Former US Pres. Jimmy Carter Dies at 100

Facts

• Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, died Sunday in Georgia at the age of 100.^[1]
• The former Georgia governor and the one-term Democratic president — taking office in 1977 in a term that ended with the Iran hostage crises of 1981 — had been a world-leading voice in human rights and health causes.^[2]
• In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."^[3]
• His son, Chip Carter, said in a statement, "My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love."^[4]
• Pres. Joe Biden described him as "a model of what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose, a life of principle, of faith and humility," while Pres.-elect Donald Trump said, "he worked hard to make America a better place, and for that, I give him my highest respect."^[5][6]
• The Carter Center, which Jimmy Carter founded with his wife Rosalynn in 1982, led his peace-making efforts. Rosalynn died in November last year at the age of 96. The pair is survived by four children and 11 grandchildren.^[4][7]

Sources: ^[1]The Carter Center, ^[2]Vox, ^[3]The Nobel Prize, ^[4]The Guardian, ^[5]CNN, ^[6]Truth Social and ^[7]Georgia Encyclopedia.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by BBC News, The New York Times, and The Guardian. Jimmy Carter — a high school basketball star, former US Navy officer, and longtime Sunday school teacher — campaigned for civil rights causes and fiercely advocated for peace. Though he served just one term in office, the longest-lived US president spent his post-presidential life dedicated to the service of ordinary Americans.
• Narrative B, as provided by Vox, Sky News, and The Conversation. Though Jimmy Carter's presidency was marked by economic tumult and the Iran hostage crisis, it brought stability, calm, and integrity after the political turmoil of Nixon, Watergate, and the Vietnam War. He was just what 1970s America needed and carried himself about as admirably as he could have done.