Rest In Peace, Jimmy
The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History December 30 - January 5.
Jimmy Carter was so old that he was the first president born in a hospital. He was the eldest son of Bessie Gordy and James Carter, Sr. His father served in World War I and settled in Plains, Georiga, where he ran a general store and invested in farming, while Bessie worked as a nurse.
When Jimmy was a teenager, he rented an acre of land where he grew and sold peanuts. He was an avid reader, which helped him become a pretty good student. He eventually enrolled in Georiga Tech and participated in the Reserves Officers Training Corp.
In 1943, he received an appointment to the United States Navy Academy. He played football for the Midshipmen, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, and was given the rank of ensign in the United States Navy in 1946.
While attending the Naval Academy, Carter missed home. He specifically missed his sister’s friend, Rosalynn Smith. They fell in love and got married the same year he graduated. They remained married for 77 years.
During World War II, Carter served in a submarine that patrolled the western Pacific Ocean. By 1953, he was involved in the fledging nuclear submarine program and was ready to work aboard the second nuclear submarine ever when his father passed away.
The Carters moved back to Plains to take over the family business. Jimmy did the farming while Rosalynn managed the books. They eventually became quite successful because peanuts are delicious, and peanut allergies haven’t been invented yet.
Like every successful businessperson, Carter ran and won a seat in the Georgia State Senate. He served during the civil rights movement and went to work where the Confederate battle flag flew atop the capital because it was inserted in the Georgia state flag design ten years earlier.
In 1966, Carter ran for governor and lost. Four years later, he did it again and ran a campaign that sought both the black vote and the racist vote. Carter liked to appeal to everyone because everyone loves peanuts, except those who would eventually become allergic after it was invented.
Carter became the 76th governor of Georgia and declared that racial discrimination was over. This, of course, upset the racists who had supported Carter, but what were they doing to do about it? Jimmy reorganized the state government. Then, he placed black people in various positions to run things. Have some more peanuts, racists.
Carter ran for the Democratic nomination for president in the 1976 election. He won. Four years later, Ronald Reagan bounced him. Nuts. He’s ranked Twenty-Fifth in the OKH Presidential rankings.
He is easily the most influential former president in history. Diplomacy was his main objective, which many people criticized him for when he was president. But those critics need to be reminded that Carter had a lot of diplomas, so of course, he was good at diplomacy.
There were numerous causes Jimmy and Rosalynn were involved with – Habitat for Humanity and teaching Bible school at their local church, to name just two.
As the Carter aged, their health began to decline. In 2023, both Jimmy and Rosalynn entered hospice care. Rosalynn died in November that year, while Jimmy held out to vote in the 2024 election. He passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at the age of 100.
Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events celebrate their anniversary, ending in 5 or 0. Here's what I got:
1. The “Nixon Big Three” were convicted of obstruction of justice on January 1, 1975. John N. Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman, and John D. Ehrlichman, three of the most powerful figures in President Richard Nixon’s federal government, were convicted of paying hush money to the Watergate bulgers and trying to cover up the mess they made during the 1972 presidential election. The “Law and Order” crew got lawed and ordered to a few years in prison. I wonder if the bulgers thought their payments were peanuts.
2. The No Good Cheating Yankees bought a Babe on January 5, 1920. After its dismal 1919 season, the Red Sox were bought by Harry Frazee, who decided his New Year’s resolution was to destroy the game of baseball. Harry decided that his prized asset, superstar George Herman Ruth, an outfielder who hit for power and average and a pitcher who racked up scoreless innings in the playoffs, be sold to their rivals in New York for $125,000. After the trade, the Red Sox wouldn’t win the World Series until 2004. In between, the Yankees won about 700 World Series and played in another 500. Cleveland hasn’t won a World Series since 1920. I like to eat peanuts at baseball games.
3. Wyoming inaugurated the first woman governor on January 5, 1925. After finally securing the right to vote with the 19th Amendment, Wyoming led the way in electing a woman chief executive. Nellie Tayloe Ross was born in Missouri, married a lawyer she met in Tennessee, and then moved to Wyoming. That lawyer husband was elected governor in 1922 but died in 1924. Nellie ran in a special election and didn’t campaign. She was a Prohibitionist, the worst amendment ever. She would move to Washington, become the first woman to run the US Mint and outlive Jimmy Cater by one year. The Georgia quarter has a peach on it instead of a peanut.
Jimmy Carter gave the country one last gift. A federal law states that all flags must be at half-mast for 30 days from the day a president dies. The math shows that runs right into President Home Alone Two’s inauguration. It will be hilarious and unfortunate to see what happens when it comes to this.
Since Jimmy passed away, Bill Clinton has become the oldest former president, a title he will hold onto until inauguration day, when President Joe Biden replaces him. I turn another year older next week. You are older than you were at this time last year. Okay, I know. Enough.
We are back on the road today and tomorrow, traveling back to DC before the year ends. This is probably the last time we will make this drive with Blue. He hates the car, and the longer the ride is, the longer he is out of sorts. Getting older sucks.
Happy New Year, Friends! We have a lot of football playoffs to watch, and don’t forget - January is the month of birthdays!
I’ll need time this week to focus on other things, so I’ll see you next Monday. Have a great week, and thanks for reading!
Okay,
Chris
January 15 is Jack Hastings birthday
Chris, you still need me as an editor. You said Nellie Tayloe Ross would outlive Jimmy Carter by one year, which means you're predicting her death to be in late 2025 at which point she would be 149 years old - had she not died in Dec 1977. I believe what you meant was that she died when he'd been president for a year.
While Carter may not have been the most impactful president in history, he certainly set the bar for post-presidency humanitarian activity, as you noted. His legacy is untarnished.
As usual, this edition was informative, entertaining, and clever! Happy 2025 to you and Anonymous! I'm hopeful that it won't be as bad as I'm expecting it to be.