美国广播公司(ABC)新闻获悉，美国前总统吉米·卡特(Jimmy Carter)去世，享年100岁，他在白宫任职期间和之后一直是国际人权的捍卫者，并因其一生对人权事业的贡献而于2002年获得诺贝尔和平奖。
卡特的死也是宣布的由X上的卡特中心发布“我们的创始人，美国前总统吉米·卡特今天下午在佐治亚州普莱恩斯去世。”卡特中心也分享了贡品网站为已故总统。
卡特，他77岁的妻子罗莎琳，死亡2023年11月19日，享年96岁夫妇的孩子——约翰·威廉(杰克)，詹姆斯·厄尔三世(奇普)，唐纳·杰弗里(杰夫);和他们的女儿艾米·林恩。
“今天，美国和世界失去了一位杰出的领导人、政治家和人道主义者，”拜登总统在一份声明中对卡特的去世做出回应。“凭借他的同情心和清晰的道德观，他致力于根除疾病、缔造和平、推进公民权利和人权、促进自由和公正的选举、为无家可归者提供住房，并始终为我们当中最贫困的人辩护。他拯救、提升并改变了全球人民的生活。”
拜登称他为“一个具有伟大品格和勇气、希望和乐观精神的人”和“一个伟大的美国人”，他说，他“正在华盛顿特区为小詹姆斯·厄尔·卡特举行正式的国葬，小詹姆斯·厄尔·卡特是美国第39任总统，佐治亚州第76任州长，美国海军的上尉，美国海军学院的毕业生，佐治亚州普莱恩斯最喜欢的儿子，他一生都在为上帝和国家服务。”
前总统比尔·克林顿和前国务卿希拉里·克林顿在一份联合声明中说，“我和希拉里哀悼吉米·卡特总统的去世，并感谢他漫长而美好的一生。”。“在他的信念的指引下，卡特总统一生都在为他人服务——直到生命的最后一刻...他为一个更美好、更公平的世界不懈努力。”
参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默(Chuck Schumer)称卡特是“我们最谦逊和最忠诚的公仆之一”，他“通过服务、同情和诚信体现了领导力的真正含义。”
舒默的声明最后说:“愿对他的记忆成为一种祝福，并永远提醒他，真正的服务意味着什么。”。
“卡特总统是在国内外局势紧张和不确定的时期任职的。但他冷静的精神和坚定的信念似乎是不可动摇的，”参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔在一份声明中部分说道。“当吉米·卡特与他心爱的罗莎琳团聚时，我们的思念和祈祷与他们的孩子，杰克、奇普、杰夫和艾米，他们的孙子和曾孙，以及数百万因他的服务而生活受到感动的美国人同在。”
“吉米作为总统面临的挑战正值我们国家的关键时刻，他竭尽全力改善所有美国人的生活。为此，我们都欠他一份感激之情，”当选总统唐纳德·特朗普在一份声明中说，并补充说，他和妻子梅拉尼娅敦促每个人“在心中和祈祷中”保持卡特的家人。
卡特近年来经受了几次健康挑战。2019年，他接受手术摔断了髋骨后。四年前，卡特是被诊断患有转移性黑色素瘤已经扩散到他的大脑，尽管仅仅几个月后，他宣布他不再需要治疗因为他接受了一种新型的癌症疗法。
2023年2月，由前总统创建的旨在促进全球人权的组织卡特中心宣布，卡特将在“他的家人和医疗团队的全力支持下”开始在家接受临终关怀.
