Jimmy Carter Event Timeline

Jimmy Carter (39) Event Timeline

01/20/1977 – 01/19/1981

12/12/1974

First to announce candidacy for 1976 Democratic nomination.

01/19/1976

Wins in Iowa Caucuses.

02/24/1976

Plurality winner in New Hampshire Primaries.

07/15/1976

Wins Democratic Party nomination on first ballot.

09/23/1976

First Debate with President Ford. First debate involving an incumbent president.

10/06/1976

Second Debate between Ford and Carter. Ford stated at one point “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be under a Ford administration.” This was regarded as a grave error.

10/22/1976

Third Debate between Ford and Carter.

11/02/1976

Election Day. Carter wins 50.1% of the popular vote and 55% of the electoral vote. Democrats won control of both House and Senate by large margins, but the party was internally divided.

1977

01/20/1977

Inaugural Address Begins by thanking Ford for “all he has done to heal our land.” He urges “a fresh faith in the old dream.” After the inaugural, symbolically walked the entire distance from Capitol to White House.

01/21/1977

By Proclamation, pardons Vietnam draft evaders.

02/02/1977

Signs the Emergency Natural Gas Act authorizing the President to deregulate natural gas prices. By Proclamation, declares a Natural Gas Emergency.

02/02/1977

“Report to the American People,” Remarks from the White House Library. In remarks while seated beside a burning fire (a literal fireside chat) Carter wore a yellow cardigan sweater. He discussed an array of issues including inflation, taxes, improving government efficiency, and foreign affairs. “All of us must learn to waste less energy.”

02/15/1977

Secretary of State Cyrus Vance travels to the Middle East in an attempt to reconvene the 1973 Geneva Conference.

02/17/1977

Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov receives a letter from President Carter affirming Carter’s commitment to human rights.

03/30/1977

In Remarks, describes the state of negotiations with the Soviet Union over atomic weapons. Announces a continuation of the SALT discussions in Geneva starting in May.

04/03/1977

Together with the Secretary of State, makes Remarks on the Soviet rejection of a US proposal for "drastic overall reduction in nuclear weaponry for both sides."

04/04/1977

Remarks at the Ceremony welcoming Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Washington, DC.

04/06/1977

Remarks and Statement on signing the Reorganization Act of 1977.

04/18/1977

Address to the Nation on Energy. In an address to the nation from the oval office, Carter calls his forthcoming program of energy conservation the “moral equivalent of war.” “If we do not act, then by 1985 we will be using 33 percent more energy than we use today.”

04/20/1977

Address to Congress on the National Energy Plan. Calls for conservation, production, conversion, development and fairness. Proposes 5 cent per gallon increase in gasoline tax to take effect each year we fail to hit fuel efficiency targets. Stresses competition.

05/05/1977 - 05/10/1977

First International travel to attend Economic Summit the UK. Remarks on Departure.

05/10/1977

Remarks at First Session of NATO Ministerial Meeting.

05/22/1977

Address at Notre Dame University Commencement. “. . . I believe we can have a foreign policy that is democratic, that is based on fundamental values, and that uses power and influence, which we have, for humane purposes. We can also have a foreign policy that the American people both support and, for a change, know about and understand.”

05/23/1977

Remarks on Signing bills enacting tax cuts and financial relief for Western states affected by drought.

06/30/1977

In a News Conference, announces decision to “discontinue plans for production of“ the B-1 bomber. Expresses belief that Congress will support his decision.

07/19/1977

Remarks welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to Washington, with Begin’s response.

08/03/1977

Remarks on Signing the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. “I’m not completely satisfied with the legislation. I would prefer to have a stricter strip mining bill.”

08/04/1977

Remarks on Signing the Department of Energy Organization Act.

09/07/1977

Remarks at the signing of the Panama Canal Treaties  Control to transfer to Panama on 12/31/1999. Transfers the treaties to the Senate on 09/16/1977.

09/15/1977 - 09/17/1977

Bert Lance testifies in the Senate about claims of illegality in his pre-governmental banking practices.

09/21/1977

In a News Conference, announces resignation of Bert Lance.

10/05/1977

Remarks at the United Nations on signing two international covenants on human rights.

11/04/1977

UN Security Council in Resolution 418 unanimously agrees to impose arms embargo on South Africa.

11/08/1977

Address to the Nation on the National Energy Plan. “I hope that, perhaps a hundred years from now, the change to inexhaustible energy sources will have been made. . . “

11/09/1977

Signs the Federal Mine Safety and Health Amendments Act of 1977.

11/19/1977

White House Announcement of the arrival in Israel of Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat.

12/28/1977

Nominates G. William Miller to be Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

12/29/1977 - 01/06/1978

Foreign trip takes the President to Warsaw, Tehran, New Delhi, Riyadh, Aswan, Paris, and Brussels.

