Submariner Who Turned Commander-in-Chief

Newly married and sworn as a Naval officer, Jimmy Carter left his tiny hometown in 1946 hoping to climb the ranks and see the world.

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The untimely death of his father, a farmer, brought the submariner and his wife, Rosalynn, back to a rural life they thought they'd escaped.

The lieutenant would never be an admiral. Instead, he became commander-in-chief. And, years after his presidency ended in humbling defeat, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The life of James Earl Carter Jr ended on Sunday at 100 where it began. Plains fueled the rise of the 39th US president, welcomed him after his fall and sustained him during 40 years of service as a global humanitarian.

With an optimism rooted in Baptist faith and an engineer's stubborn confidence, Carter showed a missionary zeal to solve problems and improve lives.