Ruth Carter Stapleton ('' née'' Carter; August 7, 1929 – September 26, 1983) was an American Christian evangelist. She was the youngest sister of United States President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

Early life and family

Ruth Carter was born August 7, 1929, in

Plains, Georgia Plains is a town in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. The population was 776 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area. Plains is best known as the birthplace and home of Jimmy Carter, the 39th president ...

, the third of the four children in the family of James Earl Carter, Sr. and

Lillian Gordy Carter Bessie Lillian Carter (née Gordy; August 15, 1898 – October 30, 1983) was the mother of the 39th president of the United States Jimmy Carter. She was also known for her contributions to nursing in her home state of Georgia and as a Peace Corps ...

. Besides the former president, Stapleton had an older sister, Gloria (1926–1990), and a younger brother, Billy (1937–1988). All three of them died of pancreatic cancer, as well as their father.

Education, career, and family

Stapleton attended

Georgia State College for Women Georgia College & State University (Georgia College or GC) is a public liberal arts university in Milledgeville, Georgia. The university enrolls approximately 7,000 students and is a member of the University System of Georgia and the Council o ...

, earned her bachelor's in English from

Methodist University Methodist University is a private university that is historically related to the North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and located in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges ...

, and her master's in psychology from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. Stapleton married Robert Thome Stapleton (1925–2014), a

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

, in 1948 and they had four children: Gloria Lynn (born May 31, 1950), Sydney Scott (December 23, 1951 – December 13, 2019), Patricia Gordy (born May 29, 1954) and Robert Michael (born November 5, 1958). Stapleton suffered from chronic depression, and was involved in a car accident which nearly cost her life during the time immediately following the birth of her children. She claimed to have been cured of depression later at a "Christ-centred camp". In 1977, she became friends with pornographer

Larry Flynt Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. (; November 1, 1942 – February 10, 2021) was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). LFP mainly produces pornographic magazines, such as ''Hustler'', pornographic videos, and three por ...

and managed to briefly convert him to Christianity. She was portrayed during this portion of Flynt's life by

Donna Hanover Donna Hanover (born Donna Ann Kofnovec; February 15, 1950) is an American journalist, radio and television personality, television producer, and actress, who appears on CUNY TV in New York City. From 1994 through 2001 she was First Lady of New Yo ...

in the film ''

The People vs. Larry Flynt ''The People vs. Larry Flynt'' is a 1996 American Biographical film, biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman, chronicling the rise of pornographer Larry Flynt and his subsequent clash with religious institutions and the law. It stars Wo ...

''. Stapleton was also known for her involvement in the healing ministry, especially in healing of memories. Her books ''The Gift of Inner Healing'', ''The Experience of Inner Healing'', and ''In His Footsteps: The Healing Ministry of Jesus, Then and Now'', illustrate her beliefs on inner healing, which involved healing of memories in which a person would go over their memories and bring Jesus into the memory to help them forgive or be comforted as required by Jesus. She died of pancreatic cancer on September 26, 1983, aged 54. One month after her death, her mother died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...

, aged 85.

Bibliography

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References

Sources

''Georgia Encyclopedia''
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stapleton, Ruth Carter 1929 births 1983 deaths People from Plains, Georgia Carter family Deaths from cancer in North Carolina Deaths from pancreatic cancer American evangelists Women evangelists Southern Baptists American Charismatics Christian writers 20th-century American politicians