Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and served as a naval officer from 1946 to 1953. He resigned from the navy to supervise his family’s peanut farm in Georgia. In 1963 he was elected as a Georgia state senator and in 1970 became governor of Georgia. In 1976 Carter won the Democratic presidential nomination and was elected president, defeating Gerald Ford. During his presidency, Carter signed the Panama Canal Treaties of 1979, promising to give control of the Panama Canal to the Panamanians. He also arranged a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in the Camp David Accords. Increasing economic problems and the Iran hostage crisis made Carter less popular with the American public. The Iran hostage crisis began when Islamic fundamentalists seized the U.S. Embassy in Iran and held dozens of Americans hostage. In 1980 Republican Ronald Reagan defeated Carter in the presidential election. After leaving the White House, Carter undertook humanitarian work for groups such as Habitat for Humanity, which builds homes for needy people. He also served as a negotiator during many international crises.
