Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, was 100 years old when he died on December 29th, 2024. His funeral was held on January 9th at the Washington National Cathedral before he was laid to rest at the Carter home in the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains, Georgia, buried next to his wife of 77 years, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
Carter was born on October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia. When he graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946, he went to actively serve in the navy from 1946-1953, reaching the rank of Lieutenant during his time. After leaving the reserves in 1961, Carter was active in the civil rights movement opposing racial segregation before serving as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971-1975 and in the Georgia State Senate from 1963 to 1967, then running for president in 1976.
During his term in office from 1977 to 1981, Carter worked hard on many projects, including his focus on reducing deficits, inflation, and unemployment, as well as his dedication to eradicating Guinea worm disease, or dracunculiasis. Due to his efforts, cases dropped from 3.5 million in the mid 1980’s to less than 15 in 2024. His humanitarian efforts on many neglected tropical diseases relieved suffering and saved the lives of millions of people in developing nations.
Carter is constantly recognized for his humanitarian efforts, as he promoted adherence to three human rights categories: the right to be free from government violation of the integrity of the person, the right to fulfill vital needs such as food, shelter, and education, and civil and political rights.
He was also a determined peacemaker, famous for his negotiation of the Camp David Accords in 1978, which established the framework for an historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt the following year.
However, Carter’s accomplishments didn’t cease when his term ended. Post-presidency, his dedication and hard work continued, namely with Habitat for Humanity, a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states and approximately 70 countries.
The organization’s mission is to “bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope,” while working towards their vision for “a world where everyone has a decent place to live.” Over the course of 36 years, Carter and his wife worked tirelessly alongside nearly 104,000 volunteers in 14 different countries to build, renovate, and repair 4,390 homes.
Additionally, in 1982, he established the Carter Center to promote and expand human rights, which earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He worked to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, advance democracy and human rights, and promote economic and social development.
Carter was famous not only for his accomplished time in office, but also for all of the ways he bettered the world post-presidency. His service to others can serve as an inspiration and model for other Americans to follow today.
