Jimmy Carter, former US president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, dies at 100

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter died on Sunday at the age of 100 at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by family, according to the Carter Center. With honesty and sincerity as his banner, Carter won the 1976 presidential election after the shock of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. He governed faithfully to his principles, but his term was marred by challenges such as the oil crisis and the Iran hostage crisis, ultimately limiting him to a single term.

Swept aside by the Reagan era, Carter’s legacy blossomed after his departure from the White House. Returning to his native Georgia, he dedicated himself to promoting democracy and human rights worldwide through the Carter Center. In 2002 he received the Nobel Peace Prize. At the award ceremony, Gunnar Berge, chairman of the Nobel committee, remarked: “Jimmy Carter will probably not go down in American history as the most effective president. But he is certainly the best ex-president the country ever had.”

On February 18, 2023, the Carter Center announced that Jimmy Carter had chosen to receive palliative care at his modest lifelong home in Plains, Georgia. The news prompted an outpouring of support and a reassessment of his presidency, which, though often seen as misunderstood and unfortunate during his time in office, has garnered greater appreciation with the passage of time. His 100th birthday on October 1 became a living tribute, celebrating both his presidential and post-presidential accomplishments.

On that milestone day, Carter made his final public appearance, watching a flyover tribute from the garden of his home. He had cast his vote by mail in the most recent presidential election, supporting Kamala Harris, who was defeated by Donald Trump. However, Carter passed away before Trump’s inauguration.

“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” Chip Carter, the former president’s son, said in a statement. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

In 2023, Carter mourned the loss of his wife, Rosalynn Carter, who passed away on November 19 at the age of 96. The former first lady, who had been battling dementia, entered palliative care shortly before her death. Carter, accompanied by his successors Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, attended her funeral, seated in the front row in a wheelchair and wrapped in a blanket lovingly featuring an image of his late wife’s face.

James Earl Carter Jr. (a name he rarely used) was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. A few months after George H.W. Bush’s passing in November 2018, Carter became the longest-living former president in U.S. history. His tenure as a former president spanned over four decades, during which he witnessed seven successors take office.

Carter won the 1976 presidential election over Gerald Ford and served as president from January 1977 to January 1981. The Democratic candidate resonated with voters by pledging not to mislead the American public in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” he often said during his campaign. Rising politically during the civil rights movement, Carter was the last Democratic presidential candidate to sweep the Deep South, a region that shifted decisively to the Republicans in the Reagan era.

Carter’s upbringing in rural Georgia revolved around growing peanuts, engaging in political discussions, and practicing his Baptist faith, according to the White House biography of the former president. His father, Earl Carter, was both a state legislator and an agricultural producer, while his mother, Lillian, was a nurse and activist — at the age of 68, she volunteered to work with leprosy patients in India. Carter attended the Georgia Institute of Technology before graduating in 1946 from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Shortly after, he married Rosalynn Smith, and the couple had four children: John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), and Amy Lynn.

After seven years of service as a naval officer, Carter returned to Plains in 1953 following his father’s death. Trading his uniform for civilian life, he took over the family business. In 1962, he entered state politics and eight years later, he was elected governor of Georgia, distinguishing himself among the new generation of Southern leaders for prioritizing environmentalism, government efficiency, and breaking down racial barriers.

Shortly after taking office as governor in 1971, Carter’s potential for national leadership began to surface. In October of that year, Peter Bourne, a close ally and Atlanta-based physician who would later serve as the U.S. drug czar, sent Carter a detailed report outlining a path to the presidency. On October 17, a broader group of advisers convened at the governor’s mansion to discuss the idea. At 47, Carter joined the meeting dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, as noted by his biographer Jonathan Alter. While the term “president” was never explicitly used, the group — including Carter’s wife, Rosalynn — seriously contemplated his national ambitions. “We never used the word ‘president,’” Carter later recalled on his 90th birthday, “but just referred to ‘national office.’”

Carter announced his plans to his family around Christmas in 1972. His mother, incredulous, asked, “President of what?” Two years later, in December 1974, Carter formally launched his candidacy. At the time, a Gallup poll listing 32 potential Democratic candidates didn’t even include his name. Undeterred, he embarked on a two-year campaign as a relative unknown, gaining traction with strong performances in early primary states like Iowa, New Hampshire, and Florida. Time magazine described Carter as a “breath of fresh air” in American politics. His campaign, built on sincerity, a commitment to transparency, and strong management skills, was supported by a grassroots network affectionately dubbed the “peanut brigade.”

At the Democratic National Convention, Carter won the nomination on the first ballot and chose Minnesota Senator Walter Mondale as his running mate. In the general election, he faced president Gerald Ford, who had ascended to the presidency after Richard Nixon’s resignation. Carter prevailed, winning 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 241.

After taking the oath of office at the Capitol in January 1977, Jimmy Carter chose to walk along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House rather than ride in a motorcade as previous presidents had done. “I thought it would be a good demonstration of confidence by the new president in the people of our country as far as security was concerned, and also would be a tangible indication of some reduction in the imperial status of the president and his family,” he later reflected in his diaries, which remain a treasure trove for historians.

