Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States and a devout Baptist known for his charitable work and long-time service as a Sunday school teacher, has passed away at the age of 100.
Chip Carter, one of the former president's children, confirmed that his father died at home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday afternoon, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Born in 1924 in a small farming town in Georgia, Carter obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946.
He was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1962 and later became the governor of Georgia in 1971. Additionally, he served as campaign chairman for the Democratic National Committee in 1974.
Carter made history in 1976 as the first Southern Baptist elected president of the United States. He defeated the Republican incumbent, Gerald Ford, by 297 to 240 electoral college votes and garnered just over 2% more of the popular vote than Ford, receiving over 40 million votes compared to Ford's 39 million.
According to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, 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. Furthermore, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
During his presidency, Carter served only one term, as a severe economic recession and international issues, such as the Iranian Revolution, contributed to a decline in his approval ratings. After leaving office, he became widely known for his charitable efforts, including decades of volunteering with Habitat for Humanity alongside his wife, Rosalynn Carter.
Beginning in the 1980s, Carter served as a regular Sunday school teacher at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, continuing to oversee classes even in 2015 while battling cancer.
Although Carter was a longtime Southern Baptist, he ultimately left the denomination in 2000 due to its refusal to ordain women, among other reasons.
“I'm familiar with the verses they have quoted about wives being subjugated to their husbands,” Carter told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an interview at the time. “In my opinion, this is a distortion of the meaning of Scripture. … I personally feel the Bible says all people are equal in the eyes of God. I personally feel that women should play an absolutely equal role in service of Christ in the church.”
In February of last year, the Carter Center, an Atlanta-based philanthropic organization, announced that, following “a series of short hospital stays,” Carter would “spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention.” Despite these challenges, Jimmy Carter persisted and made history as the first U.S. president to reach the age of 100 in October.
