ATLANTA, Georgia - Former President Jimmy Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize awardee and 39th president of the United States, died Sunday (December 29), more than a year after entering hospice care.

Aged 100, Carter was the longest-living chief executive in American history. He died at his home in Plains, Georgia with family members beside him.

Carter, who served as president from 1977 to 1981, lost his wife Rosalynn on November 29, 2023.
He was one of the four Nobel Peace Prize awardees among US presidents. The others were President Theodore Roosevelt (1906); Woodraw Wilson (1919) and Barack Obama, 2009.

Carter received his award in 2002 for his “decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights and to promote economic and social development.

A state funeral will be held in Atlanta and Washington DC on Jan. 9. while arranges are underway for a private interment in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.

President Biden declareed a National Day of Mourning in the US.

He praised Carter for having “lived a life measured by words but by his deeds.”

“In today’s world, some look at Jimmy Carter and see a man of a bygone era - with honesty and character, faith and humility. It mattered,” he said.

Biden added: “We would all do well to be a little more like Jimmy Carter.”

Other leaders from the US and abroad were quick in sending condolences and tributes to Carter, who will be remembered for his statesmanship and compassionate leader.

President-elect Donald Trump wrote: “The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”

“Elected in the shadow of Watergate, Jimmy Carter promised voters that he would always tell the truth. And he did - advocating for the public good, consequences be damned,” said Obama.

Great Britain’s King Charles mourned the demise of Carter, as he noted that the late US president “was a committed public servant, and devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights.”

“His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United States in 1977,” he said.

Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of France and Brazil, respectively, released statements praising Carter’s legacy. Canadian Prime Minister Justice Trudeau and Anthony Albanese were also quick in citing the later president’s achievements.

“Throughout his life, Jimmy Carter has been a steadfast advocate for rights of the most vulnerable and has tirelessly fought for peace,” said Macron.

Da Silva stated: ABove all he was a lover of democracy and a defender of peace.a)

Trudeau praised Carter’s legacy as “one of compassion, kindness, empathy and hard work.

“He was always thoughtful and generous with his advice to me,” added Trudeau.

Albanese said: “Jimmy Carter’s legacy is best measured iin lives changed, saved and uplifted.”