Happy 90th Birthday, Jimmy Carter

A look back at Carter’s presidency in photos, in celebration of his 90th birthday.


President Jimmy Carter celebrates his 90th birthday today, October 1. On the occasion of the 39th President’s birthday, let’s take a look back at his Presidency (and Governorship) with a handful of photos.

Jimmy Carter, touring a display of American-made cars in Detroit is presented with a birthday cake from the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local #900, 1980. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

Graduation of Jimmy Carter from U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, Rosalynn Carter and Lillian Carter Pinning on Ensign Bars, 1946. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

Then Georgia State Sen. Jimmy Carter hugs his wife, Rosalynn, at his Atlanta campaign headquarters in 1966 after making a strong showing in the Democratic primary election for governor of Georgia. AP
 

Jimmy Carter gets applause and victory signs at his Atlanta campaign headquarters as his mother Lillian Carter looks on, 1970. Carter faced former Governor Carl Sanders in a runoff for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. John Storey/AP
 

Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, right, and Delaware Governor Sherman Tribbitt say hello to Atlanta Braves Hank Aaron, left, following a rain canceled game with the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 27, 1973 in Atlanta. The cancellation slowed Aaron’s opportunity to tie or break Babe Ruth’s home run record. AP
 

Jimmy Carter, the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, left, visits with John Denver aboard Carter’s plane en-route to Los Angeles, 1976. AP
 

Jimmy Carter and Sen. Hubert Humphrey at the Democratic National Convention, New York City.  Library of Congress
 

President-elect Jimmy Carter with Rosalynn and Amy Carter on Inauguration Day. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter dancing at the Inaugural Ball. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

Jimmy Carter and Tim Kraft, the President’s Appointments Secretary, shortly after Carter’s inauguration.  Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

Jimmy Carter and his mother Miss Lillian Carter, 1977. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

President Carter on television during his first fireside chat at the White House. Library of Congress
 

Amy Carter and Jimmy Carter participate in a speed reading course at the White House, 1977. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

President Jimmy Carter greets Mohammed Ali at a White House dinner celebrating the signing of the Panama Canal Treaty. Library of Congress
 

Jimmy Carter at bat during a softball game in Plains, GA, 1977. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, 1977. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

Jimmy Carter with grandson Jason Carter at the White House Easter Egg Roll. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

Jimmy Carter with Andy Warhol during a reception for inaugural portfolio artists. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

President Jimmy Carter and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat surrounded by the media at the White House. Marion S. Trikosko/White House/Library of Congress
 

President Jimmy Carter and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat have refreshments in the garden of the White House. Marion S. Trikosko/White House/Library of Congress
 

Anwar Sadat, Jimmy Carter and Menahem Begin examine a canon during a trip to the Gettysburg National Military Park. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

Reporters take notes while watching President Jimmy Carter on television making an announcement about the aborted attempt to rescue U.S. hostages in Iran. Marion S. Trikosko/White House/Library of Congress
 

Contact sheet of negatives showing meeting with President Jimmy Carter and Ralph Nader. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library/National Archives
 

Photograph of four Presidents (Ford, Reagan, Carter, Nixon) in the Blue Room prior to leaving for Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s Funeral, 1981. National Archives
 

For those keeping track, Gerald Ford was the longest living president. He lived to be 93 years, 163 days old. Ronald Reagan was just 45 days shy of Ford. George H.W. Bush is the oldest living president. He was born on June 12, 1924, just a few months before Carter.

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And we need your support like never before, to fight back against the existential threats American democracy faces. Fundraising for nonprofit media is always a challenge, and we need all hands on deck right now. We have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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