Jimmy Carter's life in pictures
Jimmy Carter achieved significant successes globally through his blend of moral principles and personal diplomacy.
Humble beginnings
Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War. A moderate Democrat, Carter told voters: "If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don't vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president."
An 'equal partner'
Jimmy Carter married his wife, Rosalynn, in 1946. She stood out as a first lady who publicly supported her husband's policies and even sat in on Cabinet meetings.
Friends in high places
President Joe Biden, seen here on the right, mourned Carter's death, saying the world had lost an "extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian" and added that he had lost a dear friend.
Peace broker
Jimmy Carter brokered peace between Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin, an experience that later sparked the idea of The Carter Center in Atlanta. Sadat and Begin were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 for their work toward peace. Carter won the prize in 2002 in part for his "untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts."
Royal faux pas
During a stay at Buckingham Palace, having been invited by Queen Elizabeth II, Carter kissed the queen mother on the lips by way of greeting, breaking with royal protocol.
Republican adversary
Carter lost the 1980 US presidential election to Ronald Reagan, who won 44 of the 50 states and amassed an Electoral College landslide.
Rocky relationship
US President Jimmy Carter and West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt had an adversarial relationship. In his diary, Carter wrote that one of the few positive aspects of his loss to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential campaign was that he would no longer have to deal with Helmut Schmidt.
Middle East complexity
Carter urged his successors to recognize a Palestinian state. He also infuriated Israel by questioning whether its treatment of Palestinians constituted "apartheid." In 2006, he wrote a book titled "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."
Friendly foes
In May 2002, Carter visited Cuba and addressed the communist nation on television. He was the highest-ranking American to visit in decades. He attended a baseball game with Fidel Castro, the Cuban president at the time.
A respected president
Carter was the 39th president of the United States and the longest-lived American president.
The Elders
In 2007, Jimmy Carter became a founding member of The Elders with former South African President Nelson Mandela. It constitutes a group of senior statesmen and women who use their experience to advise on conflict resolution and human rights.
Integrity more important than reelection
Former President Barack Obama, left, said Carter promised voters that he would always tell the truth. "And he did — advocating for the public good, consequences be damned," Obama said in a statement. "He believed some things were more important than reelection — things like integrity, respect, and compassion," Obama added.
Habitat for Humanity
With hard hats and hammers, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. They volunteered a week of their time annually to Habitat for Humanity since 1984. They donated their time and influence and worked with nearly 103,000 volunteers in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,331 homes, the nonprofit said.
Elder statesman
In 2023, Carter entered hospice care at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia. Despite this, he became the first centenarian US president and voted in the 2024 US presidential election.