Jimmy Carter, 39th US president, dies at 100

MANILA, Philippines — 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 non-profit foundation said on 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 said in the statement.

Carter was the longest-lived US 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.

Republican challenger Ronald Reagan clobbered Carter at the polls in November of that year, 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.

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, human rights, and resolving conflicts around the world, from Ethiopia and Eritrea to Bosnia and Haiti.

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.

As condolences came in, many focused on Carter’s character, with President Joe Biden, in televised remarks, saying he “lived a life measured not by words, but by his deeds.”

“The rest of the world looks to us... and he was worth looking to.”

Biden later declared Jan. 9 as a National Day of Mourning, calling on Americans to visit their places of worship to “pay homage” and inviting “the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance.”

White House leaders past and future joined the president in issuing remembrances, with Bill Clinton saying in a statement that Carter “worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world.”

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.”

Donald Trump said Americans owed the Democrat “a debt of gratitude,” adding later in a second social media post that “I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically.”

One of Carter’s defining foreign policy achievements – negotiating the return of the Panama Canal to Panama – has come back into focus as Trump has threatened to retake the channel.

Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also hailed Carter on Sunday as “a symbol of humanitarian efforts” for his role in brokering the 1978 Camp David Accords, predicting his work would “remain etched in the annals of history.”

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said the peace treaty Carter forged “remains an anchor of stability throughout the Middle East and North Africa many decades later.”

In China, the foreign ministry hailed Carter as “the promoter and decision-maker of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.”

In 1999, Carter visited the Philippines for a project with Habitat for Humanity International, an organization that works to help build or improve homes for families in low-income communities.

Marcos pays tribute

President Marcos on Monday paid tribute to Carter, whom he called “a humanitarian” and “a servant leader.”

“Jimmy Carter, former president of the United States, was a humanitarian who practiced what he preached: houses for the homeless and human rights for the oppressed,” Marcos said in a statement.
“Guided by his faith, he was a servant leader who pursued peace in places torn by war and prosperity in societies broken by want,” the President said.

Marcos said these are universal values Carter fought for which are embraced by people everywhere, including Filipinos.
He described the former US leader as “a model of the power to do good” not by politics nor personal gain, but “by pure love to one’s fellow man.”

Carter was preceded in death by Rosalynn, his wife of 77 years. She died on Nov. 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.