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| Location | Plains, Georgia, United States |
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| Type | Roadside attraction |
| Material | Wooden hoops, chicken wire, aluminum foil, and polyurethane. |
| Height | 13 feet (4.0 m) |
| Completion date | 1976 |
| Dedicated to | Jimmy Carter |
The Jimmy Carter Peanut Statue is a monument located in Plains, Georgia, United States. Built in 1976, the roadside attraction depicts a large peanut with a big smile, and was built to support Jimmy Carter during the 1976 United States presidential election.
The statue was commissioned by the Indiana Democratic Party during the 1976 United States presidential election to support Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter's campaign through Indiana. [1] The statue, a 13-foot (4.0 m) peanut, references Carter's previous career as a peanut farmer. [2] According to The New York Times , the statue is made of "wooden hoops, chicken wire, aluminum foil, and polyurethane". [3] The peanut features a grin, modeled after Carter's, which he was known for during the campaign. [1] [4] The statue is the second-tallest statue of a peanut in the world, with the "World's Largest Peanut" located several miles away in Ashburn, Georgia. [4] The statue initially was located at the train station in Plains, but in 2000, it was damaged in a car wreck, and after repairs it was moved to an area along Georgia State Route 45, [1] [2] near the Baptist church where Carter teaches Sunday school. [4] At one time, the statue featured a large hole on its rear side, which, according to urban legend, was cut by the United States Secret Service to ensure there were no explosives or assassins in the statue. [5]
Every few years, the statue is re-painted in the shade of "peanut" by Michael Dominik. [6] Jimmy Carter has stated that he dislikes the peanut's smile. [6] Jill Stuckey, the superintendent of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, claims that Carter “hates” the statue, which stands on the route between his house and the church he attends weekly. [7] Despite Carter’s alleged feelings towards the statue, it has become a town symbol and roadside attraction. In 2010, Time listed it as one of the Top 50 American Roadside Attractions. [1]
Beginning in 2018, pictures of the statue have been used in internet meme culture, with many pictures of the statue being characterized as cursed images. [8]
James Earl Carter Jr. is an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter was the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975, and a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967. At age 99, he is both the oldest living former U.S. president and the longest-lived president in U.S. history.
Georgia is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the northwest, North Carolina to the north, South Carolina to the northeast, Florida to the south, and Alabama to the west. Of the 50 United States, Georgia is the 24th-largest by area and 8th most populous. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, its 2023 estimated population was 11,029,227. Atlanta, a global city, is both the state's capital and its largest city. The Atlanta metropolitan area, with a population of more than 6.3 million people in 2023, is the 6th most populous metropolitan area in the United States and contains about 57% of Georgia's entire population. Other major metropolitan areas in the state include Augusta, Savannah, Columbus, and Macon. Georgia has 100 miles (160 km) of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean.
Sumter County is a county located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, its population was 29,616. The county seat is Americus. The county was created on December 26, 1831.
Plains is a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. The population was 573 at the 2020 census and it is a part of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is best known as the birthplace of Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, who were the president and first lady of the United States respectively from 1977 to 1981. They lived in Plains both before and after their time in the White House.
Eleanor Rosalynn Carter was an American writer, activist and humanitarian who served as the first lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981, as the wife of President Jimmy Carter. Throughout her decades of public service, she was a leading advocate for women's rights and mental health.
William Alton Carter was an American farmer, businessman, brewer, and politician. The younger brother of U.S. President Jimmy Carter, he promoted Billy Beer and Peanut Lolita; and he was a candidate for mayor of Plains, Georgia.
Amy Lynn Carter is the daughter of the 39th U.S. president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. Carter entered the limelight as a child when she lived in the White House during the Carter presidency.
The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, houses U.S. President Jimmy Carter's papers and other material relating to the Carter administration and the Carter family's life. The library also hosts special exhibits, such as Carter's Nobel Peace Prize and a full-scale replica of the Oval Office as it was during the Carter Administration, including a reproduction of the Resolute desk.
The Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, located in Plains, Georgia, preserves sites associated with Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United States. These include his residence, boyhood farm, school, and the town railroad depot, which served as his campaign headquarters during the 1976 election. The building which used to be Plains High School serves as the park's museum and visitor center. As Carter lives in Plains, the area surrounding the residence including the burial site of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter (1927–2023) is under the protection of the United States Secret Service and is not open to the public.
John William Carter is an American businessman and politician who ran for the United States Senate in Nevada in 2006, losing to John Ensign in the general election. He is the eldest child of former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
Emily Frances Gordy Dolvin, also known as Aunt Sissy, was an American educator, historic preservationist, political campaigner and civic leader from the state of Georgia.
The 1970 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970. It was marked by the election as Governor of Georgia of the relatively little-known former state senator Jimmy Carter after a hard battle in the Democratic primary. This election is famous because Carter, who was often regarded as one of the New South Governors, later ran for president in 1976 on his gubernatorial record and won. As of 2024, this was the last time Fulton County was carried by the Republican candidate in a gubernatorial election, the only time it failed to back Carter, and the last time a Democrat in any race won without carrying it. It is also the last time that Clarke County voted for the Republican candidate for governor.
The Lillian G. Carter Nursing Center, formerly known as the Wise Sanitarium in Plains, Georgia, United States, was a hospital. Currently, it is a nursing care facility, but was the birthplace of former United States President James Earl Carter Jr., who was born there on October 1, 1924 when his mother was working there as a registered nurse. Carter is the first US president to be born in a hospital.
The 2014 Georgia gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of Georgia, concurrently with the election to Georgia's Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 1976 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 2, 1976. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1976 United States presidential election. South Carolina voters chose eight electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Ethel Stephanie Stuckey is an American businesswoman and former politician from Georgia. She is currently the CEO of Stuckey's Corporation. Stuckey served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1999 to 2013.
The Jimmy Carter statue is a monumental statue in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Located on the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol, the statue was designed by Frederick Hart and depicts Jimmy Carter, former president of the United States. It was dedicated in 1994.
The 1976 presidential campaign of Jimmy Carter resulted in the election of Jimmy Carter and his running mate Walter Mondale as president and vice president of the United States, defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford and his running mate Bob Dole. Carter, a Democrat and former governor of Georgia, launched his presidential bid in December 1974, as the Constitution of Georgia barred him from running for a second term as governor. In the wake of the Watergate scandal, the declining popularity of President Ford due to his pardon of Nixon, and the severe recession of 1974–75, many Democrats were sure of victory in the 1976 presidential election. As a result, 17 Democrats ran for their party's nomination in 1976. Carter's opponents mocked his candidacy by saying "Jimmy, who?", for his being relatively unknown outside Georgia. In response, Carter began saying "My name is Jimmy Carter, and I'm running for president." Carter extensively campaigned in the primaries, and in the end received 39.19% of his party's primary votes.
The home of Jimmy Carter, who was the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, and his wife Rosalynn Carter (1927–2023) is located at 209 Woodland Drive in Plains, Georgia, United States. It is the only house that the Carters owned; they have occupied it since 1961.