1978

01/19/1978

State of the Union Address.

02/01/1978

Address to the Nation on the Panama Canal Treaties.

03/09/1978

Directs the Attorney General to seek a Taft-Hartley Act (Labor Management Relations Act, 1947) injunction against a coal strike in progress.

03/16/1977

Remarks on Senate Ratification of the Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty.

03/17/1978

Address at Wake Forest University. A continuing Soviet threat requires vigilance in maintaining strategic balance.

04/18/1978

Senate Ratifies the Panama Canal Treaties. On 04/16/1978, the Senate voted 68-32 to ratify the first of the treaties. Ratification requires 67 votes. Final approval on 04/18/78 was also by 68 votes.

04/07/1978

Decides to defer production of the neutron bomb.

06/07/1978

Commencement Address at US Naval Academy. Emphasizes human rights as a guiding value in US foreign policy.

08/17/1978

Veto of Department of Defense Appropriations Authorization Act that would fund a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier while ignoring more pressing defense needs.

09/04/1978

Remarks on Departing the White House for Camp David to mediate talks between Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt.

09/17/1978

After nearly two weeks of talks, Camp David Accords signed.

09/17/1978

Remarks of the President, President al-Sadat and Prime Minister Begin at the signing of the Accords. President Carter states that “many months of difficult negotiations still lie ahead.”

09/18/1978

Address to a Joint Session of Congress on the Camp David Meeting.

10/13/1978

Remarks and Statement on Signing Civil Service Reform Act. Establishes Senior Executive Service. “This bill changes the rules in a constructive fashion, a carefully considered fashion. It puts incentive and reward back into the Federal system. It allows Federal employees to be encouraged, transferred, or discharged for the right reasons if they cannot or will not perform. And it prevents discouraging or punishing them for the wrong reasons, for whistleblowing or for personal whim in violation of basic employee rights.”

10/15/1978

Statement on Congressional approval of national energy legislation.

10/24/1978

Remarks on Signing the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.

10/24/1978

Address to the Nation on fighting inflation. “[inflation is] our most serious domestic problem. . . . The burden of controlling inflation cannot be left to monetary policy alone. . . “

10/27/1978

Remarks on signing two Acts addressed to promoting full employment. One of them, the Humphrey-Hawkins Act sets unemployment as a legal objective of the Federal Reserve and requires semiannual reports from the Federal Reserve to Congress.

11/09/1978

Remarks on Signing Five Energy Bills. “Today we can rightfully claim that we have a conscious national policy for dealing with the energy problems of the present and also to help us deal with them in the future.”  In a separate News Conference, explains that he signed the Revenue Act, cutting capital gains taxes contrary to his wishes because it did lower taxes for many.

12/15/1978

Address to the Nation on Diplomatic Relations Between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Announces normalization of relations with China for the purpose of “the advancement of peace.”

1979

01/01/1979

US begins full diplomatic relations with China.

01/23/1979

State of the Union Address.

01/17/1979

In a News Conference, President Carter states that the Shah has left Iran (the previous day), and that the Bakhtiar government is Constitutionally in charge.

01/29/1979 - 02/04/1979

Visit to the United States of Chinese Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping. There are several events and a concluding Joint Communique.

02/01/1979

Ayatollah Khomeini returns from exile in France to take leadership of the revolutionary movement in Iran.

02/12/1979

In a News Conference, stresses the US readiness to work with the government in Iran. Expresses concern about limitations on Iranian energy exports.

03/07/1979

Remarks on Departing for Trip to Egypt and Israel.

03/10/1979

Address to Egyptian People’s Assembly.

03/12/1979

Address before the Knesset.

03/14/1979

Israeli Cabinet Approves Remaining Proposals in Peace Process.

03/15/1979

Egyptian Cabinet Approves Peace Treaty.

03/26/1979

Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty Signing Ceremony. North Lawn of the White House. Remarks by Carter, Sadat, and Begin. Text of the Treaty and Related Documents.

03/28/1979

Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor, near Middletown, PA, suffers a partial meltdown. The event led to major changes in nuclear power plant operations nationwide.

04/01/1979

Remarks after Visit to Three Mile Island.

04/05/1979

Energy Address to the Nation. Announces plan to use “new legal authority.” Urges reduction in consumption of foreign oil and announces a plan to end government price controls on petroleum products joined with an “excess profits tax” on oil industry profits. Calls on citizens to drive less. Expresses concerns about nuclear safety.

04/11/1979

Executive Order creating President’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island.

06/08/1979

Announcement that the President has approved the MX missile.

06/12/1979

Message to Congress transmitting proposed legislation for a national health plan.

