Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old.
The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023, spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said.
The Democrat served as president from 1977 to 1981, beset by economic and diplomatic crises.
After leaving the White House with low approval ratings, his reputation was restored through humanitarian work which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.
Before becoming president, Carter was governor of Georgia, a lieutenant in the US Navy, and a farmer – is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.
His wife, Rosalynn, who he was married to for 77 years, died in November 2023.
Since 2018 and the death of George HW Bush, he was the oldest surviving US president.
Carter stopped medical treatment for an undisclosed illness last year and instead began receiving hospice care at his home.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said the world had “lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian”.
Describing him as “a dear friend” and “a man of principle, faith and humility”, they added: “He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.”
“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,” President-elect Donald Trump wrote on social media.
“For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Carter’s presidency will be remembered for his struggles in dealing with acute economic problems and several foreign policy challenges, including the Iran hostage crisis, which ended with the deaths of eight Americans.
There was, however, a notable foreign policy triumph in the Middle East when he helped broker an accord between Egypt and Israel, signed at Camp David in the US in 1978.