Carter was known more for his work after the White House.
The 39th President of the United States, James Earl Carter died December 29th at his home in Plains, Georgia surrounded by family. Carter’s death was announced on social media by The Carter Center. He was 100 years old.
Carter was elected to the White House in 1976 while serving as Georgia’s governor, defeating incumbent Gerald Ford, who himself ascended to the presidency after Richard Nixon’s resignation. Carter, known as mild-mannered and “deeply religious”, was a peanut farmer and state senator before being elected Governor of Georgia in 1970.
As president, Carter served only one term after being defeated in 1980 by Ronald Reagan. Carter’s four years in office were marked with global turbulence, including rising tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union and the Iranian revolution that led to 66 Americans being taken hostage and held for more than 400 day. Carter also presided over the 1979 oil crisis, to which President Carter responded with his address to the nation often called his “malaise” speech outlining a domestic-energy-production policy meant to jumpstart the economy and reverse what he called the nation’s “crisis in confidence.”
While Carter was not considered to be among the most successful of presidents, his foreign policy efforts yielded a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt in 1978, called the Camp David Accords.
After leaving the White House several years before his 60th birthday, Carter devoted himself to charity and community work. His non-profit work earned him admiration from the American people despite his historical unpopularity when he left office in 1981. His signature project was Habitat for Humanity, for which he and his wife Rosalynn volunteered, helping build homes for those in need. Rosalynn Carter passed away in 2023.
Through his Carter Center, which he created on Emory University’s campus, Carter also worked to monitor elections in developing nations, promote human rights, and fight for the elimination of diseases.
President Joe Biden has declared January 9th as a national day of mourning and has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for 30 days.
The former president will lie in state at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, though the dates for which have not yet been announced. Following this, Carter’s casket will likely be taken to the National Cathedral for a state funeral, then to Plains, Georgia for a private burial ceremony.
