Billy Carter - Early Years

Early Years

Born in Plains, Georgia, Carter attended Emory University in Atlanta but did not complete a degree. He served four years in the United States Marine Corps, then returned to Plains to work with his brother in the family business of growing peanuts. In 1955, he married Sybil Spires (born 1938), also of Plains, Georgia. They were the parents of six children: Kim, Jana, William "Buddy", Marle, Mandy and Earl, who was 12 years old when his father died.

Carter ran for mayor of Plains in 1976, but lost the election. It was his only attempt to win elective office.

In 1977, he endorsed Billy Beer, capitalizing upon his colorful image as a beer-drinking Southern good ol' boy that developed in the press when his brother ran for President. Carter's name was occasionally used as a gag answer for a Washington, D.C. trouble-maker on 1970s episodes of The Match Game. He was known for his outlandish public behavior; he once urinated on an airport runway in full view of the press and dignitaries.