Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who held the nation’s highest office to close out the 1970s, died Dec. 29. He was 100.
Carter, a former peanut farmer whose life in politics was followed by decades of public service, died at his home in Plains, Georgia. He had been on hospice care since February of last year after announcing liver cancer had spread throughout his body.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution broke the news of his passing Sunday, followed by a statement by The Carter Center, the late president’s nonprofit organization.
President Joe Biden marked his fellow Democrat’s passing by ordering a state funeral for Carter, calling him “an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian.
“Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend,” Biden said, “but, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well.”
President-elect Donald J. Trump said on Truth Social of the former president that those who’ve “been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History.
“The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Former president and Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were also among the many who lent condolences and tribute on Carter’s passing.
“Hillary and I mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter and give thanks for his long, good life,” Bill Clinton said in a statement. “Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others ― until the very end.”
James Earl Carter Jr. was born in 1924 in Plains, the son of a farmer. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and served as a submariner during World War II, reaching the rank of lieutenant. In 1946, he married fellow Plains native Rosalynn Smith and remained married for 77 years. Rosalynn died in November 2023.
Carter’s father died in 1953, which led him to resign his naval commission and return to his roots in Plains. The Carters farmed and operated a farm supply company, but it wasn’t long before Jimmy began his career in politics. He was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1962 and became Georgia’s governor in 1971 following a failed run for that office five years earlier.
His timing on the national stage coincided with the nation’s disenchantment with scandal-ridden President Richard Nixon. He won the 1976 presidential election over President Gerald Ford who’d served out Nixon’s term after the latter resigned the presidency.
Carter’s time as president was served on choppy waters at home and abroad, marked by economic malaise, high unemployment, rampant inflation and the energy crisis during which long gas lines at the pump became nightly news fodder. Most damning of all was the prolonged Iran hostage crisis, which dragged on for 14 months and included a failed rescue attempt that cost U.S. military lives and weakened America’ image as a military might.
Such things largely overshadow Carter’s accomplishments, which included establishing full diplomatic relations with China, leading negotiations of a nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union, and brokering other treaties over the Panama Canal and peace between Egypt and Israel via the Camp David accords.
Despite these gains, Carter nearly didn’t make it to the 1980 general election as the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) mounted a rare in-party challenge to the incumbent. Carter survived, barely, only to be soundly beaten in a lopsided showdown against President Roland Reagan.
While his presidential legacy is mixed, Carter’s efforts post-Washington are nothing short of admirable. He authored 28 books, was named a distinguished professor at Emory University in Atlanta and founded The Carter Center, which focuses on national and international public policy.
He also became the de facto face of Habitat for Humanity which builds homes for formerly homeless individuals. Carter’s career was capped in 2002 when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
To the end, Carter retained his Everyman appeal as a plainspoken man with deeply held religious beliefs who enjoyed fishing, running and woodworking. He is survived by four children, 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. At writing, details of funeral services have not been finalized.
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