On Sunday, December 29, former President Jimmy Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he had been receiving hospice care for nearly two years. Carter was 100 years old, and the first president to reach his 100th birthday.
James Earl Carter, Jr., affectionately known as “Jimmy,” was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, and was the oldest of four children. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946 and served seven years in the Navy. Shortly after his graduation, Carter married Rosalynn Smith. They remained married until Rosalynn’s death in November 2023.
Carter served as a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967 and was elected governor in 1970. As governor, he prioritized civil rights and worked to desegregate Georgia schools. He declared in his inaugural speech that “the time for racial discrimination is over.”
In 1976, Carter was elected the 39th President of the United States. While in office, he pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and attempted to negotiate various international conflicts. He also established the Department of Education. However, in 1980, an energy crisis, inflation, recession, and the Iran hostage crisis made Carter so unpopular that he lost the presidential election in a landslide, winning only 49 electoral votes to Ronald Reagan’s 489.
In the years following his presidency, Jimmy Carter dedicated himself to many causes, including international diplomacy, social justice, and hurricane relief. In 1982, he founded The Carter Center, a nonprofit dedicated to “resolving conflicts, advancing democracy… and improving mental health care.” He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and published two books on the Israel-Palestine conflict in 2006 and 2010.
In the hours since his death was announced, many have expressed their sadness and gratitude for Carter, including President Biden, who called him “a dear friend” and President-elect Trump. The current governor of Georgia also issued a statement, joining “all Georgians and the entire nation in mourning.”
Carter is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. From all of us at The Mast, rest in peace, President Carter.