Carter’s presidency focused on gun control, human rights, and environmental issues — an agenda that was often overshadowed by soaring inflation and significant foreign policy challenges. This has led some observers to view Joe Biden’s presidency as an echo of Carter’s, given the parallels in their political struggles. Despite his intelligence, hard work, honesty, deep religious convictions, and pragmatism, these virtues were not enough to maintain broad electoral support during his time in office.

The Camp David Accords

In foreign policy, Carter’s emphasis on human rights was met with resistance from the Soviet Union and strained relations with several other nations. However, one of the hallmark achievements of his presidency was the Camp David Accords of 1978, which facilitated reconciliation between Egypt and Israel. Under these agreements, Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula, restoring full sovereignty to Egypt while limiting its military presence in the area. In return, Egypt became the first Arab nation to formally recognize Israel’s existence. The accords also laid the groundwork for a framework to negotiate autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, though these goals were not fully realized during Carter’s term.

During his presidency, Carter also secured the ratification of the Panama Canal treaties, which restored sovereignty over the canal to Panama. This historic agreement has recently come under criticism from President-elect Donald Trump, who, in the past week, suggested that the United States should reclaim control of the canal — an idea lacking any legal or practical basis.

During his term he also achieved the ratification of the Panama Canal treaties, which returned sovereignty over the canal to Panama.

Building on the diplomatic efforts of his predecessors, Carter established full diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. He also completed negotiations for the SALT II nuclear arms limitation treaty with the Soviet Union. However, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 forced the United States to suspend the ratification of the treaty.

The final chapter of Carter’s presidency was overshadowed by the Iran hostage crisis, a 444-day ordeal that began on November 4, 1979. A group of Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution, taking 66 American diplomats and citizens hostage. A failed rescue attempt in April 1980 sealed Carter’s electoral fate, though notably, no American soldiers were killed in combat during his presidency.

The oil crisis, runaway inflation, and the Tehran hostage crisis eroded Carter’s popularity, culminating in a landslide defeat to Ronald Reagan in 1980. Carter became the first elected president since Herbert Hoover in 1932 to lose a re-election bid. After him, George H.W. Bush and Joe Biden (who declined to seek re-election), also served only one term.

In the 1980 presidential debate, Reagan won over voters with promises of tax cuts, contrasting with Carter’s appeals for sacrifice and fiscal restraint on the ground that lower taxes would drive up prices. Reagan’s rhetoric landed decisive blows. He questioned Carter’s economic policies: “I would like to ask the president, why is it inflationary to let the people keep more of their money and spend it the way they’d like, and it isn’t inflationary to let him take that money and spend it the way he wants?”

And he took aim at the Democrat’s appeals for sacrifice: “[Carter] has blamed the lack of productivity of the American people, he has then accused the people of living too well and that we must share in scarcity, we must sacrifice and get used to doing with less. We don’t have inflation because the people are living too well. We have inflation because the government is living too well.”

Reagan’s most memorable question, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” became a defining moment, later echoed by Donald Trump during his campaigns.

The combined impact of the hostage crisis and inflation in the U.S. contributed to Carter’s downfall. After his crushing defeat against Reagan, who won in 44 states, Carter remained committed to resolving the hostage crisis. On January 20, 1981, the same day Carter left office, Iran released the 52 remaining hostages.

Carter’s presidency was initially perceived as a failure, but new analyses argue that he was a pioneer in some key ways. No one doubts that he served his term with integrity. And he left behind a legacy of achievements that were initially overshadowed or misunderstood. He championed the liberalization of the transportation sector, making air travel significantly more accessible to Americans. He established the Department of Energy to streamline and coordinate the nation’s energy research. He also appointed Paul Volcker as Federal Reserve Chairman, whose policies — later supported by Reagan — were instrumental in curbing inflation and fostering economic growth in the 1980s. Carter was also the first U.S. president to voice concern about global warming.

Nobel Peace Prize

After leaving office, Carter transitioned to a life of service that culminated in receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He was honored for his work in resolving international conflicts, promoting democracy and human rights, and advancing economic and social development, work he carried out through the Carter Center.

The Carter Center became a trailblazer in election monitoring, overseeing at least 114 elections in Africa, Latin America, and Asia since 1989. In July 2023, the Center concluded that Venezuela’s presidential elections were undemocratic.

Perhaps its most celebrated initiative was in public health. By 2023, the Carter Center reported only 14 cases of Guinea worm disease worldwide, a staggering decline from 3.5 million cases in 1986 when the Center began its eradication efforts. This success was achieved through decades of work to improve access to clean water in affected regions.

Carter remained active in his humanitarian efforts as long as his health permitted. When he announced in February 2023 that he was entering palliative care, many anticipated an imminent end. Yet, Carter defied expectations, he outlived his wife and the world was able to pay tribute to him while he was still alive.

At the last Democratic convention, Carter’s grandson, Jason Carter, paid heartfelt tribute to his grandfather: “He and my grandmother led their lives with an unwavering faith in God, a respect for human dignity, honesty and a commitment to loving their neighbors as themselves. Those principles guided them throughout their lives, including during their four years in the White House and the four decades since. For my grandfather, it was never about fame, recognition, accolades or awards, his legacy is measured by the lives he has touched and the good he has done.”

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