ROBYN BECKAFP
Jimmy Carter, the 100-year-old former US president and Nobel peace laureate who rose from humble beginnings in rural Georgia to lead the nation from 1977 to 1981, has died, his nonprofit foundation said Sunday.
Carter had been in hospice care since mid-February 2023 at his home in Plains, Georgia—the same small town where he was born and once ran a peanut farm before becoming governor of the Peach State and running for the White House.
The Carter Center said in a statement that Carter died "peacefully" at his home in Plains, "surrounded by his family. "
"My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and unselfish love," Chip Carter said in the statement.
Carter was the longest-lived US president -- an outcome that seemed unlikely back in 2015 when the Southern Democrat revealed he had brain cancer.
But the US Navy veteran and fervent Christian repeatedly defied the odds to enjoy a long and fruitful post-presidency after four years in the Oval Office, often seen as disappointing.
During his single term, Carter placed a commitment to human rights and social justice, enjoying a strong first two years that included brokering a peace deal between Israel and Egypt dubbed the Camp David Accords.
But his administration hit numerous snags -- the most serious being the taking of US hostages in Iran and the disastrous failed attempt to rescue the 52 captive Americans in 1980. He also came in for criticism for his handling of an oil crisis.
Republican challenger Ronald Reagan clobbered Carter at the polls in November of that year, relegating the Democrat to just one term. Reagan, a former actor and governor of California swept into office on a wave of staunch conservatism.
Carter was preceded in death by Rosalynn, his wife of 77 years. She died on November 19, 2023, at age 96.
The former president, who looked frail, poignantly appeared at her memorial service in a wheelchair, with a blanket on his lap bearing their likenesses.
Carter is survived by the couple's four children, three sons and a daughter.
President Joe Biden declared the 9th of January a national day of mourning for Jimmy Carter.
