The White House Historical Association’s 2024 Official Ornament commemorates the presidency of Jimmy Carter. A symbol of hope, the distinctive anchor shape represents Carter’s service in the United States Navy. He is the only president to have attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The view of the North Portico is accompanied by doves, symbols of President Carter’s peacemaking efforts while in the White House, which culminated in the Camp David Accords. The poinsettias recall the colorful holiday decor at the White House during his presidency.
About Jimmy Carter’s Presidency
Jimmy Carter
Thirty Ninth President of the United States, 1977–1981
james earl carter jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in the small rural town of Plains, Georgia, about 150 miles south of Atlanta. His father, James Sr., was a businessman and farmer. His mother, known to the nation as Miss Lillian during her son’s presidency, was a nurse who served as a Peace Corps volunteer after her children were grown and wrote several books about her experiences, her faith, and her family. The future president was called Jimmy; he was the eldest of four children, attended public school, and worked to help his family financially. Before being admitted to the United States Naval Academy, he attended Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 1946, Carter graduated from the Naval Academy, and on July 7, he married Eleanor Rosalynn Smith, also of Plains, whom he first met at age three and first dated in college. Married for more than seventy-five years, Rosalynn and Jimmy have four children: John William (“Jack”), James Earl III (“Chip”), Donnel Jeffrey (“Jeff”), and Amy Lynn.
After graduation, Ensign Carter signed up for submarine duty. He had interests in science and engineering and became familiar
with nuclear physics and reactor technology. In 1949 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, junior grade, and in 1952 promoted again to the rank of lieutenant. In 1953, as he prepared to serve on the USS Seawolf, his father’s death prompted Carter to resign from the navy and return to Plains. There he took over the Carter farms and built a warehouse business, working alongside Rosalynn and other family members. Now famous for its peanut crops, the future president’s family farms also cultivated corn, cotton, and sugarcane. He became a community leader in Plains and beyond, serving on several county boards before he was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1962.
