Jimmy Carter turns 100, first former president to do so

Former President Jimmy Carter is celebrating his 100th birthday – the first former president in U.S. history to do so.

This is a milestone for Carter, who has been in palliative care at his home in Plains, Georgia, since February 2023. Carter lost his wife, Rosalynn Carterin November, after 77 years of marriage. The former president attended his late wife’s memorial service in a wheelchair.

President Biden shared a message wishing Carter, “on behalf of the entire Biden family and the American people, a happy 100th birthday!” Mr. Biden called him “a moral force for our nation and the world…and above all, a beloved friend.”

Carter said he wanted to live long enough to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Early voting begins later this month in Carter’s home state of Georgia.

“I’m just trying to vote for Kamala Harris,” Carter told his son, Chip, relayed by his grandson, Jason, to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The former president lived a remarkably long time in home hospice care, where the average patient length is 63 days, according to the National Institutes of Health. Carter has been in hospice care for more than 19 months.

A number of stars paid tribute to Carter at a celebration ahead of his 100th birthday, with more than 4,000 people filling Atlanta’s Fox Theater for a benefit concert in mid-September. The event, “Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song,” raised funds for the international programs of the Carter Center, the foundation founded by Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter after leaving the White House.

“Everyone here writes history”, grandson Jason Carter said. “This is the first time people have come together to celebrate the 100th birthday of an American president.”

James Earl Carter Jr. was born October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, the son of a peanut farmer and a nurse – the first future U.S. president to be born in a hospital. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Navy before returning home to run the family farm. He was elected governor of Georgia in 1970.

Carter, a Democrat, served one term as president, from 1977 to 1981, overseeing a period of record inflation and other challenges. The capture of American hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Iran dominated the news during the final 14 months of the Carter administration. Iran freed the Americans the day Carter left office in 1981.

Carter, who devoted his later years to humanitarian work, became more popular as a former president than as president. When he was still physically able, Carter was actively involved in building homes with Habitat for Humanity and traveled the world to support democracy and public health initiatives.