Former US President Jimmy Carter, 39th to hold the office, passed away peacefully at his Georgia home on Sunday.
Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, died at age 100 in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday. He had been receiving hospice care at home following a diagnosis of advanced melanoma in 2023, and held the record as America’s longest-lived president.
“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” his son, James E. Carter III, stated.
“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.”
Born October 1, 1924, in Plains, Carter served in the US Navy as a nuclear submarine engineer before entering politics. He served as Georgia’s governor (1971-1975) before his presidency (1977-1981).
His presidency initially pursued détente with the Soviet Union. The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II (SALT II) treaty, signed with Leonid Brezhnev in June 1979, aimed to curb the arms race but was never ratified by the US Senate due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
The Soviet war in Afghanistan prompted Carter to implement sanctions and boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He also covertly supported the Afghan mujahideen, a decision which later contributed to Soviet withdrawal and the Taliban’s rise.
A significant achievement was the 1978 Camp David Accords, the first peace agreement between Israel and an Arab nation (Egypt).
He oversaw the Panama Canal handover to Panama in 1999, a decision later threatened with reversal by President-elect Donald Trump.
Domestically, Carter focused on combating inflation and promoting environmental protection, creating the Departments of Energy and Education.
His final year was marked by the Iran hostage crisis, where US diplomats were held captive for 444 days, released only moments after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration.
Post-presidency, Carter dedicated himself to humanitarian work, founding the Carter Center in 1982 to promote democracy and human rights. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts.