Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, will be buried on Thursday (8). He died on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100.
The state funeral for Carter began on Saturday morning (4) in Georgia. Later, Carter’s remains were transported to the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Tuesday (7), where the public could attend the wake. However, the burial – private – will be in Georgia at the end of this Thursday (9).
Who was Jimmy Carter
During his term in the White House from 1977 to 1981, Carter promoted peace and liberal values. His post-presidential period — during which he advocated for the poor, democracy, and human rights — is considered by many to be as important a part of his legacy as his presidency.
Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for “his decades of tireless efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to promote democracy and human rights, and to advance economic and social development.”
After his presidency, Carter’s often independent approach to promoting peace included meetings with leaders of many countries rejected by Washington, including North Korea, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
A post-Watergate president
Carter easily won the 1976 presidential election, running a well-organized campaign that capitalized on public distrust in Washington following the Watergate scandal that forced President Richard Nixon to resign in 1974. Known for his wide, toothy smile and disarming frankness, the Democrat brought a new informality to the White House as the country recovered from the upheaval of the Watergate scandal and the years of the Vietnam War. The Carters’ fourth daughter, Amy, just 9 years old, was the youngest guest to attend a state dinner. She caused a stir when she picked up two books and read during the formal toasts.
For two years, Carter oversaw an improving American economy, but by the end of the 1970s, an energy crisis hit the country, driven by a significant increase in the cost of imported oil. His presidency became entangled in the subsequent economic crises.
Early life
Born James Earl Carter Jr. on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, Carter, an introspective and hardworking man, built his life around his deep Christian faith and the lessons of his childhood in the racially divided American South. His closest partner throughout his life was his wife, Rosalynn, whom he married in 1946. Their marriage — which lasted 77 years — was the longest of any presidential couple in U.S. history.
His father owned a peanut farm, and his mother was a nurse.
Carter studied at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and joined the U.S. Navy in 1946. After his father’s death in 1953, Carter left the service and returned to Georgia to run the family peanut business.
He entered state politics in 1962 and was one of the early supporters of the civil rights movement.
Upon winning the Georgia gubernatorial race in 1970, he declared, “The time for racial discrimination is over.” He promoted desegregation, expanding the number of African Americans in public jobs and honored the assassinated civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., a fellow Georgian.
An important figure on the world stage
As president, Carter established his reputation as an international peacemaker largely through his mediation of the 1978 Camp David Accords, which were signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the White House in September 1978. The signing marked a breakthrough in Egyptian-Israeli relations and set the stage for subsequent peace negotiations in the Middle East.
Carter’s presidency unfolded amid the constant tension of the Cold War and was shaken by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
A defining event of Carter’s presidency was the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by Iranian students on November 4, 1979, who captured 52 hostages.
Although he had promised not to take any military action, Carter secretly ordered a rescue mission in April 1980. It ended with a collision of aircraft and the deaths of eight U.S. servicemen before they reached Iran, effectively dooming Carter’s chances for reelection in November of that year. The hostages were released one day after he left office on January 20, 1981.
After leaving the White House, he established the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He sends teams around the world to monitor elections and draw attention to human rights violations at home and abroad.
Since its founding in 1982, the center has worked to eradicate Guinea worm disease and establish healthcare delivery systems in Africa, pioneered public health approaches in Africa and Latin America, improved mental health care, observed over 100 elections in 39 countries, and promoted peace in many regions of the world.
Post-presidency
Many former presidents take advantage of lucrative speaking engagements and other opportunities. But historian Michael Beschloss told the Washington Post, “Carter did the opposite.” While avoiding lucrative opportunities, Carter and his wife regularly volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, a charity that builds homes for low-income families.
Carter’s modest nature also found expression in his religious faith. After returning to his hometown, Plains, in 1981, Carter taught Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church. Every week, admirers from around the world visited the church. Carter always greeted them and posed for pictures with them after class — because, as he often noted, “we are all equal in the eyes of God.”
Carter leaves behind his four children — John (“Jack”), James (“Chip”), Donnel (“Jeff”), and Amy — as well as 11 grandchildren (one grandchild passed away before him) and 14 great-grandchildren. His wife, Rosalynn, died on November 19, 2023. He will be buried on the grounds of his residence in Plains, Georgia.
Source: www.shareamerica.gov