Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, passed away on Sunday at the age of 100 in Plains, Georgia, after a year of hospice care. He was the longest-living US president, leaving behind a legacy as a dedicated global humanitarian. Carter, along with his wife Rosalynn, who died last year in November at 96, spent most of their lives in the small town of Plains, The Carter Center told.
Personal life
James Earl Carter Jr was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. He grew up in the nearby town of Archery, where his family was part of a minority in a predominantly Black community. Carter’s early experiences were shaped by his Black caregivers and playmates. His father owned land and a grocery store while his mother, Lillian, would become a staple of his political campaigns.
After attending the US Naval Academy, Carter graduated in 1946 and married Rosalynn Smith, a fellow Plains native, later that year. Their partnership became central to his political career.
Carter was described as a businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, and a true citizen of the world. His diverse contributions broke political boundaries, setting him apart from the 45 men who held the nation’s highest office.
“My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” he once said.
Rise to politics
Carter’s political career began in 1962 when he won a seat in the Georgia state Senate. Despite losing his first run for governor in 1966 to the segregationist Lester Maddox, Carter soon returned to politics and contested for governor again in 1970where he defeated Carl Sanders.
As governor, Carter became known for his progressive stance on race relations, environmental issues, and government reform. He declared in his 1971 inaugural address that “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” a bold stance that raised the bar for other Southern governors.
“I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told news agency AP in 2021.
Presidential campaign and election
In 1976, Carter entered the presidential race as an unknown figure, a Georgia governor with a straightforward, no-frills campaign, which relied on public financing. His promise to be truthful to the American people with a strong focus on honesty resonated after the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War.
Carter defeated incumbent President Gerald Ford, who had pardoned Nixon, with a promise not to deceive the public.
Presidency and achievements
Carter’s presidency was marked by several significant achievements:
Camp David deal
One of his most acclaimed accomplishments was brokering the peace deal between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1978, which earned him international recognition.
Human rights and foreign policy
Carter focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictatorships to release political prisoners and normalizing relations with China.
Economic and environmental initiatives
He worked on energy conservation, deregulated key industries, and made significant environmental protections, including the establishment of national parks in Alaska.
SALT II
Carter signed SALT II, a new strategic arms treaty with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. However, following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, he retracted the agreement, imposed trade sanctions, and ordered a US boycott of the Moscow Olympics.
He also appointed women and nonwhite people to significant federal positions.
Despite these successes, Carter faced numerous challenges, including double-digit inflation, the Iranian hostage crisis, and an energy crisis. His presidency also struggled with high unemployment and gasoline shortages. The Iranian hostage crisis, which lasted 444 days, ultimately led to his defeat in 1980 to Ronald Reagan.
‘A wonderful life’
After his loss in 1980, Carter turned to humanitarian work and founded The Carter Center in 1982. His center became a hub for global peace efforts, democracy promotion, and public health initiatives.
- Global peacekeeping: Carter played a key role in peace negotiations in North and South Korea, Bosnia, Sudan, and Haiti. He also intervened in situations such as the release of American hostages from North Korea in 2010.
- Health and election monitoring: The Carter Center worked to eradicate diseases like guinea worm, achieving near-eradication by 2022. It also monitored elections around the world, including in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the United States.
- Nobel Peace Prize: In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his untiring efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts and promote human rights and democracy.
Despite political setbacks and his loss in 1980, Carter’s post-presidential years transformed his legacy. His work with The Carter Center earned him respect as a global statesman. He became known for his commitment to human rights, global health, and diplomacy.
Carter was sometimes criticized for his approach to Washington politics, particularly for his lack of engagement with the media and political insiders. However, his post-presidential work showed that his approach to global diplomacy and human rights was successful.
Carter’s legacy as a president and humanitarian continued to evolve, with biographers and historians reassessing his White House years. He is now regarded as one of the most underestimated figures in American history.
At the age of 56, Carter returned to Georgia with, “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.”
Jonathan Alter, author of Carter’s biography published in 2020, remarked that Carter’s legacy should be honoured as “an epic American life,” which began in a modest home without electricity or indoor plumbing and spanned decades on the global stage across two centuries. He also added that Carter would probably also be one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history.