Everything about Billy Carter totally explained
William Alton "Billy" Carter III (
March 29,
1937 –
September 25,
1988) was the younger brother of
United States President Jimmy Carter, born in
Plains, Georgia.
Early years
For a time, Carter attended
Emory University in the
Atlanta area but didn't complete a
degree.
Carter served four years in the
United States Marine Corps, then returned to Plains to work for his older brother in the family business of growing
peanuts. In 1955, he married Sybil Spires (born
1938) of
Plains. They were the parents of six: Kim, Jana, William "Buddy", Marle, Mandy and Earl, who was just 12 years old when his father died.
On
December 6,
1976, he lost the mayoral election in Plains.
In 1977, Billy Carter endorsed
Billy Beer capitalizing upon his colorful image as a beer-drinking Southern boy that had developed in the
press while his brother ran for President. Billy Carter's name was occasionally used as a gag answer for a
Washington, D.C., trouble-maker on
1970s episodes of
The Match Game. Carter was known for his outlandish public behavior. For example, he once urinated on an airport runway in full view of the press and dignitaries.
Libya
In late 1978 and early 1979, Carter visited
Libya with a contingent from Georgia three times. He eventually registered as a foreign agent of the Libyan government and received a $220,000 loan. This led to a
Senate hearing over alleged influence peddling which some in the press dubbed "
Billygate." A Senate sub-committee was called
To Investigate Activities of Individuals Representing Interests of Foreign Governments (Billy Carter-Libya Investigation).
After the failure of Billy Beer, Carter sold his house to settle back taxes with the
IRS. In later years, Carter also admitted he was an alcoholic and sought medical treatment for the affliction which he was able to overcome. He went public with this to help others.
Death
In September 1987, Carter was diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer and took unsuccessful treatments for the disease. Carter died in Plains at the age of 51. His parents and both of his sisters also died from pancreatic cancer.
Legacy
In 1999, Carter's son
William "Buddy" Carter published a biography of his father titled
Billy Carter: A Journey Through the Shadows (ISBN 1-56352-553-4).
On a 1979 episode of
Saturday Night Live host
Gary Busey played Billy Carter, attending brother Jimmy's (
Dan Aykroyd) overseeing of the peace accords between
Israel's prime minister
Menachem Begin (
John Belushi) and
Egypt's president
Anwar Sadat (
Garrett Morris).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Billy Carter'.
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