- Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
- Title:
- Oral history interview with Jimmy Carter, 1993 May 4
- Creator:
- Carter, Jimmy, 1924-....
- Contributor to Resource:
- Bindas, Ken
Noe, Ken
Steely, Mel
Hurt, Jim
University of West Georgia. Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program - Publisher:
- Carrollton, Ga. : University of West Georgia Special Collections in association with the Digital Library of Georgia
- Date of Original:
- 1993-05-04
- Subject:
- Atlanta journal-constitution
Major League Baseball (Organization)
Georgia--Politics and government--1865-1950
Georgia--Politics and government--1951-
Governors--Georgia--Interviews
Legislators--Georgia--Interviews
Elections--Georgia
Governors--Inaugural addresses - People:
- Maddox, Lester, 1915-2003
Carter, Jimmy, 1924- --Interviews
Gambrell, David Henry, 1929-
Jordan, Hamilton
Nunn, Sam
Powell, Jody, 1943-2009
Sanders, Carl, 1925-2014
Vandiver, S. Ernest (Samuel Ernest), 1918-2005 - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
sound recordings - Type:
- Sound
- Format:
- audio/mpeg
audio/ogg - Description:
- James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born October 1, 1924) served as the 39th president of the United States (1977-1981) and as the 76th governor of Georgia (1971-1975).Prior to this, Carter was a peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia, a U.S. naval officer until 1953, and a two-term Georgia state senator (1963-1967).He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. president to have received the prize after leaving office.; Interviewed by Ken Bindas, Ken Noe, Mel Steely, and Jim Hurt in an unknown location on May 4, 1993.; Carter begins this interview by being asked why he did so well in his last-minute unsuccessful 1966 gubernatorial campaign to which he answers that he'd already served four years in the Georgia State Senate and had campaigned aggressively.Carter mentions that he felt the public saw him as an untarnished candidate with positive views and was a worthwhile investment.Carter then tells of voting for Lester Maddox in the general election due to a state-wide pledge by the Democratic Party to vote for Democratic candidates, even though Carter opposed the beliefs of Maddox.; He is then asked about the 1970 gubernatorial election and why Carter thinks he won.Carter answers by mentioning he got into the 1966 campaign too late and visited counties that were not providing enough financial support to find out what he could do to gain their financial backing.Carter also appealed to youthful voters and political newcomers to get out his message and gain support to be elected to office.In regards to his opponent, Carl Sanders, Carter remarks that he avoided negative campaigning even as his opponent painted the picture of "experienced former governor versus a jerk peanut farmer."Carter also claims that his work with black leaders and attendance at black churches was not an attempt to play "the race card," but was instead an attempt to win votes from an available pool of voters.; Carter follows this discussion by telling several personal stories about his time in office as Governor of Georgia.According to Carter, the famous phrase "the time for racial discrimination is over" came from a pledge made to a campaign supporter named David Raphan.He also attempted to strengthen the office of governor by pushing a strong, ambitious legislative agenda and by streamlining government agencies.He also mentions the appointment of David Gambrell as senator following the death of Richard Russell, Jr. and the perceived slight by Ernest Vandiver because Carter did not appoint him.; Carter also talks of his relationship with the General Assembly.He remarks that the Atlanta newspapers were more concerned with the battles between Maddox and Carter than the actual work being done in the Capitol.Carter claims he had good support in the House and with the House leadership.He then remarks that the Senate was almost evenly divided between Maddox and Carter, and that Lester Maddox automatically opposed anything that Gov. Carter supported.; The interview concludes with Carter being asked what he would've done differently if he had run for re-election in Georgia.He says that he would've been more cautious and not stepped on as many toes, but that it didn't matter because he could not run for re-election at the time due to the Georgia Constitution.The one regret Carter does admit to is not throwing out the first pitch at an opening day MLB game.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:uwg_phc_carter19930504
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/uwg/phc/do:carter19930504
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [interview title], Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, University of West Georgia
- Extent:
- 1 interview (circa 57 mins.)
- Original Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, State University of West Georgia
- Holding Institution:
- University of West Georgia. Special Collections
- Rights:
-