卡特中心在一份声明中说:“经过一系列短暂的住院治疗后，美国前总统吉米·卡特今天决定在家中与家人共度余生，并接受临终关怀，而不是额外的医疗干预。”
2023年11月28日，卡特参加了他已故妻子的公共追悼会，大约在宣布他进入临终关怀护理九个月后。身体虚弱、坐在轮椅上的他没有在追悼会上发言。相反，他的女儿艾米，代表他说话这是75年前卡特在海军服役时写给罗莎琳的一封信。
“亲爱的，每次我离开你，当我回来发现你有多好时，我都很激动，”信中这样写道。“当我不在的时候，我试图说服自己，你真的不是，也不可能是，我记忆中的那样甜美。但是当我看到你的时候，我又重新爱上了你。”
卡特已经100岁了2024年10月1日，在亚特兰大的卡特中心和卡特的家乡佐治亚州平原都举行了庆祝活动，尽管卡特本人当时太虚弱了，无法出席。仅仅16天后，卡特中心宣布前总统已经投他的票在总统选举中通过邮件。卡特的孙子杰森此前告诉美国广播公司，他的祖父将投票给副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯。
吉米·卡特是佐治亚州一个花生农民的儿子，1976年，他首次出现在全国政治舞台上，露出露齿的笑容，简单的话语成为他的商标:“我叫吉米·卡特，我正在竞选总统。”
卡特政府最显著的成就是1978年由以色列总理梅纳赫姆·贝京和埃及总统萨达特促成的《戴维营协议》,该协议促成了次年的埃以和平条约。卡特在任期间，还首次努力制定美国能源独立政策。
然而，从1979年11月4日开始，52名美国人在伊朗被扣为人质长达444天的伊朗人质危机重创了卡特1980年的连任竞选。他只赢得了六个州和哥伦比亚特区，总共获得49张选举人票，而共和党挑战者罗纳德·里根获得489张选举人票。里根还在普选中以800多万张选票的优势击败了卡特。
尽管那个时代的政治专家预测，他将作为一个普通的、连任一届的总统被人们记住，但人们经常观察到，卡特的声誉在他离开白宫后变得更加卓越。他继续支持国际人权和和平努力，推动时代杂志1989年，在结束总统任期仅八年后，他宣布卡特“可能是美国有史以来最好的前总统。”
《时代》写道，卡特“重新定义了现代前任总统的意义和目的”。当里根向出价最高者兜售他的时间和才能，杰拉尔德·福特完善他的推杆时，卡特像某个神气活现的超级英雄一样，在3万英尺的高空环绕地球，寻找做好事的机会
卡特是继西奥多·罗斯福(Theodore Roosevelt)和伍德罗·威尔逊(Woodrow Wilson)之后，第三位获得诺贝尔和平奖的美国总统，他是在2002年创建卡特中心后获得诺贝尔和平奖的。巴拉克·奥巴马在2009年成为第四位。诺贝尔委员会在选择卡特时，表彰了“他数十年来为寻求和平解决国际冲突、推进民主和人权以及促进经济和社会发展所做的不懈努力。”
花生农民到政治家
小詹姆斯·厄尔·卡特1924年10月1日出生于佐治亚州普莱恩斯，父亲詹姆斯·厄尔·卡特是一名花生农场主兼商人，母亲莉莲·戈迪·卡特是一名注册护士，她以“莉莲小姐”而闻名尽管卡特是第一位出生在医院的美国总统，但他是在一个没有室内管道和电力的农舍里长大的。
1946年，卡特从马里兰州安纳波利斯的海军学院毕业，在当了七年军官后，他自愿加入潜艇部队，并于1953年光荣退伍，之后他回到了农场。他在1962年开始了他的政治生涯，当时他被选为佐治亚州两任州参议员中的第一任。在他的任期内，他承诺阅读每一个提交投票的法案，甚至参加速读班来跟上进度。
在1966年民主党州长初选失败后，卡特陷入了精神危机，成为了一名重生的基督徒。他后来回忆说，这段时间极大地改变了他的生活，他在竞选活动中说:“从那时起，我内心平静，内心充满信念和信心，这让我的生活变得更好。”
有了这股新的能量，卡特发起了一场咄咄逼人的州长竞选，并在1970年赢得了总统职位。
1974年12月，卡特宣布竞选总统，当时他担任佐治亚州州长的任期即将结束。一个相对不知名的人，卡特赢得了爱荷华州党团会议和新罕布什尔州初选的早期胜利。随着他不断获得代表的支持，并击败众议员莫里斯·乌德尔(Morris 'Mo' Udall)和美国参议员亨利·m·杰克逊(Henry M. Jackson)的挑战，以确保提名，他变得更加知名。
这位笃信宗教的候选人在竞选后期引起了争议，当时他告诉《花花公子》杂志的一名采访者，“我曾色迷迷地看过很多女人。我在心里犯过很多次奸淫。”尽管卡特在采访中使用的这句话和其他一些语言受到了很多批评，但后来被卡特任命为美国驻联合国大使的美国众议员安德鲁·杨，告诉亚特兰大宪法日报卡特已经“彻底解决了他的宗教问题”
