Billy Carter

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Family

American business executive, the manager of his family's $2.8 million peanut business and the brother of President Jimmy Carter. Noted as a "good ole' boy" who liked his beer and sociable hanging out, he was available to publicity hunters. Son of Earl Carter and Lillian Gordy Carter, Billy grew up the youngest of four children. James Earl Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924; Gloria was born in 1926 and Ruth in 1929. Resentment over brother Jimmy developed when James Earl Sr. died having once promised, "Someday, you'll be in charge of things when you grow up. Jimmy has chosen the Navy and you've chosen the land." Their mother Lillian called Jimmy back when James Earl died, knowing the family business needed a mature hand. Billy joined the Marines and came home intent upon being "different" than the rest of his family. After taking over the family peanut business in 1970 when Jimmy was elected Governor, he turned the business into a $5 million-a-year operation. When Jimmy went to the White House in 1977, his 60% share was placed in the hands of a family attorney who refused to sell with Jimmy's concurrence. This drove a further rift between the brothers and Billy resigned, going on the celebrity circuit. His problems with alcohol further developed to the point where Jimmy publicly stated that he had no control over his brother. Billy had acted as an agent for the Libyan government since 1978, registering as a foreign agent by mid-1980. This did nothing to help Jimmy's presidential campaign. Eventually, Billy returned to various businesses, becoming more successful and less flamboyant. Carter married Sybil in 1955 and had six kids. Sybil stated that their life was "pure hell" during the year 1980. In 1986, he moved his family into a large brick ranch house near his brother's home. In mid-1980, Carter entered the Naval hospital for alcoholism. In September 1987, when he had surgery to relieve a blockage of the pancreatic bile duct, he was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. His sister Ruth Carter Stapleton, an evangelist and faith healer, died of pancreatic cancer in 1983 at age 54. The Carter's mother, Lillian, died of pancreatic, bone and breast cancer in the same year, at age 85. Billy Carter died on 9/25/1988, 7:00 AM, Plains, GA. Link to Wikipedia biography