Lillian Gordy Carter Mother of the thirty-ninth President of the United States, Jimmy Carter Date of Birth: 15.08.1898 Country: USA

1. Biography of Lillian Gordy Carter
2. Early Life and Career
3. Religious Beliefs and Humanitarian Work
4. Marriage and Family
5. Later Years and Death

Biography of Lillian Gordy Carter

Lillian Bessie Gordy Carter was born on August 15, 1898, in Richland, Georgia, USA. She was the mother of the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. Lillian was renowned worldwide as an activist for the Georgia Nurses' League and a participant in a charitable mission to India.

Early Life and Career

Lillian's parents were James Jackson Gordy and Mary Ida Nicholson. During World War I in 1917, Lillian volunteered as a nurse in the US Army and later worked for the postal service until 1920. She then moved to Plains and worked as an intern at the Wise Sanatorium hospital until her graduation from the Grady Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Atlanta in 1923. Lillian loved her nursing profession and built an illustrious career, earning respect and admiration, particularly among the African American population. She followed in the footsteps of her liberal-minded father by allowing African Americans to enter her home through the front door, rather than the back door, as was the norm during that time. Some sources accused her of desegregation and providing illegal medical assistance to African Americans.

Religious Beliefs and Humanitarian Work

Although Lillian Gordy Carter was a religious woman, she did not frequently attend church. When the local church community decided to send a mission to Africa and invited Lillian to participate, she declined, stating that there were still many problems in America in terms of aiding African Americans. However, in 1966, at the age of 68, Lillian finally participated in a Peace Corps mission to India. For several years, she worked with the sick and leprosy patients, earning respect and honor. In recognition of her contributions, the Lillian Carter Center for International Nursing, a division of Emory University in Mumbai, India, was named after her.

Marriage and Family

In 1923, Lillian Gordy Carter married businessman James Earl Carter. They had four children together: Jimmy, Gloria, Ruth, and Billy. Their eldest son, Jimmy, later became the President of the United States.

Later Years and Death

In 1981, Lillian Gordy Carter was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite the doctors' efforts to treat the disease, the death of her daughter Ruth from pancreatic cancer in 1983 was a devastating blow that Lillian could not bear. She passed away on October 30, 1983, and was buried in the Lebanon Church cemetery, next to her husband's grave, who had died thirty years prior.