Jimmy Carter becomes first former president to celebrate 100th birthday
President Jimmy Carter has turned 100, becoming the first former commander-in-chief to reach the triple digits and be the longest-lived former president in United States history.
Carter hit the milestone on Tuesday, having been born weeks before President Calvin Coolidge won reelection and while Prohibition was still the law of the land.
In celebration of the former president, The Carter Center released a statement Tuesday morning calling Carter “a beacon of leadership and compassion, inspiring people around the globe.”
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“President Carter’s legacy continues to inspire hope and progress worldwide. His century of life is a testament to the power of service, and The Carter Center stands as an enduring reminder of his commitment to peace, health, and human rights,” stated the Center.
On Sept. 17, the Center held a concert in Carter’s honor at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, which featured several musical talents and approximately 4,000 attendees.
Carter was a native of a small farming town in Georgia, eventually receiving a bachelor of science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. That same year, he married Rosalynn Smith. Their marriage would last until her death last November at the age of 96.
Beginning in the 1960s, Carter became involved in politics, being elected to the Georgia Senate in 1962, becoming governor of Georgia in 1971, and serving as campaign chairman for the Democratic National Committee in 1974.
In 1976, Carter was elected president, defeating Republican incumbent and former vice president Gerald Ford with 297 electoral college points and more than 40 million votes.
“Significant foreign policy accomplishments of his administration included the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel, the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China,” according to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.
“On the domestic side, the administration’s achievements included a comprehensive energy program conducted by a new Department of Energy; deregulation in energy, transportation, communications, and finance; major educational programs under a new Department of Education; and major environmental protection legislation, including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.”
Carter would only serve one term in office, however, as a severe economic recession and international problems such as the Iranian Revolution dropped his approval ratings.
Since leaving office, Carter has become known for his many charitable efforts, including decades of volunteering with Habitat for Humanity alongside his wife.
Beginning in the 1980s, Carter was a regular Sunday School teacher at Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains, Georgia, overseeing classes even in 2015 while he was battling cancer.
Carter was a longtime member of the Southern Baptist Convention, but ultimately left the denomination in 2000 due to, among other things, their refusal to allow women to serve as pastors.
Carter was put into hospice care in February of last year due to various health issues, and has since quit teaching Sunday School at Maranatha.
Reportedly, Carter wanted to reach 100 in order to be able to cast a vote for Democratic presidential hopeful and current Vice President Kamala Harris.
