Carter passes at 100: Local leaders respond to a President's passing

PLAINS, Ga. — Former 39th President Jimmy Carter died at 100 years of age Sunday. Carter, a Georgia peanut farmer, began his presidency in 1977 after he defeated 39th President Gerald R. Ford in the General Election. Carter served one term and left office in 1981 after losing to Ronald Reagan, but his service afterward is what earned him a reputation as a statesman. 

“I would say that from a humanitarian standpoint, he is probably one of the best presidents we've ever had,” 13th District State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, said. “I think that he tried to do his best for all people across not only the country but also the world.” 

After leaving office Carter continued his work as a humanitarian for more than 20 years before he earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work mediating peace between Egypt and Israel during his presidency. 

“In a situation currently marked by threats of the use of power, Carter has stood by the principles that conflicts must as far as possible be resolved through mediation and international cooperation based on international law, respect for human rights, and economic development,” said the Norwegian Nobel Committee Announcement of the award in 2002. 

Carter spent the last two years in hospice care at his home in Plains, Ga. His state funeral is scheduled for Jan. 9 at the Washington National Cathedral. Carter is to be flown back to Georgia for a private funeral and burial.  

President Joe Biden, who announced the funeral, also announced all federal agencies will be closed on the date for a National Day of Mourning for Carter, the longest-lived former president. Flags began to fly at half-staff Sunday which will continue for thirty days. 

“Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian,” reads a statement from Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. “Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well.”

History 

Carter, who was seldom referred to by his full name – James Earl Carter, Jr. – was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Ga. He grew up peanut farming, learning and discussing politics and devoting himself to the Baptist faith. His father, James Earl Carter Sr., was a farmer and businessman and his mother Lillian Gordy Carter was a registered nurse.  

“Jimmy Carter was a great American and lived a life devoted to service,” Governer-elect and current Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald.  

He went to the public schools in Plains before attending Georgia Southwestern College and Georgia Institute of Technology. At 22, he graduated with a bachelor of science from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in 1946.  

He soon later married Rosalynn Smith. They were married for 77 years before she died in 2023. Carter and his wife had the longest relationship in presidential history, meeting one another when he was three and she was just a day old. The two had three sons, John William, James Earl III, Donnell Jeffrey and one daughter Amy Lynn.  

He then served seven years as a naval officer as a submariner in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. He was chosen by Admiral Hyman Rickover for the nuclear submarine program and spent some time in New York where he did graduate work at Union College which focused on reactor technology and nuclear physics.  

"I am a Southerner and an American, I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and among other things a lover of Bob Dylan's songs and Dylan Thomas's poetry," Carter said in his 1975 book "Why Not the Best.” 

He then returned to Georgia. In 1962, Carter began his political career serving on country boards regarding education, the local hospital authority and the library. He then won an election to the Georgia Senate in 1962.  

“For a politician, he took the time to talk to the people,” 13th District Legislative Representative Tom Dent said. “I have always admired that. He didn’t have to do that, but he did.” 

Nine years after starting his political career he was elected as the 76th Governor of Georgia in 1971. He served as the Democratic National Committee campaign chairman for the 1974 congressional and gubernatorial elections.  

“Jimmy Carter rose from humble rural beginnings to become a decorated Naval officer, a successful businessperson, and the President of the United States,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., wrote in a statement. “He promised and delivered Americans the truth in a time of political division and mistrust.” 

Presidency 

In 1974, he announced his candidacy for President and began his two-year campaign. At the Democratic Convention, he was nominated on the first ballot. He then chose Minnesota Senator Walter F. Mondale as his running mate. Carter won the 1977 election with 297 electoral votes to Gerald Ford’s 241.  

“I lived through Jimmy Carter, and he was always a great guy, super-duper, duper guy, the most wonderful person you ever could have as president,” Ybarra said.  

While president he dealt with energy shortages and helped to establish a national energy policy by stimulating the production of petroleum by decontrolling the prices. He helped to deregulate the trucking and airline industries.  

“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 in a statement on Truth Social. “For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.” 

