency remains the shortest of all Presidents who did not die in office.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_ford
- published: 29 Apr 2013
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