Jimmy Carter, the 39th and longest-lived US President, dies at 100

The White House said in a statement US President Joe Biden directed that January 9 will be a national day of mourning throughout the United States for Carter.

According to The Carter Center, public observances will be held in Atlanta and Washington, DC, followed by a private interment in Plains, Georgia. “The final arrangements for President Carter’s state funeral, including all public events and motorcade routes, are still pending. The schedule will be released by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region”.

Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia. pic.twitter.com/aqYmcE9tXi

— The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) December 29, 2024

Carter, who served as the president from 1977 to 1981, lived longer than any president in the history of the US.

During his tenure as the president, from January 1977 to January 1981, he faced multiple challenges related to foreign policy. The Democrat leader was defeated in 1981 during his re-election bid by Ronald Reagan, a Republican.

In 2002, the former US president was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as he is credited with easing nuclear tensions between North Korea and South Korea, a US invasion of Haiti was averted due to his efforts and Carter negotiated ceasefires in Bosnia and Sudan.

Carter had experienced several health issues, including melanoma that spread to his liver and brain, and in February 2023 decided to receive hospice care instead of undergoing additional medical intervention. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, died on November 19, 2023, at age 96.

Carter is survived by his children Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love. My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs,” Chip Carter, the former president’s son, was quoted as saying by the Carter Center.