He also focused heavily on the environment by expanding the national park system to protect 103 million acres of Alaska.  

“President Carter was one of the first presidents to truly understand the value of protecting and preserving our nation’s public lands and waters,” Cantwell said in a statement. “We owe preservation of premiere Alaskan wilderness and many other wild places to his leadership.” 

Another priority Carter had in his term was the environment – even installing solar panels on the White House to create more sustainable energy.  

“There are many reasons to reflect on the legacy of former President Jimmy Carter,” Washington Governor Jay Inslee wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “One is the vision he had for renewable energy that is now being realized.”  

Carter also created the Department of Education and advanced the Social Security System. His presidency also had a record number of appointed women, African Americans and Hispanic people into government jobs.  

“Back in the day when he was president, I was in my 20s, he wasn’t the best president, but he did what he could,” Dent said. “I don’t agree with all of his policies, but he really wanted a peaceful world, and he did his best for that. I know how challenging it can be in politics, and I can only imagine being the president.” 

Humanitarian 

Carter has been praised by many political figures and citizens alike for his humanitarian work, including his long-term work with Habitat for Humanity and his and his wife’s non-profit, The Carter Center.  

“His leadership extended far beyond the Oval Office, with a longstanding legacy in humanitarian work as he built affordable housing, promoted democracy across the globe, and helped to wipe out an endemic disease,” Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association Chair and Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis wrote in a statement. “Blayre and mine’s thoughts and prayers are with their family and loved ones. May his memory serve as a blessing and inspiration.” 

In 1982, he became a professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. While also teaching, he and his wife started their nonprofit which helped resolve conflict, protect human rights and prevent diseases. The center helped spearhead the international effort to eradicate Guinea worm disease, the second human disease in history to be eliminated. 

“The Habitat for Humanity he has been doing forever,” Dent said. “He was out there pounding nails. He was the president of the United States, and he was out there pounding nails. That’s pretty humble.” 

Carter and his wife then started the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project with Habitat for Humanity to help create affordable housing and fund repairs and renovations.  

“President Carter was in office before I became involved with politics, but I was impressed by his kindness and his ability to bring people together,” Washington State Senator Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, said. “He brought Egypt and Israel, the leaders of those two countries together, and then he is one that was very active in Habitat for Humanity. I was thankful for his involvement in Habitat for Humanity to help people become homeowners.” 

Carter and his wife worked with Habitat for Humanity for around 30 years starting in 1984 in Americus, Georgia. Every year they volunteered for one week a year to help people in the United States and other countries struggling with housing.  

“The passing of President Jimmy Carter is a loss felt by millions around the globe and certainly throughout the Habitat for Humanity organization. A man deeply committed to social justice and basic human rights, President Carter dedicated himself to alleviating human suffering,” said a statement from The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project Team. 

According to Habitat for Humanity, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project helped by working alongside around 108,100 volunteers in 14 countries who helped build, renovate or repair around 4,450 homes. The work also raised awareness of the importance of affordable housing.  

“We will be forever grateful to President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, for their dedication to Habitat for Humanity and the work they did to provide more affordable housing,” Cantwell wrote in a statement. “My heart and prayers go out to his family during this difficult time.” 

    Former President Jimmy Carter died Sunday at the age of 100. Carter served one term as the 39th president starting in 1977. After his presidency he continued his humanitarian work, starting a non-profit with his wife and working closely with Habitat for Humanity.
  

    Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter. The two have the longest marriage in the presidential history. Rosalynn died in 2023.
  

    R\Former President Jimmy Carter reaches into crowds of people to shake hands. 13th District State Rep. Tom Dent said he admired how Carter spoke to citizens and often made time to do so, with his wife and himself even riding in economy and talking with people on the plane.
  

    Former President Jimmy Carter was the oldest living former U.S. President, surviving to be 100 before dying at home on Sunday. Carter was in hospice care for two years.
  

    The TV screen lights up with former President Jimmy Carter’s image. Carter grew up as a peanut farmer in Georgia, went to school, joined the navy, started into politics, became president then spent the rest of his life trying to help others with his nonprofit and volunteer work.