Former US President Jimmy Carter

Former US President Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100. He was born on October 1, 1924. 

Carter was the 39th US president, serving one term in office. He was widely revered for championing human rights during and after his presidency. He served one term as governor of Georgia and president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.

The former president began home hospice care in February 2023 after a series of short hospital stays. Former first lady Rosalynn Carter died on November 19, 2023.

·         1953 - Works on his own farm in Plains, Georgia, and operates Carter’s Warehouse, a general-purpose seed and farm supply company.

·         1962 - Wins election to the Georgia state Senate.

·         1966 - Runs for governor and loses to Lester Maddox.

·         Nov. 3, 1970 - Runs for governor a second time and wins.

·         Jan. 12, 1971 - Is inaugurated as Georgia’s 76th governor.

·         1974 - Serves as the Democratic National Committee campaign chairman for the 1974 congressional elections.

·         Dec. 12, 1974 - Officially announces his candidacy for president of the United States.

·         Nov. 2, 1976 - Elected as the 39th president of the United States.

·         Jan. 20, 1977 - Inaugurated.

·         March 26, 1979 - In a ceremony in Washington, DC, Egypt and Israel formally sign a peace treaty ending 31 years of war between them. The successful Camp David Accords are one of the highlights of Carter’s presidency.

·         Nov. 4, 1979 - The US Embassy in Tehran, Iran, is stormed and diplomatic staff are taken hostage. Carter’s inability to successfully negotiate the release of the hostages becomes a major political liability. The hostages are released on January 20, 1981, the day of Ronald Reagan’s inauguration.

·         1982 - Becomes a professor at Emory University in Atlanta.

·         1982 - Founds the Carter Center in Atlanta, in partnership with Emory University. Carter Center initiatives include monitoring international elections, fighting diseases in developing countries and seeking international peace. One of the key accomplishments of the Carter Center is the near eradication of Guinea worm disease from more than three million cases in 1986 to 14 cases in 2021.

·         Aug. 9, 1999 - Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor for an American civilian.

·         May 14, 2002 - In a speech given in Cuba, Carter outlines his vision for improvement between the United States and Cuba regarding their trading relations. The speech is broadcast live and uncensored on Cuban state television.

·         Oct. 11, 2002 - Wins the Nobel Peace Prize.

·         April 17, 2008 - Meets with Hamas leaders in Cairo, Egypt. US and Israeli government officials object to Carter’s meeting, as both governments classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.

·         Sept. 15, 2009 - Carter causes controversy with remarks on NBC Nightly News about President Barack Obama. Carter says, “An overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Obama is based on the fact that he is a Black man, that he’s African-American.”

·         Aug. 27, 2010 - Carter negotiates the release of US citizen Aijalon Mahli Gomes. Gomes had been imprisoned in North Korea after entering illegally in January 2010. “At the request of President Carter, and for humanitarian purposes, Mr. Gomes was granted amnesty by the chairman of the National Defense Commission, Kim Jong-Il,” the Carter Center says in a statement.

·         April 26, 2011 - Visits Pyongyang, North Korea, for talks to ease tensions between North and South Korea, accompanied by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson.

·         July 7, 2015 - His autobiography, “A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety,” is published.

·         August 20, 2015 - Carter holds a press conference to announce that doctors found spots of melanoma on his brain and he will undergo treatment.

·         December 6, 2015 - Carter announces that according to his most recent MRI brain scan, his cancer is gone.

·         November 12, 2019 - The former president undergoes an operation to relieve pressure on his brain caused by bleeding from recent falls, according to the Carter Center. He is released later that month.

·         February 18, 2023 - In a statement, the Carter Center says the former president will begin receiving hospice care at his home in Georgia.

·         October 1, 2024 - Carter turned 100, becoming the first president to do so.