Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, has passed away at the age of 100, as confirmed by the Carter Center. Carter, who lived longer than any president in history, celebrated his milestone 100th birthday in October. He died on Sunday afternoon at his home in Plains, Georgia.
Carter served as president from 1977 to 1981 during a period marked by economic and diplomatic challenges. After leaving office with low approval ratings, his reputation was revived through his extensive humanitarian efforts, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.
“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” said his son, Chip Carter, in a statement. “The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”
Carter is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. His wife, Rosalynn, whom he was married to for 77 years, passed away in November 2023.
Since the death of George HW Bush in 2018, Carter was the oldest surviving US president. After halting medical treatment for an undisclosed illness last year, he received hospice care at home. His presidency is remembered for its struggles with severe economic issues and foreign policy crises, including the Iran hostage crisis, which resulted in the deaths of eight Americans.
There was, however, a notable foreign policy triumph in the Middle East when he helped broker an accord between Egypt and Israel, signed at Camp David in the US in 1978.
But that seemed a distant memory two years later, when voters overwhelmingly chose Republican Ronald Reagan, who had portrayed the president as a weak leader unable to deal with inflation and interest rates at near record highs.
Carter lost the 1980 election by a landslide, winning only six US states plus Washington DC.
In the aftermath of such a heavy defeat, Carter was frequently held up by Republicans as an example of liberal ineptitude.
Meanwhile, many in his own party either ignored him or viewed his presidential shortcomings as evidence their brand of Democratic politics or policy was a better way.
Today many on the right still deride the Carter years but as the decades passed, his humanitarian efforts and simple lifestyle began to shape a new legacy for many Americans.
After leaving the White House, he became the first and only president to return full-time to the house he lived in before politics – a humble, two-bedroom ranch-style home.
He chose not to pursue the lucrative after-dinner speeches and publishing deals awaiting most former presidents, telling the Washington Post in 2018 that he never really wanted to be rich.
Instead he spent his remaining years trying to address global problems of inequality and disease.
