Former US President and Nobel laureate Jimmy Carter has passed away. Former US President Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100. His foundation, The Carter Center, has confirmed his death. On Sunday (December 29), he died quietly at home in Plains, Georgia.
Former US President:Â According to his son, Chip Carter, “My father was not just a hero to me, but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and selfless love.”
Jimmy Carter was the 39th president of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981. He lived longer than any other American president in history.
President Joe Biden called former President Carter “principled, faithful, and humble.” Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton expressed their heartfelt grief over Carter’s passing, adding that Carter dedicated his life to serving humanity.
Donald Trump, the winner of this year’s presidential election, and former President George W. Bush also conveyed condolences on Carter’s passing.
Jimmy Carter, elected from the Democratic Party, promised not to lie to the American people. Following the horrific Watergate incident, the former Georgia peanut farmer became the first leader in the United States to seriously confront climate change.
On the international stage, he brokered the historic peace accord between Egypt and Israel. However, he encountered difficulties in settling the Iran hostage situation and fighting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
After serving one term, he lost the subsequent presidential election to Ronald Reagan. However, after leaving the White House, he concentrated on reestablishing his reputation.
Since then, he has worked relentlessly on peace, the environment, and human rights. For these efforts, he received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Birth, Childhood, and Entering Politics
Jimmy Carter, the longest-living US president, celebrated his 100th birthday in October. He was being treated for cancer and had been in the hospital for 19 months.
James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in the little town of Plains, Georgia. He was the oldest of four children. His father was a peanut farmer who ran the family company, and his mother, Lillian, was a nurse.
He excelled as a basketball player in school. He later served in the United States Navy for seven years, eventually becoming a submarine lieutenant. During this period, he married Rosalynn, a friend’s sister.
However, after his father died in 1953, he returned home to run the family business. His involvement in politics began at the grassroots level. Prior to his election as a Georgia state senator, he repeatedly won elections to local school and library boards.
He served two terms as a state senator before becoming Georgia’s governor in 1970. During this time, he grew more outspoken on civil rights. During his inauguration, he stated, “I say clearly, the time for racial discrimination is over.”
As governor, Carter erected a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. in the Capitol building and guaranteed that African Americans were appointed to government positions.
When he launched his presidential candidacy in 1974, the United States was still reeling from the Watergate crisis.
At the time, he positioned himself as a peanut farmer rather than a career politician. Initially, polls showed him with barely 4% support among Democrats, but nine months later, he defeated Republican President Gerald Ford.
On his first day in office, Carter pardoned thousands of people who had avoided the Vietnam War draft. Republican opponent Senator Barry Goldwater called this action “the most disgraceful act by a president.”
Carter confessed that this was a very difficult decision for him. He appointed women to crucial roles in his administration and became the first global leader to prioritize climate change. He erected solar panels on the White House roof, which Ronald Reagan later removed.
During his term, the US economy entered a recession, which lowered his popularity. Despite proposing a universal healthcare plan, he was unable to execute it due to resistance from Congress.
In Search of Peace
His Middle East approach began to show results. Egypt and Israel signed the landmark Camp David Accords in 1978, while he was president. However, his success did not last long.
The aftermath of the Iranian Revolution, the hostage situation involving Americans (U.S. diplomats and civilians detained at the American embassy in Tehran), and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan presented him with difficult obstacles. In order to liberate the American captives, Obama broke diplomatic relations with Tehran and implemented trade sanctions.
During an operation to rescue the hostages, seven Americans were murdered. This event effectively ended his chances of reelection. Despite a battle for the Democratic candidacy in 1980, he defeated Senator Edward Kennedy with 41% of the popular vote.
However, this was insufficient to win the presidential election over Ronald Reagan. On his final day as president, Carter declared that a successful arrangement had been struck to release the hostages.
After leaving the White House, Jimmy Carter concentrated on reestablishing his reputation. On behalf of the United States government, he traveled to North Korea for a peace mission. His focus on international issues and crises established the Carter Presidential Center as an important institution.
In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, making him the third US president to win this accolade. In 2015, he was stricken with cancer, the same disease that had killed his parents and three sisters.
In 1984, the former president and his wife founded a nonprofit that helped restore more than 4,000 homes. Meanwhile, he continued to teach at Plains’ Maranatha Baptist Church.
His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died in November 2023. Carter stated that he planned to vote for Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election. His political philosophy was liberal, yet he never strayed from his religious values.
“You cannot separate faith and public service,” he told me. “I’ve never observed a conflict between God’s will and my political duties. If you violate one, you will violate the other.”
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