This is one of those ‘What the…?’ type of moments that you’ve just gotta see to believe, because never in a MILLION years would we have ever thought these two were related. Berry Gordy (92), the powerful music mogul/founder of Motown Records, is the cousin of another powerful man who held one of the most powerful political positions in America. Get ready to pick your jaw up off of the floor…
PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER & BERRY GORDY ARE COUSINS!
Nope you are not seeing things and this is not a typo, the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, is the cousin of Motown Records founder, Berry Gordy III. We’re not talking long distance cousins, we’re talking second cousins.
HERE’S HOW THEY’RE RELATED
Jimmy Carter’s mother, Lillian Carter, is the niece of Berry Gordy III’s (Motown founder) great-grandfather. Her father is James Jackson Gordy.
Although the White grandfather of Lillian, James Thomas Gordy, was married to her mother, Mary Ida Nicholson, he also had son, Berry Gordy I, with a Black slave named Esther Johnson.
Esther’s and James Thomas Gordy’s son, Berry I, then had Berry Gordy II with a woman named Lucy Hellum.
Berry II and Bertha Fuller eventually had son, Berry Gordy III (Motown Records founder).
That makes Jimmy Carter and Berry Gordy III second cousins. Who would’ve thought it, right?
Well one things is certain, they have earned some SERIOUS bragging rights in their family, from music to politics when it comes to Jimmy and Berry Jr.! Now it all makes since though…see pics of their parents and grandparents…
JIMMY CARTER’S PASSION FOR EQUAL RIGHTS RUNS DEEP IN HIS BLOOD
Jimmy Carter, who is an avid supporter of former President Obama, has always been known as one of the most ‘equal rights Presidents’ in history. And at 97 years young, he continues to push for equality across racial and class barriers through his Carter Center.
Jimmy Carter gets it from his mom, Lillian Carter (maiden name, Gordy), who was oftentimes looked down upon by her White neighbors and peers for treating her Black friends as equals and constantly having them over for dinner in their all-White neighborhood. As you all know, that was largely unheard of in the 1920’s and ’30s. She hated racism and everyone around her knew it.
As a child, Lillian once reportedly said she mimicked what she saw in her father, James Jackson Gordy, when he ran a local post office and treated the Black employees as his equal, oftentimes also choosing to eat lunch and chit-chat with them, instead of his counterparts who were White and mostly openly racists at that time. Again, this was unheard of in the years of 1908 (when Lillian was 10) and such. Maybe James had a very different perspective about humanity since he had a half-Black brother – Berry Gordy I – who knows?
See more pics of their family tree below.
MEET THEIR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS
Berry Gordy III’s parents, Berry Gordy II and Bertha Fuller Gordy
Jimmy Carter’s parents- James Earl Carter Sr. and Lillian Carter (nee’ Lillian Gordy)
Lillian Carter’s dad, James Jackson Gordy (half brother of Berry Gordy III’s grandfather, Berry Gordy I; and grandfather of Jimmy Carter)
Pretty sure Berry Gordy III’s and Jimmy Carter’s ancestors would be extremely pleased with what they’ve contributed to this world today. Well..at least some of their ancestors probably would be.
