Inaugural Prayer for Jimmy Carter President of the United States January 20, 1977

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum

Inaugural Prayer for Jimmy Carter President of the United States January 20, 1977. Commemorative print given by Bishop William R. Cannon, inscribed and signed 

How fitting for an exhibition titled “Connections” that we would find a connection within the collections of the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum.  A beautifully printed and inscribed copy of an inaugural prayer was given to Jimmy Carter by Bishop William R. Cannon of the United Methodist Church.  Cannon had presented the Inaugural Invocation Prayer at Carter’s January 20, 1977 presidential inauguration.   


Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree Diploma, 1979

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum

Diploma, Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Emory University to President Jimmy Carter conferred August 30, 1979 

More than two years later, President Carter returned the favor by breaking ground for Emory University’s Cannon Chapel, named for his longtime friend and former Dean of the Candler School of Theology.  As part of the day’s festivities, President Carter received this honorary degree from Emory University.  

At the August 30, 1979 ceremony, Carter made these remarks: 

In breaking ground for the William R. Cannon Chapel and Religious Center, we honor the things in life that are most precious, things that cannot be seen and which cannot be measured. We can measure the grandeur of a person’s house or the size of a bank account or the acreage of one’s land, or how fast one’s net worth increases each year. We tend to dwell too much on such things, for they tell us very little about the real meaning of life. For that, we must turn to things which cannot be seen or which cannot be measured, to things like honesty, integrity, the strength of conscience, the love of God, service to others, humility, wisdom. 

Photograph of Groundbreaking Ceremony for Cannon Chapel  
August 30, 1979