1976年11月，卡特以297张选举人票击败杰拉尔德·福特总统，成为第39任总统。
能源和经济
从就职的那一刻起，卡特就在华盛顿定下了不同的基调。他避免拘泥形式，宣誓就职时用“吉米”而不是“詹姆斯·厄尔·卡特”。他和第一夫人甚至走了一英里半的就职游行路线去白宫，而不是乘坐豪华轿车。
进入椭圆形办公室后，卡特继续给总统带来平易近人的感觉。他停止了总统工作人员的豪华轿车服务，甚至亲自控制白宫网球场的时间表。随着美国度过能源危机，卡特命令他的工作人员在冬天调低白宫恒温器，在夏天调高，这是他在整个公共职业生涯中一直坚持的节能做法。
关注外交政策
卡特在国内政策上举步维艰，与接近历史新高的通货膨胀和失业率作斗争。在他为数不多的胜利中，有教育部和能源部的建立，后者是为了应对当时持续的能源短缺。
然而，尽管他的国内政策招致批评，卡特却在外交事务上取得了广泛的成功。他的政府因坚定致力于国际人权而赢得了全世界的赞扬。与他的前任不同，卡特毫不犹豫地批评压制性的右翼政权，他在1977年的一次讲话中说毕业典礼演讲在圣母院，“因为我们知道民主是可行的，我们可以拒绝那些剥夺人民人权的统治者的论点。”
伊朗人质危机和一届政府的终结
卡特外交政策记录上最大的污点出现在1979年11月，当时一群伊朗武装分子占领了美国驻德黑兰大使馆，并将52名美国公民扣为人质。激进分子要求被废黜的礼萨·巴列维从美国返回伊朗接受审判，他正在美国寻求医疗照顾。
卡特最初对危机的反应是切断与伊朗的外交关系，并阻止从该国进口。但当这些措施失败后，1980年4月，他下令秘密武装营救。几架美国直升机发生故障，两架飞机相撞，造成八名美国军人死亡，这场战争以灾难告终。
人质在被囚禁444天后，于1980年1月20日获释。也许作为对卡特最后的侮辱，罗纳德·里根总统宣誓就职后几分钟，伊朗就释放了人质。新总统派卡特去德国迎接人质。
总统任期后的公共服务遗产
直到他离开白宫多年后，许多人才开始欣赏卡特。这位前总统开始了其公共服务生涯的新阶段，将他的时间用于建立和平和人道主义努力。
“他让后总统时代变成了一个前所未有的机构，”历史学家兼作家史蒂夫·霍奇曼(Steve Hochman)说，他帮助建立了卡特中心。"他是美国历史上最成功、最有影响力的前总统。"
在该组织的许多努力中，卡特中心帮助领导了一场成功的根除麦地那龙线虫病的运动，这是一种通过被麦地那龙线虫幼虫污染的饮用水传播的使人虚弱的寄生虫感染。1986年，这种疾病每年影响21个非洲国家的350万人，但到了2017年，它已经减少了99.99%，只有30例，根据卡特中心的数据.
卡特告诉ABC新闻他的目标是彻底根除这种疾病。卡特说:“我认为这将是一个伟大的成就——不是对我，而是对受折磨的人们和全世界来说，看到像这样的疾病被根除。
卡特也成为致力于建造经济适用房的非营利组织“人类家园”的最高调支持者。卡特夫妇亲自帮助建造、翻新和修复了14个国家的4390所房屋，据该组织称该书还称卡特和妻子罗莎琳是“世界上最杰出的人道主义者”
在“深厚的基督教信仰”的指引下
除了广泛的人道主义工作，卡特在离开白宫后写了二十多本书，包括《保持信仰:总统回忆录》(1982年)、《天亮前一小时:我的农村少年时代回忆录》(2001年)、《吉米·卡特的个人信仰》(2002年)和《信仰:所有人的旅程》(2018年)。他还写了诗集，以及一部关于革命战争的虚构作品，名为《马蜂窝》(2003)。
卡特在他的小说开篇提到了他的基督教信仰总统就职演说1977年1月20日，引用《圣经·旧约》的号召“公正行事，热爱仁慈，谦逊地与你的上帝同行。”
卡特的信仰和看似无限的能量在他家乡佐治亚州普莱恩斯教堂的主日学校里显现出来，那里的教徒排队等候参加。他还以走过他乘坐的每一架飞机而闻名——他总是乘坐商业航班——与每一位乘客握手。
然而，在卡特随和的南方风格背后，是钢铁般的意志和无尽的决心。传记作家道格拉斯·布林克利(Douglas Brinkley)回忆说，这位第39任总统是“一种军人”，似乎永远不会疲倦。
“我的意思是，”布林克利指出，“特勤局对他的昵称是‘达什尔’，因为他可以到处走动。”
吉米·卡特在他的总统就职演说中再次表达了他对定义他一生的原则的承诺:“我们对人权的承诺必须是绝对的，我们的法律必须公平，我们的自然美必须得到保护，”卡特宣布。"强者不得迫害弱者，人的尊严必须得到提高."
