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 on Sunday.
Carter had been in hospice care since mid-February last year 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 state and running for the White House.
Carter died “peacefully” at his home in Plains, “surrounded by his family,” the Carter Center said in a statement.
Photo: AFP
“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.
Jimmy Carter was the longest-lived US president — an outcome that seemed unlikely back in 2015 when the 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, Jimmy Carter placed a commitment on 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.
Republican challenger former US president Ronald Reagan clobbered Jimmy Carter at the polls in November of that year, relegating the Democrat to just one term.
As the years passed, a more nuanced image of Jimmy Carter emerged — one that took into account his post-presidential activities.
He founded the Carter Center in 1982 to pursue his vision of world diplomacy, and he was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts to promote social and economic justice.
Jimmy Carter said basic Christian tenets such as justice and love served as the bedrock of his presidency. He taught Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist, his church in Plains, well into his 90s.
As condolences came in, many focused on Jimmy Carter’s character, with US President Joe Biden, in televised remarks, saying he “lived a life measured not by words, but by his deeds.”
“The rest of the world looks to us ... and he was worth looking to,” he said.
Biden later declared Thursday next week a national day of mourning, calling on Americans to visit their places of worship to “pay homage” and inviting “the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance.”
In Taipei, the Presidential Office yesterday expressed its condolences following the death of Jimmy Carter, who oversaw the severance of formal diplomatic ties between the US and the Republic of China (Taiwan) during his presidency.
"We extend our sincere condolences to the family of former President Jimmy Carter and the people of the United States. Our thoughts are with his loved ones and the nation he faithfully served as they commemorate his legacy," the Presidential Office said on social media.
During Jimmy Carter’s presidency, the US switched diplomatic recognition to the People’s Republic of China, ending more than six decades of formal relations with the Republic of China in 1979.
Meanwhile, the US also adopted the Taiwan Relations Act, which has since served as a foundation for US policy toward Taiwan. Under the act, Washington is committed to providing Taiwan weapons to defend itself.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with CNA
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