06/18/1979

Address to Joint Session of Congress on the Vienna Summit Meeting. Discusses the signing of the second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT II) with the USSR. “. . . we must prevent an uncontrolled and pointless nuclear arms race that would damage the security of all countries . . .“

The U.S. Senate never ratifies the treaty as tensions build with the Soviet Union. Also see, Remarks at the Signing Ceremony.

Solar Energy Message to the Congress.

06/23/1979 - 07/02/1979

Asian trip with stops at an economic summit in Tokyo and in Seoul, Korea. At the end of the trip, Carter skips planned vacation in Hawaii, cancels announced speech on energy, and begins meetings at Camp David on 07/04/1979.

07/02/1979

Gallup Polling shows Carter with the lowest approval rating of his Presidency. Media reports showed in head-to-head preference polling, Carter was losing to Reagan and Ford while Senator Edward Kennedy was leading both Republicans.

07/10/1979

By Proclamation, invokes “Emergency Building Temperature Restrictions, Energy Conservation Contingency Plan No. 2.” The plan mandates a maximum thermostat setting of 65F for space heating and a minimum of 80F for space Cooling.

07/15/1979

The “Malaise Speech.” In a televised address to the nation on energy and national goals, Carter discussed at length a “threat to the nation:” “The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our Nation.” People are losing faith in the future. “We must face the truth, and then we can change our course.” He never used the word “malaise” in that speech, but he did in several other instances.

07/19/1979

Carter accepts the resignations of five cabinet members: Joseph Califano Jr (HEW), Griffin Bell (Justice), W. Michael Blumenthal (Treasury), Brock Adams (Transportation), James R. Schlesinger (Energy and Defense); and UN Ambassador Andrew Young. G. William Miller shifts from the Federal Reserve to the Treasury. Carter remarks on 07/20/1979 that “every single change has been a positive change.”

07/25/1979

Announces the nomination of Paul Volcker to be Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.

08/06/1979

Remarks at swearing in of Volcker (Federal Reserve) and Miller (Treasury).

09/07/1979

Remarks on the presence of Soviet combat troops in Cuba.

09/16/1979

Carter nearly collapses in a 10K race near Camp David. The President’s physician reported that he was never in any danger, but the photographs of him stumbling and haggard were damaging.

10/17/1979

Remarks on signing act creating the Department of Education as a cabinet-level agency responsible for coordinating federal education programs and policies.

10/21/1979

Decides to admit the Shah of Iran into the United States for life-saving medical treatment. Defends the decision in a News Conference of 11/28/1979. The decision was later analyzed by insiders.

11/4/1979

More than 60 Americans at US Embassy in Tehran are taken hostage by Iranian student militants. The hostages are held eventually for 444 days at the American embassy in Tehran. The crisis ended with the signing of the Algiers Accords on January 20, 1981.

11/07/1979

Senator Edward M. (Ted) Kennedy formally declares his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.

11/09/1979

White House Statement on Hostages.

11/12/1979

By Proclamation, prohibits further imports of oil from Iran.

11/14/1979

By Executive Order, blocks all property of the Government of Iran.

12/04/1979

Announces his candidacy for reelection in 1980.

12/15/1979

At US urging, the Shah leaves US for Panama.

12/26/1979

Soviet Union is reported to be taking a direct combat role in an Afghanistan civil war.

1980

01/03/1980

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Byrd, Carter asks the Senate to delay consideration of the SALT II Treaty in light of Soviet action in Afghanistan.

01/04/1980

Address to the Nation on the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.

01/20/1980

Writes the U.S. Olympic Committee to urge that the US withdraw from the 1980 Olympics unless the Soviet Union withdraws from Afghanistan within a month.

01/21/1980

In the Iowa Caucuses, Carter easily defeats Ted Kennedy, and George H. W. Bush narrowly defeats Ronald Reagan in a crowded field.

01/23/1980

State of the Union Address. Articulates what became known as the “Carter Doctrine.” "An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America. And such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.”

02/20/1980

White House Statement that the President stands by his view that the US should not send a team to the Moscow Olympics.

03/14/1980

Remarks on Announcing the Administration’s Anti-Inflation Program. Promises a balanced budget proposal for Fiscal Year 1981. “I am exercising my Presidential authority to impose a gasoline conservation fee on imported oil” of about 10 cents a gallon.

03/18/1980

Signs Refugee Act of 1980, providing new process for vetting refugees and raising the annual total from 17,400 to 50,000. It allowed the president to increase admissions “when justified by grave humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.”

03/23/1980

The Shah leaves Panama for Egypt, where he dies of cancer on July 27.

03/28/1980

By Memorandum, directs the Secretary of Commerce to prohibit all transactions and exports that would support the Olympic Games.

03/31/1980

Remarks on signing the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control act of 1980.

04/11/1980

In interview session with editors and broadcasters, Carter says that concerning the hostages being held at the Embassy “we have reserved for ourselves the right to use any means permitted under international law.” This is interpreted to mean military action against Iran.

