President Carter works in his study on November 7, 1977. Featured image (Credit: Jimmy Carter Library)
U.S. flags will be flown at half-staff for 30 days as the nation and the world mourn the loss of former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Dec. 29, 2024 at the age of 100.
Carter was elected as the 39th president in 1976.
He served only one term, having been defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980. The Carter administration dealt with highs and lows domestically and abroad, from heightened inflation, rising gas prices and the Iran hostage crisis to creating the U.S. Department of Education and brokering Mideast peace talks between Egypt and Israel.
Bill Harris, Scout Hughes, Steve Lewis and John Charles Rose of WIZS offered observations of Carter’s legacy.
Harris said he was 17 years old when Carter became president. “He always came off as someone who was terribly honest,” he said, which sometimes worked against him.
“He just seemed like a kind man…who tried to make the world a better place,” Harris said. “Somebody you’d like to sit down and have a conversation with after church on Sunday.”
Lewis said what he remembers most about the former president is the way he “really cared about people. He was a true humanitarian…he cared more about folks,” Lewis continued, “than about promoting himself.”
Carter’s time in Washington was overshadowed by the Iran hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days at the American embassy in Tehran.
Hughes noted that Carter was well known for accomplishments that happened after his term as president. “He’s done a lot of fantastic work, not just for the American people, but worldwide as well.”
Indeed, many Americans probably associate Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, with their work building houses for Habitat for Humanity.
The U.S. Navy lieutenant who rose to politics from humble beginnings as a peanut farmer from Plains, Ga. has left an indelible mark on the world with his compassion and quiet leadership.
In a written statement, President Joe Biden expressed gratitude for Carter and for a life well-lived. He also suggested that “young people in this nation and…anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility. He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.”
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Carter Center Staff Tribute to Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter
Dec. 29, 2024
The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices. God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes – and we must. — Jimmy Carter Nobel Lecture, 2002
The global staff of The Carter Center mourns the passing of our visionary founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, whose long life of selfless service to humanity has left a lasting mark on us and on the world.
President Carter believed in giving every effort, as broadly as possible, to make a positive difference in the world. His legacy will remain an ongoing inspiration to us at The Carter Center and to everyone who believes in compassion, justice, and human rights.
We shall miss President Carter’s strong leadership and profound humility as we carry on his work of waging peace, fighting disease, and building hope.
In lieu of flowers, President Carter requested that those wishing to honor his memory do so through contributions to The Carter Center and acts of service to humanity. Please visit www.jimmycartertribute.org to make a memorial gift, sign a virtual condolence book, and learn more.
