Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a devout Baptist known for his charitable work and long-standing role as a Sunday school teacher, has passed away at the age of 100. He died peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday afternoon.
Born in 1924 in a small farming town in Georgia, Carter graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 with a Bachelor of Science degree. That same year, he married Rosalynn Smith. In July, the couple celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary, marking the longest presidential marriage in U.S. history.
Carter's political journey began in the 1960s when he was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1962 and later served as Georgia's governor starting in 1971. He also held the position of campaign chairman for the Democratic National Committee in 1974. In 1976, Carter made history as the first Southern Baptist elected president.
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library highlights several significant foreign policy accomplishments during his presidency, including the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with China. These efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Domestically, Carter's administration was known for creating the Department of Energy and implementing a comprehensive energy program, as well as major deregulation efforts in transportation, energy, communications, and finance. Environmental milestones included the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. However, a severe economic recession and international issues, such as the Iranian Revolution, led to a decline in his approval ratings, and Carter served only one term.
After leaving the White House, Carter became renowned for his humanitarian work, particularly his decades-long involvement with Habitat for Humanity, alongside his wife.
In the 1980s, Carter began teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, continuing even while battling cancer in 2015. A longtime Southern Baptist, Carter ultimately left the denomination in 2000 over its refusal to ordain women, according to the Christian Post.
Reflecting on the issue, Carter told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "I'm familiar with the verses they have quoted about wives being subjugated to their husbands. In my opinion, this is a distortion of the meaning of Scripture. … I personally feel the Bible says all people are equal in the eyes of God. I personally feel that women should play an absolutely equal role in service of Christ in the church."
Carter authored more than 30 books on a wide range of topics, including spirituality and morality. Notable titles include The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East, Living Faith, Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, and Faith: A Journey for All.
His views on the Middle East and conservative Christianity sometimes sparked controversy. In his 2007 book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, Carter advocated for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but faced criticism from some groups for suggesting that Israel was a major obstacle to peace.
In 2015, Carter told The New York Times that he believed Jesus would oppose abortion in most cases while supporting same-sex marriage. "I have never believed that Jesus would be in favor of abortion unless it was the result of rape or incest, or the mother's life was in danger," Carter said. "Of course, Jesus never said anything about gay marriage in the Bible, but I believe he would be amenable to the union of two people who loved each other and didn't hurt anyone else."
In February 2023, the Carter Center announced that Carter had decided to receive hospice care at home after a series of hospital stays. The statement noted that he had the full support of his family and medical team, and it thanked his many admirers for their concern.
In October 2023, Carter reached a historic milestone, becoming the first U.S. president to celebrate a 100th birthday.
