Jimmy Carter, the Georgia peanut farmer who served as the 39th president of the United States amid gas shortages, Cold War tensions, and the Iran hostage crisis, passed away on Sunday at the age of 100.
Carter, recognized as the longest-living president in US history, died at his longtime residence in the village of Plains, Ga. after being in hospice care for over a year and eight months after the passing of his cherished wife Rosalynn, who was 96. They had been married for 77 years.
The Carter Center also announced his death in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
He made his final public appearance in November 2023 to mourn her death.
Carter’s grandson, Jason, said the former commander-in-chief was “experiencing the world as best he can” but was not awake every day in an update weeks before his death.
Carter took office on January 20, 1977, after defeating Republican Gerald Ford, who struggled in his campaign due to the political fallout from his decision to pardon disgraced President Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal.
Carter served just one challenging four-year term before being defeated by Ronald Reagan. However, during his presidency, he achieved significant successes, including the historic Camp David peace accords, where Israel and Egypt formally recognized each other's governments.
“Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy, because human rights is the very soul of our sense of nationhood,” he once said.
“Until Donald Trump, Carter’s was probably the most astonishing victory in any presidential election of modern times.”
Early days of Jimmy Carter:
James Earl Carter Jr. was born in Plains on Oct. 1, 1924, the son of a grocer and a registered nurse.
He was a studious boy who steered clear of trouble and started helping at his father's store when he was 10. His favorite activity as a child was spending evenings with his father, listening to baseball games and political shows on the battery-powered radio., according to biography.com.
Carter, a devout born-again Christian, entered the US Naval Academy in 1943.
Due to World War II, his studies were expedited, leading to his graduation in 1946, the same year he married Rosalynn Smith. Together, they would have four children: Jack, James III, Donnel, and Amy.
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” Jimmy Carter said in a statement. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
Despite facing a series of health challenges over the last ten years, such as battling cancer in 2015, President Carter stayed active into his 90s. He continued participating in building houses for Habitat for Humanity, regularly attended church services, and taught Sunday school.
According to the New York Post, Jimmy Carter will be buried alongside Rosalynn on a plot visible from the front porch of their home of more than six decades.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and loved ones.
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