Former US President Jimmy Carter holds a historic legacy as the only US president to graduate from the United States Naval Academy, but there are only several pictures available from that time.
Jimmy, who served as the 39th president of the United States, was born on October 1, 1924, and had a lifelong childhood dream of attending the United States Naval Academy; candidates must not only apply directly to the academy but also apply separately for a nomination, usually from a member of Congress.
© Getty ImagesJimmy Carter as Ensign, USN, circa 1946
At the age of 17 in 1941, he began studying engineering at Georgia Southwestern College before transferring to what is now known as Georgia Tech in Atlanta, and it was here that he received an appointment to the Naval Academy from U.S. Representative Stephen Pace.
At Annapolis, he played sprint football for the Navy Midshipmen and was a standout cross-country runner. After an accelerated three-year training program, he graduated with distinction in 1946 after which he was commissioned as an ensign - a junior rank of a commissioned officer.
Rosalynn and Lillian pin bars on Jimmy's Navy uniform in 1946
It was during his time in Annapolis that Jimmy met Rosalynn Smith, who was a friend of his sister Ruth. Rosalynn attended his graduation, with one picture showing the emotional moment Rosalynn and Jimmy's mother, Lillan, pinned his bars to his uniform.
© Corbis/VCG via Getty ImagesJimmy poses with sailors aboard USS Wyoming
He did not see active combat during World War II but trained on battleships and seaplanes while at the academy.
He was later deployed in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and trained as an officer for submarine duty, working with the Navy's nuclear submarine program.
© Bettmann ArchiveIn March 1953, Jimmy began a six-month nuclear power plant operation course at Union College in Schenectady, New York, where his wife Rosalynn had settled with their young children.
However, when his father died four months later, Jimmy obtained a release from active duty and the family returned to Georgia so Jimmy could take over the family's peanut business.
Jimmy continued to serve in the Navy Reserve for another eight years, and was later decorated with the American Campaign Medal, a World War II Victory Medal, China Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.
As a submarine officer, he also earned the "dolphin" badge.
© GettyJimmy and Rosalynn tied the knot on July 7, 1946, in the Plains Methodist Church, the church of Rosalynn's family.
They had three sons, John "Jack", James III "Chip", and Donnel "Jeff", and a daughter, Amy, and Rosalynn was by his side as he moved into local and then national politics.
"Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished. She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me," he said on the day of her passing on November 19, 2023, after 77 years and four months of marriage.
© AFP via Getty ImagesThe flag-draped casket of former President Jimmy Carter is transferred to a horse-drawn caisson at the US Navy Memorial
Jimmy died 13 months later on December 29, 2024, two years after it was announced he had entered hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia, his hometown. It's the only home the president ever owned, and he built it himself in 1961.
"My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and unselfish love. My brothers, sister and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs," said Chip.
