On the evening of Sunday, December 29, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who was also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, passed away at the age of 100.
His son confirmed the news of his death without specifying the cause. In February 2023, following multiple hospitalizations, the Carter Center announced that the former president had decided to forego further medical treatment and return home to receive only palliative care.
In his last public appearance two months ago, Carter celebrated his 100th birthday in the garden of his Georgia home, surrounded by family and friends. Last November, his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, passed away.
Carter had expressed his desire to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris as President of the United States, telling his son Chip, “I’m trying to hold on so I can vote for Harris.”
Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, served from January 20, 1977, to January 20, 1981. He secured his party’s nomination on the first ballot at the 1976 Democratic National Convention and won the election on November 2, 1976.
Key foreign policy achievements during his administration included the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Carter championed human rights worldwide.
Domestically, his administration enacted a comprehensive energy program through the newly created Department of Energy, deregulated various industries, and passed significant environmental legislation, including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which doubled the size of the national park system and tripled wilderness areas.
James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, and grew up in nearby Archery. His father was a farmer and businessman, and his mother was a nurse. Carter graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946, served in the Navy as a submariner, and pursued graduate studies in reactor technology and nuclear physics. After his father’s death in 1953, he returned to Georgia to manage the family farm and engage in community leadership.
In 1982, Carter became a Distinguished Professor at Emory University and co-founded the Carter Center with his wife Rosalynn. The non-partisan, non-profit center addresses global public policy issues, including conflict resolution, human rights, and disease prevention. Under Carter’s leadership, the center played a pivotal role in Guinea worm disease eradication efforts and conducted election monitoring in over 100 countries.
Carter authored 32 books on topics ranging from politics and history to poetry and personal reflections. He and Rosalynn volunteered annually with Habitat for Humanity and remained active in their Baptist church in Plains.
Carter received the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his decades-long efforts to find peaceful solutions to conflicts, promote democracy, and advance social and economic development.
