Jimmy Carter, the oldest dwelling president of the USA, has died on the age of 100.
Carter, who was president between 1977 and 1981, died on Sunday at his house in Plains, Georgia, based on The Carter Middle.
“Our founder, former US President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the organisation, which Carter based a yr after leaving the White Home, stated in a submit on X. The demise was first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Structure.
No reason behind demise was instantly given, though Carter had spent virtually two years underneath hospice care at his house after being handled for a type of pores and skin most cancers. He celebrated his one hundredth birthday at his house in October.
Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter’s spouse of 76 years, died in November 2023.
Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, handed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia. pic.twitter.com/aqYmcE9tXi
— The Carter Middle (@CarterCenter) December 29, 2024
Regardless of serving just one time period, the previous peanut farmer from Georgia left an enduring legacy throughout his post-presidential profession. This included successful the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2002 for The Carter Middle’s work in preventing the Guinea worm illness in Africa and monitoring elections the world over.
He additionally continued to volunteer with the Habitat for Humanity home-building organisation late into his life, burnishing a fame for neighborhood service and humility that earned him plaudits from throughout the political aisle.
US President Joe Biden stated a state funeral can be held for the previous president on January 9, calling on Individuals to “pay homage” at their locations of worship on a Nationwide Day of Mourning to be noticed on the identical date.
Main tributes to his predecessor, Biden described Carter as “an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian”, who had “saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe”.
“With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us,” he stated.
“We’d all do well to try and be a little more like Jimmy Carter,” he added.
In the meantime, President-elect Donald Trump wrote on his Reality Social platform that “we all owe [Carter] a debt of gratitude … 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,” he stated.
All the present dwelling former US presidents additionally weighed in. Invoice Clinton stated Carter “worked tirelessly for a better world”, whereas Barack Obama stated Carter “taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice and service”. George W Bush stated Carter’s life would “inspire Americans for generations”.
Worldwide tributes
Over the border, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated Carter had left a legacy of “compassion, kindness, empathy, and hard work … He was always thoughtful and generous with his advice to me.”
French President Emmanuel Macron stated Carter had been “a steadfast advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable”, who had “tirelessly fought for peace”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated the US had “lost a committed fighter for democracy. The world has lost a great mediator for peace in the Middle East and for human rights.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated Carter “redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad”, whereas King Charles expressed “sadness”, noting that the previous US president’s “dedication and humility” had “served as an inspiration to many”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Carter’s “heart stood firmly with us in our ongoing fight for freedom”.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi praised Carter for his work in brokering the 1978 peace settlement between Egypt and Israel – generally known as the Camp David Accords – saying it could stay “etched in the annals of history”.
Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hailed Carter as “a lover of democracy and defender of peace”, noting his pressuring of Brazil’s dictatorship to launch political prisoners and his criticism of “unilateral military action by superpowers”.
In Panama, the place Carter reached an settlement in 1977 handy again the Panama Canal, then underneath US management, President Jose Mulino praised the Democrat for serving to his nation obtain “full sovereignty”.
UN Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres stated Carter’s management had “contributed significantly to international peace and security, noting “his solidarity with the vulnerable, his abiding grace, and his unrelenting faith in the common good and our common humanity”.
Tumultuous presidency
Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a reasonable Southern Democrat with little nationwide identify recognition.
Nonetheless, he noticed an sudden surge amid anger over US involvement within the Vietnam Warfare and the scandal-ridden presidency of Richard Nixon.
However Chilly Warfare pressures and financial woes at house burdened his presidency, which was additional marred after 52 Individuals had been taken hostage on the US embassy in Tehran in 1979.
Republican challenger Ronald Reagan went on to handily defeat Carter within the 1980 election.
Nonetheless, Carter oversaw some main diplomatic victories whereas in workplace, together with his brokering of the Camp David Accords between then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Start, which noticed Israel return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.
Whereas the settlement didn’t resolve the Palestinian challenge, Carter went on to be an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights, publishing the guide Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid in 2006. He was additionally a vocal critic of the pro-Israel foyer within the US.
Human Rights Watch stated Carter “set a powerful example for world leaders to make human rights a priority, and he continued to fight for human rights after he left office”.
Human Rights Watch mourns the lack of Jimmy Carter, whose dedication to human rights left an indelible mark on the worldwide human rights panorama.
Learn extra about his human rights legacy: https://t.co/SZEZau5xMH pic.twitter.com/NLcGQucz25
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) December 30, 2024
