Jimmy Carter, former US president and rights advocate, dies at 100
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, a broker of peace in the Middle East in his time, and a tireless advocate for global health and human rights, has died, it was announced Sunday. He was 100 years old.
A Georgia Democrat, Carter was the longest-lived president in US history. He only served one term in the White House and was soundly beaten by Ronald Reagan in 1981. But Carter spent the decades afterward focused on international relations and human rights, efforts that won him the Nobel peace prize in 2002.
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Kamala Harris pays tribute to Carter's wisdom, kindness
The US vice-president has issued a statement upon the death of America’s longest lived president.
She said: “President Jimmy Carter was guided by a deep and abiding faith – in God, in America, and in humanity. Jimmy Carter’s life is a testament to the power of service – as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, the 76th Governor of Georgia, and the 39th President of the United States.
“He reminded our nation and the world that there is strength in decency and compassion. As President, he protected our air and water, promoted transparency in government, and brokered an historic peace treaty between Egypt and Israel at Camp David. Throughout his life, President Carter was strengthened by the love and support of his partner of 77 years, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, whose life President Biden and I had the opportunity to celebrate in Georgia last year,” she said, referring to Rosalynn Carter’s funeral.
The statement from Harris and the second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, continues: “After leaving office, President Carter continued his fight for peace, democracy, and human dignity through the Carter Center. I had the privilege of knowing President Carter for years. I will always remember his kindness, wisdom, and profound grace.
“His life and legacy continue to inspire me – and will inspire generations to come. Our world is a better place because of President Carter. Doug and I send our love and prayers to the Carter family.”
Clintons praise Carter's work for 'better, fairer world'
Bill and Hillary Clinton have sent praise for the late Jimmy Carter. The former two-term Democratic US president and his wife, who was secretary of state and then the Democratic party nominee for president in 2016, issued a statement.
They said the former one-term president had worked tirelessly for a better world.
The statement says: “From his commitment to civil rights as a state senator and governor of Georgia; to his efforts as President to protect our natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, make energy conservation a national priority, return the Panama Canal to Panama, and secure peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David; to his post-Presidential efforts at the Carter Center supporting honest elections, advancing peace, combating disease, and promoting democracy; to his and Rosalynn’s devotion and hard work at Habitat for Humanity – he worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world.”
Even the Empire State Building, which will be lit with the colors red, white and blue, is paying respects to Jimmy Carter.
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A statement issued by the Council on American-Islamic Relations highlighted Carter’s writings and advocacy around Palestinian rights.
“Even when President Carter faced vitriolic attacks from anti-Palestinian groups for his prescient book ‘Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid,’ he stood firm,” said the statement. “He was a humanitarian role model, and we pray that a new generation of principled political leaders will take inspiration from his legacy.”
Barack Obama praises 'President Carter's decency'
Many public eulogies of former president Jimmy Carter have expressed appreciation for his public service and deep personal faith. Among them, Barack Obama wrote in a statement:
“For decades, you could walk into Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia on some Sunday mornings and see hundreds of tourists from around the world crammed into the pews. And standing in front of them, asking with a wink if there were any visitors that morning, would be President Jimmy Carter – preparing to teach Sunday school, just like he had done for most of his adult life.”
The “many people in that church on Sunday morning were there,” Obama wrote, out of an appreciation for Carter’s legacy as a human rights advocate. They also came “at least in part, because of something more fundamental: President Carter’s decency”.
George W Bush: Carter was 'a man of deeply held convictions'
George W Bush offered condolences and prayer to the Carter family in a brief statement that described Carter as “a man of deeply held convictions” and commended his work with Habitat for Humanity. Carter was an outspoken critic of the Iraq war and called it one of the most “gross and damaging mistakes our nation ever made”, and Bush’s administration “the worst in history”.
Nancy Pelosi: Carter’s life 'saintly in its devotion to public service and peace'
US representative and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi has released a statement calling Carter’s life “saintly in its devotion to public service and peace”.
The congresswoman wrote: “[A]t the heart of President Carter’s public service was his fervent commitment to honoring the spark of divinity within every person. He always defended that spark: whether teaching Sunday school in his beloved Marantha Baptist Church, brokering the landmark Camp David Accords to pave the way to peace or building homes with Habitat for Humanity.”
Bidens: Carter 'showed we are great nation because we are a good people'
In a statement, Joe Biden and Jill Biden said that Carter’s death represented the loss of “an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian”, calling Carter a “dear friend”, and writing of the former president’s “compassion and moral clarity”.
“He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong,” said the statement.
Biden also announced that the White House would order an official state funeral for Carter.
Trump reacts to Carter's death: 'We all owe him a debt of gratitude'
Donald Trump has also reacted to Carter’s death, writing in a post on the social media platform Truth Social: “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.”
“The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude,” the president-elect wrote.
US representative and chair of the Democratic party of Georgia, Nikema Williams wrote on Sunday that she and her husband “named our son Carter after our 39th president because he showed us that ordinary Georgians can do extraordinary things. He was one of the greatest public servants of our time – and he was also a peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia”.
“From a southwest Georgia town of a few hundred people to the Oval Office, President Carter went from sowing crops to sowing the seeds of peace around the world.”
English (US)