President James Earl Carter celebrated his 100th birthday on October 1, 2024. He was the first US President to be born in a hospital.
Carter was the oldest living President. He passed away today at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by family. This peace-loving humanitarian lived one century, a first for our Presidents.
President James Earl Carter, Jr. Was A Charitable Individual
He was a Nobel Peace Prize winner for his human rights work, a philanthropic gentleman, and an advocate for democracy.
In 1976, he defeated the Republican candidate, Gerald Ford. He served as our President for one term from 1977 to 1981 and lost the election to Ronald Reagan in 1980. Jimmy Carter did a lot of good things in his long life.
He co-founded the Carter Center with his beautiful wife, Rosalynn, in 1982. The Carter Center is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that advances human rights.
It helps mediate conflicts between states, supervises elections in 39 countries, tackles preventive diseases to improve public health, and raises living standards. He also built numerous houses for Habitat for Humanity. His grandson, Jason, works on the Carter Center governing board.
During his presidency, he deregulated industries, reduced the United States’ dependence on foreign oil, wisely managed national debt, helped protect land in Alaska, and championed renewable energy. He also signed the Food Stamp Act of 1977, which existed under the notion that no one should ever go hungry in a country this wealthy.
Carter left an impressive environmental legacy. According to SDPB.org,
“In 1977, the US imported 8.81 million barrels of petroleum a day, mostly from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or the OPEC cartel. That made the US vulnerable during the 1973 Arab oil embargo, which led to long lines at the gas stations.”
He installed solar panels in the White House, but the Reagan administration promptly removed them as soon as he took office. Carter was a massive supporter of alternative energy. It’s too bad the next President didn’t feel the same way.
Carter has been in hospice for about 19 months; however, it has given his family the time to bond with him, which is a gift that not many of us receive.
Both Carter And His Wife Were A Gift To Our Country
Carter and his wife Rosalynn volunteered their time and muscles working with Habitat for Humanity, building homes for those who needed a roof. They worked into their 90s. When they turned the home over to its new owner, they were gifted the keys and two hammers, just in case.
Both Jimmy and Rosalynn were not afraid of hard work. She died before him, but he stayed with her until the end. He kept his promise to her. She passed away on November 19, 2023. They were married for seventy-seven years.
Carter has an enduring legacy that has been followed and honored by Presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. His best and most notable work was after his presidency. He changed the landscape of what we expected of our leaders.
Carter is survived by his children Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy. He also has eleven living grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren.
