Live Updates
Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, dies at age 100
What we're covering
• Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, has died. He died peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia, “surrounded by his family,” the Carter Center said in a statement Sunday.
• Carter, 100, became the oldest living former president in US history in March 2019, surpassing George H.W. Bush. He was the first American president to reach triple digits.
• Carter was a peanut farmer and US Navy lieutenant before going into politics, eventually serving one term as governor of Georgia and as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.
• Rosalynn Carter, the former president’s wife of more than 75 years, who was known for her mental health advocacy and humanitarian work, died in November 2023 at 96. The Carters were the longest-married presidential couple in US history.
Biden honors "dear friend" President Jimmy Carter: "America and the world lost an extraordinary leader"
President Joe Biden honored his “dear friend” Jimmy Carter in a lengthy statement released Sunday shortly after the former president’s passing in Georgia.
Biden called Carter an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian.”
He said with Carter’s “compassion and moral clarity,” the former president had worked to “eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us.”
“He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe,” Biden wrote.
The president also honored Carter’s “great character and courage, hope and optimism,” and talked about his long marriage to Rosalynn Carter.
“We will miss them both dearly, but take solace knowing they are reunited once again and will remain forever in our hearts,” Biden wrote.
He thanked the Carter family and staff and told “young people in this nation and for 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.”
Biden wrote that he was ordering a state funeral to be held in Washington.
The president is in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Habitat for Humanity: Carter worked “to make the world a better place”
Affordable housing nonprofit Habitat for Humanity called late President Jimmy Carter “a true friend” to the organization in a statement posted to X on Sunday.
Some background: The Carter Work Project with Habitat for Humanity — which has has helped build, renovate or repair more than 4,300 homes alongside more than 100,000 volunteers across 14 countries — began with a run in Manhattan.
Habitat for Humanity was founded in Americus, Georgia, in 1976, just about 10 miles from the Carters’ home in Plains, Georgia, where they lived since leaving the White House in 1981. Carter had been asked to get involved with the organization and had volunteered casually, but it wasn’t until he was in New York City for meetings and out on a run on the Lower East Side that the Carter Work Project seed was planted.
“He ran by a group of students struggling to do a Habitat project, and he just made a comment, ‘We need to do something to help these students,’” Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford told CNN in 2019.
Soon after, Reckford said, the Carters took a bus ride back to Manhattan “with a boatload of folks from south Georgia” and worked on the Mascot Flats apartment building, the inaugural 1984 Carter Work Project, for a week. The volunteers – including the former first couple – slept on the floor of a local church basement each night. The Carters had been offered a small room at the church, which they gave up to a young couple who had skipped their honeymoon to attend the build.
Since 1984, Carter Work Project took the former first couple across the United States and around the globe to 14 countries, from Wisconsin and South Dakota to Hungary and the Philippines.
CNN’s Ashley R. Williams contributed reporting to this post.
Notable figures and organizations celebrate Jimmy Carter's devotion, kindness and humanitarian work
Notable figures and organizations all over the US are celebrating former President Jimmy Carter’s work as a public servant and humanitarian worker, highlighting his kindness, devotion and decency. There has been a particular outpouring from his home state of Georgia.
Here is a roundup of some of the statements so far:
- Former US Rep. Val Demings: “President Jimmy Carter should be an example to all of us. He was decent, kind, and honorable. He devoted his life to serving others. It is heartbreaking to lose him, but we can say with utter confidence that his was a life well lived,” Demings said on X.
- Muhammad Ali Center: “President Jimmy Carter was a Humanitarian, a patriot, an advocate. He and Muhammad Ali shared a long friendship, & we share in the country’s mourning the loss of this giant figure,” the center wrote on X.
- Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms: “Simply put, President Jimmy Carter was a good man. He was the epitome of a servant leader, changing the world and setting the highest example of what it meant to honor God, family, and country. May his legacy of unselfish leadership and work to serve ‘the least of these’ inspire us all to make the world a better place,” the mayor wrote on X.
