Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States and a global humanitarian who dedicated his post-presidency to peace and human rights, has died at the age of 100. The Carter Center confirmed his death on Sunday, December 29, 2024, in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, where he had spent his final months under hospice care. Carter was the longest-lived president in American history, and his life and career spanned from a peanut farm in rural Georgia to the Oval Office and eventually to a Nobel Peace Prize.

Early Life and Naval Career

James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, to James Earl Carter Sr. and Bessie Lillian Gordy. Growing up in the segregated South, Carter experienced the hardships of the Great Depression on his family's peanut farm. He was the first person on his father's side of the family to graduate from high school. He attended Georgia Southwestern College and later the Georgia Institute of Technology before gaining admission to the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1946.

Carter served in the Navy for seven years, working on submarines. He was assigned to the USS Pomfret and later to the USS K-1, a submarine that was still under construction. In 1952, he joined the fledgling nuclear submarine program under Admiral Hyman Rickover, which had a profound influence on Carter's discipline and engineering approach. The rigorous standards set by Rickover would shape Carter's work ethic throughout his political career.

His naval career ended abruptly in 1953 when his father died of pancreatic cancer. Carter returned to Plains to take over the family's peanut business. The transition was not easy, as the Carter family had to rebuild the farm and warehouse from near bankruptcy. Yet Carter's business sense, combined with his wife Rosalynn's support, turned the enterprise into a successful operation. It was this business acumen and his growing involvement in local civic affairs that sparked his entry into politics.

Rise in Georgia Politics

Carter's political career began with a seat on the Sumter County School Board, where he worked to consolidate rural schools. In 1962, he won a seat in the Georgia State Senate after a contentious campaign, serving two terms. He focused on education and government efficiency, often challenging established interests. In 1966, he made his first run for governor of Georgia, but lost in the Democratic primary to Lester Maddox. The defeat sent Carter into a deep personal and spiritual re-evaluation, culminating in a born-again Christian experience.

In 1970, Carter ran again for governor, this time successfully. His inaugural address made national news when he declared, "The time for racial discrimination is over." This was a bold statement for a Southern governor at the time. During his tenure from 1971 to 1975, Carter reorganized the state government, expanded state-supported preschool education, increased the number of African American appointees, and protected natural resources. He became known as a progressive, anti-establishment governor with designs on higher office.

Carter's ambition led him to run for president in 1976. In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, his status as an outsider and his moral tone resonated with voters weary of Washington corruption. He won the Democratic nomination and narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Gerald Ford in the election. His campaign was notable for his Southern drawl, his frequent use of the phrase "I'll never lie to you," and his willingness to be photographed carrying his own garment bag.

The Presidency (1977-1981)

Carter's presidency was marked by both significant achievements and severe challenges. He entered office in January 1977 with a focus on human rights in foreign policy, energy conservation, and government reform. He established the Department of Energy and the Department of Education, and he granted amnesty to Vietnam War draft evaders.

On domestic policy, Carter faced an energy crisis caused by oil shortages and soaring prices. He called the energy crisis the "moral equivalent of war" and introduced measures to promote conservation and develop alternative energy sources. He created the Synthetic Fuels Corporation and pushed for the deregulation of oil and natural gas prices. Though his policies were controversial, they laid the groundwork for future energy independence efforts. He also signed legislation that created the Superfund to clean up hazardous waste sites, a response to the Love Canal disaster.

Foreign Policy and Camp David Accords

Perhaps Carter's most enduring presidential legacy is the Camp David Accords, signed in September 1978. For 13 days, Carter hosted Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David, the presidential retreat. The intensive negotiations resulted in a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, marking the first time an Arab nation formally recognized the Jewish state. The treaty ended decades of conflict and remains the cornerstone of Middle East diplomacy. Carter's personal involvement, his patience, and his willingness to shuttle between the two leaders were widely credited for the breakthrough.

Carter also pursued normalization of relations with the People's Republic of China, formally establishing diplomatic ties in January 1979. He negotiated the Panama Canal Treaties, which transferred control of the canal to Panama by the year 2000. He fought for the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT II) with the Soviet Union, though the agreement was ultimately not ratified due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In response to that invasion, Carter imposed a grain embargo and boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics, a decision that proved controversial at home.

