MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2025 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Jordan, Kirby, Barnett, Berry, Blackmon, Blackwell, Blount, Brumfield, Butler, Chassaniol, DeBar, DeLano, England, Fillingane, Frazier, Harkins, Hickman, Hill, Horhn, Jackson, Johnson, Ladner, McLendon, Michel, Norwood, Parks, Polk, Rhodes, Robinson, Seymour, Simmons (12th), Simmons (13th), Suber, Tate, Thomas, Turner-Ford, Whaley, Wiggins, Williams, Younger, McMahan, Sparks
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE SINCEREST SYMPATHY OF THE MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE TO THE SURVIVING FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT JAMES EARL "JIMMY" CARTER, JR., AND COMMENDING HIS LIFE, ACHIEVEMENTS, LEGACY AND PUBLIC SERVICE.
WHEREAS, it is with sadness that we join the citizens of the State of Mississippi in mourning the passing of United States President James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr., the 39th President who served from 1977-1981, and express our appreciation for his profound public service; and
WHEREAS, in 1976, Carter was the last Democratic presidential candidate to win a majority in Mississippi and one of only two to carry the state since Adlai Stevenson II of Illinois carried it in 1952 and 1956 against Republican Dwight Eisenhower. Carter's 1976 win was a narrow one, taking only 49.56% of the vote but winning all seven pledged Mississippi electors in the Electoral College; and
WHEREAS, on October 1, 1924, James Earl Carter, Jr., was born in Plains, Georgia. Jimmy Carter was born to James Earl Carter, Sr., a peanut farmer and business owner, and Bessie Lillian Gordy Carter, a registered nurse who also counseled Black women on health care issues. When he was four years old, Jimmy Carter and his family moved to Archery, Georgia, where his father farmed and cultivated a variety of crops, including corn, peanuts, cotton, and sugarcane. Jimmy Carter lived on his family's farm until he became the first person from his father's side of the family to graduate from high school and departed for college; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Carter studied engineering at Georgia Southwestern Junior College before joining the Naval ROTC program at the Georgia Institute of Technology to continue his engineering studies; and
WHEREAS, in 1943, Jimmy Carter was accepted into the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He received a bachelor of science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. Jimmy Carter served as a submariner, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, rising to the rank of Lieutenant; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Carter was chosen by Admiral Hyman Rickover for the nuclear submarine program and became one of the iconic "Rickover's Boys." He was assigned to Schenectady, New York, where he pursued graduate studies at Union College in reactor technology and nuclear physics. Jimmy Carter served as Senior Officer of the precommissioning crew of the Seawolf, the second nuclear submarine; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Carter married Rosalynn Smith on July 7, 1946. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter had four children, Jack, James III, Donnel, and Amy Carter; and
WHEREAS, in 1953, after the passing of his father, Jimmy Carter resigned from his naval commission and returned with his family to Plains, Georgia, to take over the Carter farms; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter worked tirelessly to successfully resuscitate the family's farming business while becoming active in community politics in Sumter County, Georgia; and
WHEREAS, in 1955, Jimmy Carter won a seat on the Sumter County Board of Education and eventually became the board's chairman; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Carter won election to the Georgia Senate in 1962. During his tenure as a State Senator, Jimmy Carter was recognized as a pragmatic politician, curbing wasteful spending while supporting civil rights; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Carter was sworn in as Georgia's 76th Governor on January 12, 1971. During his tenure as Georgia's Governor, he publicly called for the end of segregation, and promoted education and prison policy reform, while increasing the number of Black officials in state government. His signature accomplishment as Governor was modernizing Georgia's bureaucracy, making the state government lean and efficient through thoughtful spending; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Carter served as the Democratic National Committee Campaign Chairman for the 1974 congressional and gubernational elections; and
WHEREAS, in 1976, Jimmy Carter became the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, with running mate Walter Mondale, Senator from Minnesota; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Carter was elected the 39th President of the United States on November 2, 1976; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Carter was known for his genuine connection to the people he served, famously walking down Pennsylvania Avenue on his inauguration day with his wife Rosalynn and daughter Amy; and
WHEREAS, his foreign policy accomplishments included the Panama Canal Treaties, the Camp David Accords, the Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel, the SALT II Treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of United States diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China; and
WHEREAS, the Carter presidency is best known for the accomplishments of the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. In 1978, President Carter personally negotiated with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to reach the Camp David Accords, the cornerstone of all subsequent peace efforts in the Middle East, and was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for this remarkable achievement; and
WHEREAS, on October 17, 1979, President Carter signed the Department of Education Organization Act into law, forming the Department of Education; and
WHEREAS, President Carter encouraged energy conservation efforts and called on every American to reduce their waste and use energy resources more efficiently. On August 4, 1977, President Carter signed the Department of Energy Organization Act into law, forming the Department of Energy. In 1978, President Carter championed and signed the National Energy Act which established energy goals, such as reducing the Nation's dependence on oil; increasing the use of renewable energy sources, such as solar energy; and mandating improved automotive fuel efficiency standards; and
WHEREAS, President Carter also demonstrated his commitment to conservation and the protection of wildlife by signing the Alaska National Interest Conservation Act of 1980 into law, to protect access to public lands and preserve Alaska Native culture and Alaska's wilderness; and
WHEREAS, after leaving the White House, President Carter became a University Distinguished Professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and later with his wife, Rosalynn, founded the Carter Center; and
WHEREAS, under President Carter's leadership, the Carter Center and its staff worked tirelessly in efforts to resolve conflict, promote democracy, protect human rights, and prevent disease, most notably contributing to the eradication of Guinea worm disease; and
WHEREAS, President Carter and the Carter Center have engaged in conflict mediation in Ethiopia, Eritrea, North Korea, Liberia, Haiti, Bosnia, Sudan, the Great Lakes region of Africa, Sudan and Uganda, Venezuela, Nepal, Ecuador, Colombia, the Middle East, and Mali. Under his leadership, the Carter Center sent 125 election observation missions to the Americas, Africa, and Asia; and
WHEREAS, in 1986, the permanent facilities of the Carter Presidential Center and the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum were dedicated in his honor. In 1987, the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site was dedicated in his honor, and would be designated as a national historic park in 2021; and
WHEREAS, on December 10, 2002, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to President Carter "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development"; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter continued to be heavily involved in their community, volunteering one week a year until 2020 for Habitat for Humanity to help people in the United States and in other countries renovate and build homes for themselves; and
WHEREAS, at the time of her passing, Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter had been married for 77 years and had been blessed with four children, 12 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, on December 29, 2024, President Carter passed away at home in Plains, Georgia; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Carter led his life and his country with integrity, humility, and an unwavering commitment to justice, championing human rights, prioritizing diplomacy, and fighting tirelessly for marginalized communities, leaving a legacy of moral leadership:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby express our appreciation for the profound public service of President Jimmy Carter and our deep sympathy to the children of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter and to the entire family and loved ones of the former President.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this resolution to the family of President Jimmy Carter, and forward a copy to Mississippi's Congressional delegation and that this resolution be made available to the Capital Press Corps.