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).
39th
President of the United States
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 stagnation and inflation, 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]
To this day, he remains the most recent sitting Democrat
to lose a bid for re-election, along with being the second
latest presidential incumbent to lose an election.
Carter
and his wife Rosalynn founded the Carter Center in 1982,
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.
Carter
and UFOs
Jimmy
Carter is one of two U.S. Presidents who have reported
seeing a UFO before becoming President.
On
January 6 1969, while Governor of Georgia, Carter claims
he saw a UFO. He later said "It was the darndest
thing I've ever seen. It was big, it was very bright,
it changed colors and it was about the size of the moon..
We watched it for ten minutes, but none of us could figure
out what it was."
"One
thing's for sure, I'll never make fun of people who say
they've seen unidentified objects in the sky. If I become
President, I'll make every piece of information this country
has about UFO sightings available to the public and the
scientists ." – Jimmy Carter, 1976
Unfortunately,
Carter did not fulfill his promise, citing "defense
implications".
Sources:
http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case294.htm
http://imadork.hubpages.com/hub/The-Stars-See-UFOs-Too
