President Carter Passes Away at Age 100

Updated: January 9, 2025

*James Carter, the 39th President of the United States. Photo from Whitehouse.gov*

By Mike Villarreal

James Earl Carter, commonly known as Jimmy Carter, served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. He was a member of the Democratic Party and passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2024. Before his presidency, he was a member of the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967 and served as the 76th Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975.

Carter was the first U.S. president to live to 100 years old, making him the longest-lived president in U.S. history. He was born and raised in Plains, Georgia, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946, later serving in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service.

He announced his candidacy for president on December 12, 1974, ultimately winning his party’s nomination on the first ballot at the 1976 Democratic National Convention. Carter was elected president on November 2, 1976, and served from January 20, 1977, to January 20, 1981. His administration is noted for significant foreign policy achievements, including establishing diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, signing the Salt II Treaty with the Soviet Union, facilitating the Treaty of Peace between Egypt and Israel, and orchestrating the Camp David Accords and the Panama Canal Treaties. He was a strong advocate for human rights worldwide.

On the domestic front, Carter’s administration implemented a comprehensive energy program through the newly established Department of Energy, as well as deregulation in finance, communications, transportation, and energy. Under a new Department of Education, he championed major environmental protection legislation, including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which effectively doubled the size of the national park system and tripled the overall wilderness areas.

Carter authored 32 books, many of which are now available in revised editions. In 1982, he became a University Professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Alongside his wife, Rosalynn Carter, he founded the Carter Center, a non-profit and non-partisan organization that addresses international and national public policy issues. The Carter Center focuses on conflict resolution, human rights protection, democracy promotion, and disease prevention. Notably, it played a significant role in the international effort to eradicate Guinea worm disease, which is on track to be the second human disease eradicated.
The Carter Center has been involved in conflict mediation efforts in various regions, including Ethiopia (1989), North Korea (1984), Liberia (1994), Haiti (1994), Bosnia (1994), Sudan (1995), the Great Lakes region of Africa (1995-1996), Sudan and Uganda (1999), Venezuela (2002-2003), Nepal (2004-2008), Ecuador and Colombia (2008), the Middle East (2003-present), and Mali (2018-present).

The Carter Presidential Center includes permanent facilities dedicated in October 1986, such as the Museum and the Jimmy Carter Library, which are administered by the National Park Service and open to visitors.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteered one week each year for Habitat for Humanity until 2020. This non-profit organization helps people in the U.S. and abroad with renovating and building homes. Additionally, Carter taught Sunday school at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter (August 18, 1927 – November 19, 2023) had three sons and one daughter, nine grandsons (one of whom is deceased), three granddaughters, five great-grandsons, and nine great-granddaughters. The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Jimmy Carter in 2002 for his decades of relentless efforts toward finding peaceful solutions for human rights, advancing democracy, and promoting economic and social development.

On February 18, 2023, Carter decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care. He passed away peacefully on December 29, 2024, at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family, at the age of 100, making him the longest-lived president in U.S. history.

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