James
Earl Carter, Jr. was the 39th President of the United States and the winner of
the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. During his Administration as President, Jimmy Carter
achieved many notable accomplishments: domestically, he created two cabinet-level
departments, the Department of Energy and the Department of Education; internationally,
he helped negotiate peace between Israel and Egypt and an important arms treaty
(SALT II) with the Soviet Union.
After
leaving office, Jimmy Carter continued his involvement in domestic and international
affairs. He and his wife Rosalyn founded the Carter Center to promote democracy,
human rights and better health around the world. The Center is founded on the
belief that "everyone on earth should be able to live in peace." Jimmy Carter
has traveled all around the world to assist in peace negotiations, relief efforts
and to monitor democratic elections. He has also written 27 books that share his
wisdom and experience on important social issues. For his dedication to a better
world, President Carter has received many honors in addition to the Nobel Peace
Prize, including the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, the Presidential
Medal of Freedom and the United Nations Human Rights Award. In 2007 he was one
of the founders of The Elders, an international organization of some of the world's
leading social change advocates (like Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson and Muhammad
Yunus), to address the planet's most pressing social issues.