Born on Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, James Earl Carter Jr. grew up to be a man who would become a naval engineer, a Grammy winner, a peanut farmer, a Georgia State Senator, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and now the nation’s oldest living president.
Jimmy Carter turned 100 on Tuesday, becoming the first president, former or present, to hit the triple-digit mark.
Carter has lived through quite a lot in the last century. For reference, the year he was born, the great depression hadn’t yet hit, President Calvin Coolidge was in office, prohibition was ongoing, Babe Ruth was putting together an impressive season for the Yankees, Walt Disney published his first cartoon, and the first-ever crossword puzzle book was published.
While it’s fun to imagine the world that Carter was born into, it’s more impressive to see the one he helped create.
Known as a single-term president, much of Carter’s successes came after he left the White House.
Unlike other former presidents who have been known to bring in a pretty penny to give a speech or sit on a corporate board, Carter, alongside his late wife Rosalynn Carter, was often known for his humanitarian efforts.
Working alongside Habitat for Humanity, Carter built a reputation for giving back and helping those who are less fortunate.
“President Jimmy Carter’s dedication to building a world where everyone has a decent place to live continues to inspire us every day,” Habitat for Humanity shared in a post on X. “On his 100th birthday, we thank President Carter for his tireless support of Habitat for Humanity!”
Whether by building houses, going on peace missions to Cuba or the Middle East, living in his hometown, starting the Carter Center, or teaching Sunday School, the former president has put together an impressive resume and example for his fellow former presidents to follow.
In the almost 44 years since Carter left office, he’s accomplished many feats, including helping eradicate Guinea worm, a parasite that infected around 3.5 million people in the 80s, but just 14 in 2023, the Carter Center shared.
The devout Christian has even beat brain cancer.
“I have had a wonderful life,” Carter said when announcing his diagnosis last decade. “I’m ready for anything, and I'm looking forward to a new adventure. It is in the hands of God, whom I worship.”
Carter has been spending his days in his hometown in hospice care, which he entered nearly two years ago. It’s also been almost a year since his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, passed. They were married in 1946.