Former President Jimmy Carter passed away peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia after a long and hard fight against cancer. At 100 years old, Carter was the oldest living President in United States history.
He served in the White House from 1977 to 1981, with his late wife Rosalynn Carter and daughter Amy right by his side.
Affectionately dubbed the “Rock & Roll President,” Carter breathed new life into American politics through his down-home, genuine, and relatable demeanor and humble, authentic spirit. Before he served as the nation’s 39th President, he served two terms in the Georgia Senate and one term as Governor of Georgia.
When the time came for Carter to make the leap from Governor to Presidential candidate, he did what any good-hearted, southern boy would do: he called upon his neighbors for help and support, including The Allman Brothers Band and other artists from Capricorn Records in Macon, who supplied crucial early funding for his campaign and by many accounts, helped Carter clinch the White House in 1976.
It was the first time since the Civil War that a United State President had been elected out of the southern states.
Carter’s presidency came at a tumultuous time in American politics, one marred by scandal, resignations, and surprising pardons post-Watergate. His election marked the dawn of a new era in Washington that held the promise of greater transparency and fairness in government. Despite his best, most earnest efforts, Carter’s time in the Oval Office was full of fierce scrutiny and insurmountable expectations. Thus is the nature of politics and the burden of holding the highest office in the world. Through the years, pundits and party figures have weighed and debated the “success” of Carter’s policies and presidency as a whole. But none could ever argue the measure of his heart and the intentions behind his decisions. His time in office reflected the humility, decency, and fair-minded diplomacy that wholeheartedly represented the man his small-town, Georgia neighbors had known and loved all their lives.
He was a fierce advocate for every man, woman, and child. Humanitarian causes, basic human rights, civil rights, and equality were his biggest priorities throughout his entire career, from the early days until the very end. Education, mental health, and criminal justice reform stand out as a few of his more notable accomplishments during his political career.
“Plainly” put, the peanut farmer from Plains didn’t just seek to restore a vast nation on a grand, yet vague scale; he sought to restore communities, big and small, and he started that mission by rolling up his sleeves and working alongside the people within them. People were perhaps his greatest passion and his life’s purpose.
And he never gave up on that mission, even in his later years and ailing health. With his beloved Rosalynn still by his side, Carter set about continuing his philanthropic work and making the most of his presidential platform in ways that most United States Presidents have yet to accomplish. He returned home to Plains to reside full-time, build houses for Habitat for Humanity, travel when needed to speak to large groups of dignitaries or to visit war-torn countries in crisis who needed a powerful voice to speak on their behalf. He wrote countless books, won a Grammy Award and a Nobel Peace Prize. He spent time with his family, his friends, his neighbors, strangers he encountered on the street, and yes, he even continued to teach Sunday School at the Little Maranatha Baptist Church, where locals and visitors from all over the world would come just to hear him preach behind the pulpit on a special Sunday.
The tenants of Carter’s life: family, faith, and friendship to all people became the foundation for his enduring legacy that remains unmatched by those who’ve followed in his footsteps. His tireless efforts until the very end of his remarkable life to lead by example with empathy and kindness, and to create a more unified global community through service and goodwill have cemented his status as one of the world’s most influential and beloved change makers to have ever lived.
Earlier today, the White House confirmed that the official state funeral for former President Carter will be held January 9th at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The AJC reports that Carter is expected to be brought by motorcade on Saturday (January 4th) to Atlanta, where he will lie in repose at his nonprofit Carter Center. His remains will then be flown next Monday (January 6th) to Washington D.C., where he will lie in state in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol.
President Joe Biden is expected to deliver a eulogy at the funeral service in Washington on January 9th. Jason Carter, a grandson, also is expected to speak. Later that day, Carter will be flown back to Georgia and interred in Plains, next to his loving wife of 77 years.
For a full, detailed remembrance of Carter’s life and career, read the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s obituary HERE.