04/12/1980

White House Statement welcoming vote of U.S. Olympic Committee House of Delegates in support of boycott of the Moscow Olympics.

04/14/1980

Statement about Cuban Refugees in the Peruvian Embassy in Havana. Carter agrees to admit one-quarter or one-third of them.

04/17/1980

In a News Conference, states that “recent economic statistics suggest that our economy has slowed down and has probably entered a period of recession.” He noted that current conditions were “difficult” with “high inflation and extremely high interest rates.”

04/20/1980

Fidel Castro announces that any Cuban who wished to could departing Cuba from the port of Mariel. This gave rise to a great exodus (“Mariel Boatlift” by small boats. Eventually around 125,000 Cubans and 25,000 Haitians entered the U.S.

04/25/1980

Address to the Nation on the Rescue Attempt for American Hostages in Iran. Carter announces the failure of a mission to rescue the Iranian-held hostages. Eight military personnel were killed with two aircraft collided.

04/28/1980

Exchange of Letters on the Resignation of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. Vance wrote that he could not support the President's decision on Iran.  Vance had disagreed with the decision to attempt a military rescue mission for US hostages.

04/30/1980

Bert Lance trial for bank fraud ends in nine judgments of not guilty and a mistrial on three other counts.

05/18/1980

After two months of earthquakes and modest eruptions, the Mount St. Helens Volcano has a "cataclysmic eruption."

05/22/1980

Remarks in Spokane, WA about addressing the Mount St. Helens eruption.

06/05/1980

Vetoes a Debt Limit Extension Bill because it includes an “unrelated and wholly unacceptable amendment” that would prohibit the imposition of the oil import conservation fee” announced on 03/14/1980. The veto is overridden on 06/06/1980.

06/19/1980 - 06/26/1980

Remarks on Departure for European Trip to attend Venice Economic Summit includes stops in Rome, Venice, Belgrade, Madrid, and Lisbon. Advocated for boycotting Olympics.

06/26/1980

Remarks on conclusion of Presidential Trip to Europe.

06/30/1980

Remarks on Signing the Energy Security Act.

07/01/1980

Remarks on signing trucking deregulation legislation (Motor Carrier Act of 1980).

07/22/1980

White House Statement on Department of Justice investigation of Billy Carter's activities with the Libyan government.

08/14/1980

Remarks Accepting the Democratic Party Nomination for President for 1980. At the Democratic Convention, in New York, Carter defeated Kennedy in a delegate vote. ". . . the President cannot bend to the passions of the moment however popular they might be."

08/17/1980

Remarks Republican Party Nomination for President at the Republican Convention in Detroit, MI. "I pledge to restore to the federal government the capacity to do the people's work without dominating their lives."

08/22/1980

Vetoes the Veterans Administration Health Care Amendments of 1980. “[T] his bill would provide $80 million a year to Veterans Administration ("VA") physicians in unwarranted salary bonuses rather than target that amount on veterans themselves.” The veto was overridden on August 26.

09/22/1980

Exchange with Reporters on the topic of the Iran-Iraq war.

Statement on signing act deregulating railroads (Staggers Rail Act of 1980).  Carter had proposed deregulation in a March 23, 1979 message to Congress.

10/28/1980

Presidential Debate between Carter and Reagan in Cleveland.

11/04/1980

Election Day. Reagan wins election: Carter wins only 49 electoral votes to Reagan's 489.

12/02/1980

Remarks on Signing the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. “We've tried to look forward to the year 2000, and we've been very concerned at what we've seen. We must face the fact that these threats to the quality of life will perhaps be the greatest challenges which this Nation must face. None of us can afford to relax our vigilance, and we certainly cannot afford to rely on government alone to be vigilant for us.”

12/07/1980

White House Statement warns of "very adverse consequences for U.S.-Soviet relations" if the USSR invades Poland.

12/11/1980

Remarks on Signing Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (“Superfund”). “. . . it enables the Government to recover from responsible parties the costs of their actions in the disposal of toxic wastes.”

1981

01/14/1981

Farewell Address to the Nation. "For this generation, life is nuclear survival, liberty is human rights; the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants."

01/16/1981

State of the Union Message (written document) submitted to Congress.

01/19/1981

Issues 10 Executive Orders relating to agreements with Iran relating to the release of US Hostages; the White House also publishes the "Statement of Adherence" to the agreements and the text of the Agreement.  The President made Remarks.

01/20/1981

Ronald Reagan is inaugurated President, and Carter left Washington, D.C. to return to Plains, GA. At 12:33 pm, after Reagan’s Inauguration, the first plane of hostages departed Tehran airport. Reagan sent Carter on Air Force One to meet the hostages in Germany.

10/11/2002

Carter is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts to bring peace between Egypt and Israel.