Former US President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter dies at 100 Former US President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter dies at 100

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died on Sunday at the age of 100.

Before entering politics, Carter was a peanut farmer and a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He was elected governor of Georgia in 1970 and president of the United States in 1976.

James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, to Bessie Lillian Carter and James Earl Carter Sr. The eldest son of James Earl Carter Sr.

Carter has three younger siblings: Gloria Spann, Ruth Stapleton and Billy Carter.

Carter attended Plains High School in 1941 and briefly studied engineering at Georgia Southwestern College before transferring to Georgia Tech’s Naval ROTC program. In 1943, Carter entered the Naval Academy and graduated in the top 10% of his class.

In 1946, Carter was assigned to serve on the USS Wyoming.

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Carter’s political career began in the early 1960s as chairman of the Sumter County Board of Education. Within eight years, Carter was governor of Georgia, championing government efficiency, ecology, and continued desegregation in the South.

Carter defeated incumbent Republican Gerald Ford in the 1976 U.S. presidential election, becoming the last Democrat to win a majority of Southern states in a general election.

During his presidency, Carter created 8 million jobs and cut the budget deficit at a time when inflation and interest rates were near record levels. He established the Department of Education, strengthened Social Security, appointed a record number of minority applicants to federal positions, expanded national parks, and responded to the energy crisis with plans to reduce oil consumption and increase the use of nuclear power.

Additionally, Carter advocated for human rights, helped achieve peace between Egypt and Israel, finalized a nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union, and improved diplomatic relations with China.

As a presidential candidate and president, Carter also supported the LGBTQ community at a time when few public officials did. In 1978, for example, Carter urged California voters to reject Proposition 6, also known as the Briggs Initiative, which would have banned gays and lesbians from teaching in the state’s public schools. Voters rejected the anti-gay measure by more than 1 million votes.

When Carter ran for re-election in 1980, he was the first Democrat to endorse a gay rights platform in the party platform.

Domestic economic difficulties, extremely high inflation, and the hostage situation at the U.S. Embassy in Iran combined to affect Carter’s support among American voters, and he was defeated by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election.

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After serving in the White House, Carter focused his energy on advocating for human rights causes around the world. Carter and his wife, Rosalyn, founded the Carter Center in 1982 with the goal of alleviating human suffering and advancing human rights initiatives. For years, the Carter Center has promoted and supported democratic elections around the world and worked to reduce and treat the spread of disease in impoverished areas. Carter is also known for his volunteer work supporting Habitat for Humanity.

Twenty years after leaving office, Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts in peace, democracy, human rights, and social and economic development.

Carter is the author of 30 books, including the 2006 New York Times bestseller “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” The 2020 documentary “Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President” depicts Carter’s passion for music.

Carter is survived by his children, Amy, Jack, Donner and James Carter; His wife Rosalyn passed away on November 19, 2023, at the age of 96.

Contributors: Elizabeth Balboa, Anthony Noto
Photo: Jimmy Carter, 1977, by Bernard Gotfyd, courtesy Library of Congress