Hamilton Jordan

The political advisor who had Jimmy Carter’s ear

Hamilton Jordan

1944–2008

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In 1972, Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter met with his top aides to discuss his career options. At the time, Carter was two years into his tenure but barred by term limits from seeking re-election. His executive secretary, Hamilton Jordan, was prepared. He handed Carter a 70-page master plan and declared, “We’ve come to tell you what you’re going to do about your future.” Jordan went on to successfully guide his boss to the White House and, at 34, became its youngest-ever chief of staff. He died of cancer last week at 63.

Jordan began his political career at an early age, said The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After serving as his class president at the University of Georgia, he met Carter, then a rising political star in Georgia. He later managed his successful 1970 gubernatorial campaign. In his presidential playbook, Jordan urged the little-known former peanut farmer to boost his profile by writing “a book outlining his philosophy,” hobnobbing with foreign leaders, and securing “some key role in the Democratic National Committee.” After Carter won the 1976 election, Jordan reflected, “I played some hunches.”

After serving as a top White House advisor, Jordan became chief of staff in 1979, said the Los Angeles Times. He played important roles in many initiatives, including the transfer of the Panama Canal and the Camp David peace talks. Along the way, he inspired many tabloid headlines. Jordan reportedly sniffed cocaine at Studio 54, “spit his drink down the front of a woman’s blouse at a singles’ bar in Georgetown,” and ogled the cleavage of the Egyptian ambassador’s wife, saying he was seeking “the twin pyramids of the Nile.” But he never lost Carter’s confidence.

Following the Carter years, Jordan co-chaired Ross Perot’s 1992 presidential candidacy and helped found Unity ’08, a bipartisan effort to create a third major party.