Jimmy Carter, the Georgia peanut farmer who went on to become the 39th president of the United States, died on Sunday at the age of 100. Carter, who held the record as the longest-living U.S. president, died in Plains, Georgia—the small town where he was born—after nearly two years under hospice care.
Jimmy Carter outlived his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, by just over a year. She passed away in November 2023 at the age of 96. The former president is survived by his four children—Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy—along with 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by Rosalynn and one of his grandchildren.
Turbulent Times During Presidency
His presidency was marked by challenges such as gas shortages, Cold War tensions, and the Iran hostage crisis. "My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love," said Chip Carter, the former president's son.
"My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. 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."
The Carter Center announced Jimmy Carter's death on Sunday with a brief statement: "Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia."
In an update shared weeks before his death, Carter's grandson, Jason, mentioned that the former president was "experiencing the world as best he can" but was not awake every day. Despite this, Jason noted that they had recently spent time together talking and watching an Atlanta Braves game.
"I told him, I said: 'Pawpaw, you know, when people ask me how you're doing I say, 'honestly I don't know,'" Jason, 48, recalled to Southern Living.
"And he kind of smiled and he said, 'I don't know, myself.'
"It was pretty sweet," Jason added.
Extraordinary Life
Carter took the oath of office on January 20, 1977, after defeating Republican Gerald Ford in the presidential election. Ford's campaign struggled under the weight of his controversial decision to pardon former President Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal.
Carter served a single, challenging four-year term before being unseated by Ronald Reagan. Despite the difficulties of his presidency, Carter achieved major milestones, including the landmark Camp David Accords, where Israel and Egypt formally acknowledged 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.
However, Carter's presidency was also marked by setbacks, most notably the Iran hostage crisis and an ailing economy characterized by stagnant growth and skyrocketing interest rates.
James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, to a grocer and a registered nurse.
As a studious and well-behaved child, Carter began helping at his father's store when he was just 10 years old. One of his favorite pastimes was spending evenings with his father, listening to baseball games and political broadcasts on a battery-powered radio, as noted by biography.com.
A devoted born-again Christian, Carter joined the U.S. Naval Academy in 1943. Due to the accelerated pace of studies during World War II, he graduated in 1946, the same year he married Rosalynn Smith. Together, they had four children: Jack, James III, Donnel, and Amy.
Carter started his naval career working on submarines, leading the couple to relocate frequently during their early years of marriage. In 1952, he was assigned to assist Admiral Hyman Rickover on the U.S. nuclear submarine program in Schenectady, New York.
Admiral Hyman Rickover's formidable intellect and relentless work ethic left a lasting impression on the young Carter, who received an honorable discharge from the Navy in 1953.
Following his father's death in July 1953, Jimmy Carter returned to the family home in Plains, Georgia, to assist his mother, Bessie, and take over the family farm.
In 1962, Carter entered politics, running for the Georgia Senate. Despite the state's deeply conservative and segregationist leanings, he won, even with his relatively progressive stance on civil rights.
Carter made his first attempt at the governor's office in 1966, but his liberal views proved to be a disadvantage. He finished a distant third in the Democratic primary, while outspoken segregationist Lester Maddox ultimately won the governorship.
At the time, Georgia governors were restricted to serving only one four-year term. To appeal more broadly to voters, Carter adjusted his liberal message, opposing forced busing and reducing public appearances with Black leaders.
The strategy proved effective. In 1970, Carter won the Democratic primary against a crowded field, including former Governor Carl Sanders, and easily defeated Republican Hal Suit in the general election.
As governor, Carter gained a reputation as a centrist reformer, focusing on streamlining the state's bureaucracy and improving government efficiency.
"I'll never tell a lie. I'll never make a misleading statement. I'll never betray the confidence that any of you had in me. And I'll never avoid a controversial issue," he vowed.
