WASHINGTON: Jimmy Carter, the 100-year-old former US president and Nobel peace laureate who rose from humble beginnings in rural Georgia to lead the nation from 1977 to 1981, has died, his nonprofit foundation said Sunday.
Carter had been in hospice care since mid-February 2023 at his home in Plains, Georgia -- the same small town where he was born and once ran a peanut farm before becoming governor of the Peach State and running for the White House.
Carter died “peacefully” at his home in Plains, “surrounded by his family,“ the Carter Center said in a statement.
“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and unselfish love,“ Chip Carter, the former president’s son, said in the statement.
Carter was the oldest living ex-US leader and the nation’s longest-lived president -- an outcome that seemed unlikely back in 2015 when the Southern Democrat revealed he had brain cancer.
But the US Navy veteran and fervent Christian repeatedly defied the odds to enjoy a long and fruitful post-presidency, after four years in the Oval Office often seen as disappointing.
During his single term, Carter placed a commitment on human rights and social justice, enjoying a strong first two years that included brokering a peace deal between Israel and Egypt dubbed the Camp David Accords.
But his administration hit numerous snags -- the most serious being the taking of US hostages in Iran and the disastrous failed attempt to rescue the 52 captive Americans in 1980. He also came in for criticism for his handling of an oil crisis.
In November of that year, Republican challenger Ronald Reagan clobbered Carter at the polls, relegating the Democrat to just one term. Reagan, a former actor and governor of California, swept into office on a wave of staunch conservatism.
Active post-presidency
As the years passed, a more nuanced image of Carter emerged -- one that took into account his significant post-presidential activities and reassessed his achievements.
He founded the Carter Center in 1982 to pursue his vision of world diplomacy, and he was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts to promote social and economic justice.
He observed numerous elections around the world and emerged as a prominent international mediator, tackling global problems from North Korea to Bosnia.
Carter, known for his toothy smile, said basic Christian tenets such as justice and love served as the bedrock of his presidency. He taught Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist, his church in Plains, well into his 90s.
In recent years, he had received various hospital treatments, including when he revealed in August 2015 that he had brain cancer and was undergoing radiation.
‘Leader, statesman and humanitarian’
Tributes poured in from White House leaders past, present and incoming. Bill Clinton said Carter “worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world,“ while Donald Trump said Americans owed the Democrat “a debt of gratitude.”
George W. Bush said Carter’s legacy would “inspire Americans for generations,“ while Barack Obama said the former leader “taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service.”
“America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian,“ current President Joe Biden and his wife Jill said in a statement.
“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.”
In April 2021, the Bidens met with the Carters at their home in Plains.
The White House later released a photo showing the couples smiling together, although only Rosalynn was seen by the press outside, bidding the Bidens farewell while using a walker.
Rosalynn, Carter’s wife of 77 years, died on November 19, 2023 at age 96.
The former president, who looked frail, poignantly appeared at her memorial service in a wheelchair, with a blanket on his lap bearing their likenesses.
Carter is survived by the couple’s four children, three sons and a daughter.
