On December 29th, 2024, former president James Earl Carter Jr., a.k.a Jimmy Carter, passed away at a hundred years old. Carter was born in the farming town Plains, Georgia. His father was a farmer and businessman, and his mother was a registered nurse. He grew up with peanut farming, politics, and Baptist faith as highlights of his childhood.
Carter went to Georgia Southwestern College and Georgia Institute of Technology, and he received a B.S. degree from the United States Naval Academy. In the Navy, Carter served as a submariner, and lieutenant. Later, he was selected for a nuclear submarine program where he took graduate work in reactor technology and nuclear physics. He resigned from his naval commission after the death of his father, returning to his family to take over the farm.
He served on various county boards which overlooked management of education, hospital authority, and the library. He gained attention for his emphasis on ecology, efficiency in government and civil rights. He won election to the Georgia Senate in 1962 and later became Georgia’s governor in 1971. Carter was the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 as part of the Democratic Party.
Under his presidency he had accomplishments in domestic affairs, and foreign affairs. Domestically these include dealing with energy shortage, civil service reform, expansion of the national park system, creation of the Department of Education, improved Social Security system and appointed record numbers of women and minorities to Government jobs. In foreign affairs he helped create friendly relations between Egypt and Israel, obtained ratification of the Panama Canal treaties and established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China and negotiated the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union.
In his presidency there were some setbacks such as combating inflation, and unemployment — he was able to increase around eight million jobs and decrease the budget deficit, however, inflation rose. Other setbacks include the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan which suspended plans for the ratification of the SALT II pact. Iran holding American captive, along with inflation led him to lose the 1980 election. Nonetheless, this did not inhibit him from negotiating for the release of American hostages, the day he departed office Iran released 52 hostages.
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Following the end of his presidency, Jimmy Carter was marked as a champion of human rights and the United States’s “greatest former president” by the masses. His devotion to seeking equity led him to find the Carter Presidential Center at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The center inquires to limit and resolve conflicts, improve health on a global-scale, and enhance democracy. Additionally, Carter worked with Habitat for Humanity international, an organization dedicated to providing housing for underprivileged communities and advocating for the necessity of affordable housing, since 1984. Under the Carter Work Project, around 100,000 volunteers have built and renovated 4,447 homes in 14 different countries. On December 10, 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for his “untiring efforts to find a peaceful solution to international conclusions” and advancement in democracy and human rights.
During his post-presidential life, Carter also published several books such as Turning Point (1992), Talking Peace (1993), and Our Endangered Values (2005). However, he began his literary career prior to his presidency. His books have received several nominations and awards: Grammy Spoken Word Album (2007, 2016, 2019). Each book shares a key similarity of urging high authority figures to rethink the ethicality of their leadership, advocating for reformation.
Ten years prior to his passing, Carter was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, a disease where cancerous cells from a primary tumor become loose and spread, creating a new tumor. However, after undergoing radiation therapy and treatment, he beat cancer: this long-term cancer survivorship served as an inspiration to countless Americans, not just as a president.
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On January 4th, Carter was commemorated at his hometown where the National Park rang the farm bell 39 times. Then, he was taken to the Georgia State Capitol, where he served as Governor, for a moment of silence.
On January 7th, a U.S. Navy Memorial was held in recognition of Carter’s military service at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Following the memorial, his body was transferred to the U.S. Capitol, Washington, where a 4:30 p.m. service allowed lawmakers to pay their respect.
On January 9th, an official funeral took place at the Washington National Cathedral. U.S. flags will be half-staffed for 30 days since Carter’s death, until January 28th.
