Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, has died at age 100. Carter was “surrounded by his family” at his home in Plains, Georgia, in his final moments, the Carter Center said in a statement Sunday.
In his reaction, President Joe Biden said Carter “stands as a model of what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose,” and remembered Carter as a “dear friend.” Similarly, President-elect Donald Trump said Americans owe the former president “a debt of gratitude.” Preparations are underway for a state funeral.
Carter was a peanut farmer and US Navy lieutenant before going into politics, eventually serving one term as governor of Georgia and as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. He was the only former US president to reach 100 years old.
Recall that the former president’s wife of more than 75 years, Rosalynn who was known for her mental health advocacy and humanitarian work, died in November 2023 at 96. The Carters were the longest-married presidential couple in US history.
Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia, who served in the US Navy, was president from 1977 to 1981.
Championing human rights at the center of US foreign policy, Carter forged a still-standing peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. He also established the Department of Energy in 1977.
Shortly after his presidency, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, established The Carter Center, which has monitored international elections and promoted public health across the world.
Boze Godwin, a former mayor of Plains, Georgia, and a longtime friend of Jimmy Carter who knew the former president since Godwin was 10 years old, described his late friend as “a person [who] never forgot the people here, regardless of what position he held.”
Speaking with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Sunday night, Godwin recalled Carter as a “very honest, very straightforward and a very hard-working person” who felt like part of the community and “just like one of us” following his and Rosalynn Carter’s return to their hometown of Plains after he served as president.

“He is going to be buried here, and that’s a deliberate move to keep people coming back to visit on his part,” Godwin said. “Even in death, he hadn’t forgotten the town.”
Meanwhile Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on Sunday ordered flags lowered to half-staff at all state buildings and grounds following the death of former President and Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter.
“On this day, December 29, 2024, the date of his death, we honor the memory of Georgia native, Jimmy Carter, as a revered community activist, veteran, statesman, author, former Governor of Georgia, and former President of the United States,” Kemp’s executive order read.
The flags will remain lowered to half-staff for 30 days, until sunset on January 28, 2025, according to the executive order issued Sunday.