(12-30-24) Former President Jimmy Carter, who was the 39th, passed away at the age of 100 in his home in Plains, Georgia.
Carter is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
His wife, Rosalynn, who he was married to for 77 years, died in November 2023.
According to the Carter Center, public memorial observances will take place in both Atlanta and Washington, D.C. A state funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington is expected. Burial is expected to be held in Plains.
Final arrangements for the Carter state funeral are pending, the Carter Center said, adding that a formal schedule will come from the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region. Members of the public are also encouraged to visit the official Jimmy Carter tribute website, which includes an online condolence book and other materials commemorating the former president’s life.
President Joe Biden said…
“Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian.
To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility.
He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.”
President Biden announced that a national day of mourning would take place on January 9th and Americans encouraged to visit places of worship to “pay homage” to the late president.
Biden also ordered flags to be flown at half-mast at all public and military buildings for 30 days, a period which includes the inauguration of president-elect Trump.
Leaders from around the world released tributes…
President Trump….
“The challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans.
“For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
King Charles III said “his dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977″.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Carter was “motivated by his strong faith and values” and that he “redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad“.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Carter “was a leader who served during a time when Ukraine was not yet independent, yet his heart stood firmly with us in our ongoing fight for freedom“.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he had been a “steadfast advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable and has tirelessly fought for peace“.
Political life as a 1-term President—
Carter supported the growing civil rights movement, and became an activist within the Democratic Party. Carter served in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967 and then as Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975.
As a dark-horse candidate not well known outside Georgia, he won the Democratic nomination and narrowly defeated the incumbent president, Gerald Ford of the Republican Party, in the 1976 presidential election.
Carter pardoned all Vietnam War draft evaders on his second day in office. He created a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. Carter successfully pursued the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. He also confronted stagflation. His administration established the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Education.
He was the only president to serve a full term without appointing a justice to the Supreme Court. The end of his presidency was marked by the Iran hostage crisis, an energy crisis, the Three Mile Island accident, the Nicaraguan Revolution, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In response to the invasion, Carter escalated the Cold War by ending détente, imposing a grain embargo against the Soviets, enunciating the Carter Doctrine, and leading the multinational boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
Carter defeated challenger Ted Kennedy in the 1980 Democratic Party presidential primaries but lost the general election in a landslide to Ronald Reagan, the Republican nominee.
Did you know…
About the 2016 election Carter was quoted as saying—-
“I think the interference although not yet quantified, if fully investigated would show that Trump didn’t actually win the election in 2016. He lost the election, and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf.”
Mercer County Outlook 