According to sources, Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, passed away on Sunday. During his presidency, he helped to negotiate peace in the Middle East and was a steadfast supporter of human rights and global health. He was 100 years of age.
In a statement, former President Chip Carter’s son stated, “My father was a hero, not only to me, but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love.”
Because of our common convictions, my siblings, sister, and I spread his message to the rest of the globe. The globe has become our family because of the way he united people, and we are grateful that you have continued his legacy by upholding these common values.
The US president with the longest lifespan was Carter, a Democrat from Georgia. Ronald Reagan defeated him handily in 1980, and he served only one time in the White House.
But in the decades that followed, Carter concentrated on human rights and international relations, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
On February 18, 2018, Carter’s family revealed that he had previously been admitted to the hospital and had decided to spend his remaining days at home with loved ones and receiving hospice care. His family and his medical team fully supported the choice, according to a family statement.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden proclaimed January 9th a national day of mourning and encouraged people to visit their places of worship in remembrance of the late US leader.
Two days after being admitted to hospice care herself, Carter’s wife, Rosalynn Carter, passed away in November of last year. She was ninety-six years old. The former president drove from their longstanding residence in Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta’s Glenn Memorial Church for her memorial service after the couple’s 1946 marriage.
In an interview with the media in June of this year, Jason Carter, the Carters’ eldest grandchild, said that the former president was not awake every day but was making the most of his remaining days.
As Jimmy Who?, a devoted Christian and one-term Georgia governor, Carter assumed office in 1977. After the Watergate and Vietnam conflicts, his lack of experience with Washington was seen as a strength.
Carter’s aspirations to become president were shattered by economic and foreign policy difficulties, which started with high unemployment and double-digit inflation and ended with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the hostage situation in Iran.
Long queues at gas stations in the United States resulted from a rolling energy crisis that caused the price of oil to quadruple between 1978 and 1980.
The initial promise was betrayed by such difficulties. In 1977, Carter signed a pact that had eluded his predecessors, giving the host nation back sovereignty of the Panama Canal.
Carter met with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David in 1978 to broker a settlement that led to enduring peace.
Because of his failed attempts to stop the economic decline, Republicans nicknamed Carter Jimmy Hoover after the president of the Depression.
However, the Iran hostage situation consumed Americans’ thoughts the most as Carter got ready to run for reelection in 1980, with TV host Ted Koppel focusing five days a week on the predicament of the fifty-two Americans who were imprisoned in Tehran.
Eight US servicemen were killed in a disastrous rescue attempt that cast doubt on Carter’s leadership.
The former governor of California, Reagan, won 44 states. On January 20, 1981, just hours after Carter’s departure from office, the hostages were freed, leading to rumors that Republicans had made a deal with Iran.
Despite his widespread unpopularity at the time, Carter became the longest-serving president and one of the most illustrious post-presidential leaders. For decades of tireless work for human rights and peacemaking, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
He and Rosalynn co-founded the Carter Center in Atlanta in the early 1980s, which served as the vehicle for his philanthropic efforts.
As a public health advocate, election observer, and peace ambassador, Carter traversed the globe. He traveled to Cuba in 2002 and North Korea in 1994.
River blindness, trachoma, and Guinea worm disease—which in 1986 had millions of cases in Africa and Asia but now only has a few—were all cured thanks in part to the Carter Center.
Carter denounced Guantnamo Bay prison, warrantless government surveillance, drone warfare, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In lectures and writings like Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid, he promoted a two-state solution, garnering both praise and derision for his contributions to Middle East peace initiatives.
During a 2012 trip to Jerusalem, he visited Shimon Peres, the president of Israel at the time. However, following the publication of the book, Carter was mostly shunned by prominent Israeli authorities. Requests to meet with the president and prime minister were turned down as recently as 2015.
Carter installed solar panels on the White House, making him a trailblazer in the field of alternative energy. Additionally, he was instrumental in advancing Habitat for Humanity, a charity that houses the poor. (Reagan took them out.)
James Carter IV, who is recognized for having been instrumental in the 2012 election by exposing a video in which Mitt Romney denigrated 47% of Americans, was one of the Carters’ four children and eleven grandkids.
About 150 miles south of Atlanta, in the town of Plains, Georgia, which has fewer than 1,000 residents, James Earl Carter Jr. was raised. He worked on the fledgling nuclear submarine program after graduating from the US Naval Academy and becoming a lieutenant.
He started growing peanuts when his father passed away in 1953. After winning a seat in the Georgia Senate, he called for the state to end racial segregation when he was elected governor in 1970.
Moments of exceptionally open national conversation were the product of Carter’s folk charm and moral authority. He discussed a crisis of confidence, a serious danger to American democracy that is almost imperceptible in everyday situations, for thirty minutes in 1979.
He asserted that Americans had sunk into a worship of materialism and self-indulgence only to find that worldly possessions could not satisfy the hole left by lives lacking self-assurance or meaning.
Following his speech, Carter’s popularity rose by 11 points. The speech, however, became problematic because Reagan and others reframed it as a self-indulgent examination of personal angst.
Former Carter speechwriter James Fallows said in 1979 that although the president had trouble creating excitement, he would undoubtedly surpass most other presidents in the Lord’s eyes.
Carter lived longer than both of his successors, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.
A private burial will take place in Plains, Georgia, after public services in Atlanta and Washington, DC. The details of Carter’s state funeral, including all public gatherings and motorcade routes, are still being finalized.
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Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.