Turning back a liberal “Anybody But Carter” movement led by California Gov. Jerry Brown and Sen. Frank Church, D-Idaho, by June he had wrapped up the nomination. Helped by a colossal blunder by the Republican vice presidential nominee, Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas — who dismissed the U.S.-led victories in both World War I and World War II as “Democrat wars” — Carter defeated President Ford with 50.1% of the vote.
Carter took pains to project a modest image to a scandal-weary nation. He walked down Pennsylvania Avenue during his inaugural parade. He carried his own bags on Air Force One. And there were his constant messages to Americans that he couldn’t address the nation’s problems alone, often in self-effacing, sweater-wearing public appearances.
‘Absolutely and completely at ease with death’
Throughout his busy post-presidency, Carter wrote — a lot. He wrote more than two dozen books, some with his wife. And as always, his faith and his humble roots remained his guides. He continued to teach Sunday school at his hometown church, Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, until the pandemic hit in early 2020, forcing him and his wife to forgo most public engagements.
Carter still participated in church activities by video amid the pandemic.
“When I got through being governor, I went back to Plains,” he told the congregation in August 2015. “When I got through being president, I went back to Plains, and now no matter where we are in the world, you look forward to getting back home to Plains.”
Carter was the only living president aside from Donald Trump not to attend Biden’s inauguration in 2021, because of the pandemic. It was the first inauguration Carter had missed as a former president.
Trump sent the Carter family his condolences Sunday afternoon, saying he owed “a debt of gratitude” to Carter for his work.
“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,” Trump wrote. “Melania and I are thinking warmly of the Carter Family and their loved ones during this difficult time. We urge everyone to keep them in their hearts and prayers.”
Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the Carters in Georgia in April 2021. “We sat and talked about the old days,” Biden said afterward.
Biden paid tribute to Carter on Sunday night, addressing the nation from St. Croix, where he is on vacation.
Biden praised Carter, whom he called “a dear friend,” for his “decency” and character.
“Jimmy Carter lived a life measured not by words, but by his deeds,” Biden said.
He remembered Carter’s work in and out of the Oval Office, saying his “compassion and moral clarity lifted people up and changed lives all over the globe.”
“Just look at his life, his life’s work. He worked to eradicate disease, not just at home, but around the world. He forged peace, advanced civil rights, human rights, promoted free and fair elections around the world. He built housing and homes for the homeless,” Biden said.
Biden said in a statement earlier Sunday that he and the first lady mourned Carter’s passing.
“Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian. Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well,” Joe and Jill Biden wrote.
Former President Barack Obama commemorated Carter on X, saying he “taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service.” In a longer statement, Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama said Carter had embodied those values.
“Whenever I had a chance to spend time with President Carter, it was clear that he didn’t just profess these values. He embodied them. And in doing so, he taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. In his Nobel acceptance speech, President Carter said, ‘God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace.’ He made that choice again and again over the course of his 100 years, and the world is better for it,” the Obamas said.
Former President George W. Bush similarly sent his and former first lady Laura Bush’s “heartfelt” condolences to the Carter family.
“James Earl Carter, Jr., was a man of deeply held convictions. He was loyal to his family, his community, and his country. President Carter dignified the office. And his efforts to leave behind a better world didn’t end with the presidency. His work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center set an example of service that will inspire Americans for generations,” Bush wrote.
“We join our fellow citizens in giving thanks for Jimmy Carter and in prayer for his family,” he added.
Habitat for Humanity issued its own statement mourning the death of its longtime ally.
“President and Mrs. Carter began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity near their home in southwest Georgia more than 40 years ago, and soon brought worldwide attention to the need for decent and affordable housing. We are grateful for the incredible impact the Carters have had on Habitat and on the families who have benefited from their shining example. The Carters put Habitat for Humanity on the map, and their legacy lives on in every family we serve around the world,” said Habitat for Humanity’s CEO, Jonathan Reckford.
When Carter reached his 100th birthday in October, his grandson Jason Carter told The Journal-Constitution that he had said he wanted to hang on until November to cast his vote for the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris added her voice to the choir of mourners, saying in a statement Sunday evening that “the world is a better place because of President Carter.”
“Jimmy Carter’s life is a testament to the power of service — as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, the 76th Governor of Georgia, and the 39th President of the United States. He reminded our nation and the world that there is strength in decency and compassion,” she said.
Carter was diagnosed with melanoma in 2015, a virulent form of skin cancer that had spread to his liver and his brain. He underwent experimental treatment with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, also known as Keytruda, and a few months later he announced that doctors had ended his treatments after having found no signs of tumors.
Carter spent much of the second half of 2019, right before the pandemic hit, in the hospital for brain surgery, infections and two falls that resulted in a broken hip and pelvis.
He was back teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church two weeks after he fractured his pelvis. He told the congregation at the time that since doctors told him in 2015 that cancer had spread to his brain, he had been “absolutely and completely at ease with death.”