- Former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner: “During his presidency, Jimmy Carter advocated to have Medicare cover all Americans. After his presidency, he continued humanitarian works that everyone, regardless of political affiliation, should respect,” Turner wrote on X.
- US Holocaust Museum: “’Out of our memory and understanding we must forge an unshakable oath with all civilized people that never again will the world stand silent …’ We mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter, whose presidential commission recommended establishing our Museum,” the museum posted on X.
- The White House Historical Association: “President Carter, along with First Lady Rosalynn Carter, understood the significance of the White House and the need to preserve its history,” said Stewart D. McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association. “In 1979, President Carter and the First Lady supported the establishment of the White House Preservation Fund, which served as an endowment for future residents and helped fund ongoing restoration and conservation projects,” the association wrote in a release.
Trump says nation owes Jimmy Carter "a debt of gratitude"
President-elect Donald Trump said the nation owes former President Jimmy Carter “a debt of gratitude” following the former president’s death on Sunday.
“I just heard of the news about the passing of President Jimmy Carter. Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History,” Trump wrote in a social media post on Sunday.
Jimmy Carter remembered by the senators of his home state of Georgia
Sens. Raphael Warnock and John Ossoff of Georgia have shared warm words for former President Jimmy Carter, who hailed from the state and founded the Atlanta-based Carter Center.
Warnock praised Carter as “one of my heroes” after the Georgian’s death Sunday and recalled his personal relationship with the former president.
Ossoff remembered Carter for his “commitment to democracy and human rights, his enduring faith, his philanthropic leadership, and his deep love of family.”
The 39th president died at 100 in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family, according to the Carter Center.
The former president attended his wife’s memorial events, including a private burial and a televised tribute service in Atlanta, where he was seated in the front row in a reclined wheelchair. He did not deliver any remarks.
Lawmakers react to the death of Jimmy Carter
Former President Jimmy Carter died Sunday at the age of 100, according to a statement from the Carter Center.
Lawmakers are remembering Carter’s legacy as the 39th president of the United States.
Here’s what they are saying:
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: Carter was “one of our most humble and devoted public servants,” he said in a statement mourning the loss of the former president.
“From his legacy as President, to his dedication to improving human rights across the globe, and his tireless efforts alongside his wife Rosalynn, in building a better world through Habitat for Humanity, he inspired millions with his unwavering commitment to justice and equality,” Schumer’s statement read.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: “President Carter served during times of tension and uncertainty, both at home and abroad. But his calm spirit and deep faith seemed unshakeable. Jimmy Carter served as our commander-in-chief for four years, but he served as the beloved, unassuming Sunday school teacher at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia for forty. And his humble devotion leaves us little doubt which of those two important roles he prized the most,” McConnell said.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin: The senator called Carter “an inspiration to those of us who aspire to lead a life of service.”
Sen. John Thune: The South Dakota Republican praised Carter as a “dedicated public servant.” In a brief statement, he said, “President Carter dedicated his life to serving the people of Georgia and our great country – as a naval officer, a governor, and as the 39th President of the United States.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson: In a statement, he said “the world is a more peaceful place” because of the work of Carter. “President Carter’s story was one of humble beginnings, and his life is a testament to the boundless opportunities available in this great nation,” Johnson’s statement read.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: He said he is “thankful” for the “incredible life, legacy and leadership” of Carter. Jeffries posted to X, “He was a great man, a great role model and a great humanitarian.”
Sen. Andy Kim: The New Jersey Democrat wrote on X, “President Jimmy Carter gave us a pure and lasting example of a public servant. His life and legacy will forever be a lesson on the power in one person’s will to do good. I’m sending love to the Carter family today as we honor his life and untiring, humble mission to help others.”
CNN’s Morgan Rimmer, Danya Gainor and Alayna Treene contributed to this post.
No comments:
Post a Comment