Human rights were a central pillar of Carter's foreign policy. He reduced or eliminated aid to governments that committed human rights abuses, often straining relations with allies. He created the Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs at the State Department, institutionalizing human rights as a component of American diplomacy. This approach, while criticized by some as idealistic, influenced subsequent administrations and elevated the global discourse on democracy and individual rights.

The Iran Hostage Crisis

The most painful episode of Carter's presidency was the Iran hostage crisis. In November 1979, a group of Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage. The crisis lasted 444 days and consumed Carter's final year in office. He worked tirelessly to secure their release through negotiation and sanctions. A rescue mission in April 1980 ended in failure when a helicopter collided with a transport plane in the Iranian desert, killing eight servicemen.

The hostage crisis, combined with a worsening economy and an unprecedented primary challenge from Senator Edward Kennedy, devastated Carter's popularity. In the 1980 election, he faced Republican Ronald Reagan, who promised to "make America great again." Carter lost in a landslide, winning only six states and the District of Columbia. Ironically, the hostages were freed on January 20, 1981, the very day Reagan was inaugurated. Many historians note that the release was timed to deny Carter a final triumph.

The Post-Presidency and the Carter Center

Carter left the White House at age 56, with his political career seemingly over. However, he redefined the role of the former president. He and Rosalynn founded the Carter Center in 1982, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing human rights, democracy, and public health worldwide. The Carter Center has monitored more than 100 elections in over 30 countries, helping to ensure that democratic processes are fair and free. It has also worked to resolve conflicts in nations such as Ethiopia, North Korea, Liberia, and Haiti.

One of the Carter Center's most significant contributions came in public health. Carter launched a campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, a parasitic infection that afflicts millions in Africa and Asia. Due to the center's efforts, the number of cases has been reduced by more than 99.99 percent, from an estimated 3.5 million in 1986 to just a handful in recent years. The center has also fought to eliminate river blindness, trachoma, and malaria, and it has promoted mental health care and nutrition programs around the world.

Carter's post-presidential work earned him numerous awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. The Nobel Committee specifically cited Carter "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." He was only the third U.S. president to receive the prize, after Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

In addition to his institutional work, Carter was a hands-on volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. He and Rosalynn famously spent weeks each year hammering nails, painting houses, and raising funds for the organization's housing projects. He continued this tradition well into his nineties, embodying the values of service and humility that defined his Christian faith.

Family Life and Passing

Jimmy Carter married Rosalynn Smith in 1946, and they celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary before her death in November 2023. They had four children: John William "Jack," James Earl "Chip," Donnel Jeffrey "Jeff," and Amy. The Carters were known for their close-knit family and their commitment to teaching Sunday school at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where Jimmy taught until his health declined.

Carter survived several health challenges, including a diagnosis of melanoma that spread to his brain in 2015. He responded well to treatment and remained active for several years. In February 2023, the Carter Center announced that he would enter hospice care at his home in Plains, choosing to spend his remaining time with family rather than undergo further medical intervention. His passing came nearly one year after Rosalynn's death, and he is survived by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

The news of Carter's death prompted a global outpouring of tributes. President and first lady issued a statement praising his "quiet strength" and "lifelong dedication to service." World leaders from Egypt, Israel, and beyond recognized his role in brokering peace. The Carter Center called him "a man of extraordinary courage and vision." In Plains, mourners gathered outside the Carter family home to place flowers and share memories.

Carter's funeral arrangements have not been fully announced, but he is expected to be buried in a plot beside his wife, Rosalynn, on the family property they shared for over six decades. A state funeral in Washington, D.C., is being planned, with memorial services likely to draw dignitaries from around the world. Until then, the nation and the world will continue to reflect on a life that stretched from the Great Depression to the digital age, a life that consistently sought to serve others and to promote fairness and peace. As Carter often said, "I have one life and one chance to make it count for something... My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can."

Source: France 24 News