Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, 1977-1981, and tireless Christian humanitarian has passed away. He was 100 years old, the oldest former president in American history.
Carter's journey from a peanut farmer in Plains, Georgia, to the United States Navy and then the White House embodied the civic aspects of the American dream. He was from an old American family, whose ancestry can be traced back to colonial Virginia in the 1630s. After serving as Georgia's governor from 1971-1975, he became president in 1977, bringing his trademark honesty and moral clarity to Washington. During his presidency, he brokered the historic Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, established diplomatic relations with China completing Richard Nixon’s warming of relations with Beijing, and championed human rights globally.
Though his presidency was challenged by inflation and the Iran hostage crisis, Carter's post-presidential work would become his most enduring legacy. Through the Carter Center, which he founded with his late wife Rosalynn (died 2023), he worked tirelessly to advance democracy, fight disease, and build hope in the world's most neglected places. His efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Carter was not only the longest-lived American president in history but perhaps the most active ex-president, dedicating himself to public service well into his 90s. Even after being diagnosed with cancer in 2015, he continued his humanitarian work and teaching Sunday school. The sort of hometown, humble behavior you would expect from a former first citizen of the republic who met his future wife when she was a newborn and he was only three years old.
Who else but Jimmy Carter in 1970s Georgia would have helped Mary Prince, an African-American woman wrongfully convicted of murder after pleading guilty to what she thought was involuntary manslaughter due to bad legal counsel, after an unfortunate incident involving accidental gun discharge? Jimmy Carter worked with her directly, asking to be made her parole officer, and made her the nanny to his daughter, which brought her to the White House with the new First Family in 1977, where she continued to serve throughout his presidency, and helping her get her life back on track. Mrs. Carter was convinced of Ms. Prince’s innocence and that was enough for her husband to get involved and take a stand. Jimmy Carter, president and simultaneously parole officer to a common citizen.
While many consider his presidency to be one of the less successful in American history, as a man, his undeniable decency as president helped the country weather through tough times, especially in the aftermath of Vietnam, the Watergate scandal, and the tumultuous assassination-ridden decade of the 1960s.
Jimmy Carter's legacy will be remembered not just for his presidency, but for redefining what a former president could accomplish in service to humanity. In this, he has outshone all his successors. His unwavering commitment to peace, human rights, and dignity for all people set a standard for public service that should inspire generations to come. Carter’s dedication and manner of service were examples of the authentic, uniquely American Christian democratic civic tradition.
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