James Earl Carter Jr. (born 1 October 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A Democrat, he previously served as a Georgia State Senator from 1963 to 1967 and as the 76th Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. On his second day in office, Carter pardoned all the Vietnam War draft evaders. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in co-founding the Carter Center.