The life and legacy of Jimmy Carter
An environmental advocate; a human rights champion; a devoted partner: Former President Jimmy Carter was a dedicated public servant who stood for the rights and values of Americans at home and abroad. Carter died at 100 years old on Sunday, leaving a legacy of political and ethical engagement across a wide expanse of American life.
Carter was born in 1924 in Plains, Georgia. He served as a Georgia senator, governor and then U.S. president, spending close to 20 years in politics before dedicating his life toward charitable organizations in the more than 40 years after he left the White House.
But what does his life mean for Americans today, those who still remember him and those who don't?
- A beleaguered president. The economy in the Carter years struggled with soaring inflation and gasoline shortages. In foreign affairs, Iran was an unending nightmare: the Islamic revolution and the fall of the U.S.-backed Shah; the failure to secure the release of American hostages; the deadly failure of a U.S. military mission to free them. Historians and the public generally rate his presidential tenure as "middling" at best, said historian Robert Strong.
- A man of peace. Despite these setbacks, Carter negotiated the landmark Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt in 1978. After he left office, his Carter Center helped negotiate an end to the Nicaraguan civil war between the Contra rebels and the Sandinistas. He met with North Korean leaders to try to end its nuclear weapons program. He also mediated conflicts around the world and led delegations of observers to ensure free and fair elections. For his efforts, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 – 22 years after he left the White House.
- Environmental protections, energy reform. Carter created the Department of Energy and spearheaded a series of bills that ended price controls on domestic production of oil and natural gas, encouraged conservation, and gave incentives for wind and solar energy. Through legislation, he more than doubled the size of the National Park System through the protection of lands in Alaska.
- Humanitarian work. For decades, the Carter Center led an international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, a devastating tropical ailment that in 1986 afflicted an estimated 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia. Today, it is on the verge of eradication. For a week each year, Jimmy and his wife, Rosalynn, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, building and renovating homes for poor people around the world.
- Faith and family. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were married for 77 years, longer than any other presidential couple. "The best thing I ever did was marrying Rosalynn," he said in 2015. "That's the pinnacle of my life." In addition to doing humanitarian work together, they enjoyed hobbies such as tennis and fly-fishing, and they read Scripture together. Jimmy also attended Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, and regularly spoke to hundreds of visitors who would gather for his Sunday school class.
Historian Douglas Brinkley said Carter "raised the bar" on what was expected of presidents after leaving the White House and living a life of service.
"I can't deny that I was a better ex-president than I was a president," Carter said in 2005.