Former President Jimmy Carter, celebrated champion of human rights, dies at 100
Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. president known as a champion of international human rights both during and after his White House tenure and who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his lifetime of dedication to that cause, has died at 100, ABC News has learned.
Carter's death was alsoannouncedby the Carter Center on X, which posted "Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia." The Carter Center also shared atribute sitefor the late president.
Carter, whose wife of 77 years, Rosalynn,diedon Nov. 19, 2023, at age 96, is survived by thecouple's children-- John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip) and Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff); and their daughter, Amy Lynn.
"Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian," President Biden said in a statement in reaction to Carter's death. "With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe."
Calling him "a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism" and "a great American," Biden said he was "ordering an official state funeral to be held in Washington, D.C. for James Earl Carter, Jr., 39th President of the United States, 76th Governor of Georgia, Lieutenant of the United States Navy, graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and favorite son of Plains, Georgia, who gave his full life in service to God and country."
"Hillary and I mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter and give thanks for his long, good life," former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a joint statement, in part. "Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others — until the very end ... he worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Carter "one of our most humble and devoted public servants" who "personified the true meaning of leadership through service, through compassion, and through integrity."
"May his memory be a blessing and an enduring reminder of what it means to truly serve," Schumer's statement concluded.
“President Carter served during times of tension and uncertainty, both at home and abroad. But his calm spirit and deep faith seemed unshakeable," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement, in part. "As Jimmy Carter is reunited with his beloved Rosalynn, our thoughts and prayers are with their children, Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and the millions of Americans whose lives were touched by his service."
"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," President-elect Donald Trump said in a statement, adding that he and wife Melania urged everyone to keep Carter's family "in their hearts and prayers."
Carter had endured several health challenges in recent years. In 2019, heunderwent surgeryafter breaking his hip in a fall. Four years earlier, Carter wasdiagnosed with metastatic melanomathat had spread to his brain, though just months later, heannounced that he no longer needed treatmentdue to a new type of cancer therapy he'd been receiving.
In February of 2023, the Carter Center, the organization founded by the former president to promote human rights worldwide, announced that Carter, with "the full support of his family and his medical team," wouldbegin receiving hospice care at home.
"After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention," the Carter Center said in a statement.
Carter attended the public memorial service for his late wife on Nov. 28, 2023, some nine months after the announcement that he'd entered hospice care. Frail and in a wheelchair, he didn't speak at the memorial. Instead, his daughter, Amy,spoke on his behalf, reading from a letter Carter sent to Rosalynn some 75 years earlier, when he was away serving in the Navy.
"My darling, every time I have ever been away from you, I have been thrilled when I returned to discover just how wonderful you are," the letter read, in part. "While I am away, I try to convince myself that you really are not, could not be, as sweet and beautiful as I remember. But when I see you, I fall in love with you all over again."
Carterturned 100 years oldon Oct. 1, 2024, an occasion that was celebrated with events both at the Carter Center in Atlanta, and in Carter's Plains, Georgia hometown, though Carter himself was by that time too frail to attend them. Just 16 days later, the Carter Center announced that the former president hadcast his ballotby mail in the presidential election. Carter's grandson, Jason, previously told ABC News that his grandfather would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
The son of a Georgia peanut farmer, Jimmy Carter first appeared on the national political scene in 1976 with a toothy grin and the simple words that would become his trademark: "My name is Jimmy Carter, and I'm running for president."
Among his administration's most notable achievements were the Camp David Accords, which Carter brokered between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1978, and that led to the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty the following year. Carter's time in office also saw the first efforts toward developing a U.S. policy for energy independence. the White House in Washington, DC.
David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images
However, the Iran hostage crisis, in which 52 Americans were held hostage in Iran for a total 444 days, beginning Nov. 4, 1979, battered Carter's 1980 reelection campaign. He won just six states and the District of Columbia, for a total of 49 electoral votes compared to Republican challenger Ronald Reagan's 489 electoral votes. Reagan also defeated Carter by more than eight million ballots in the popular vote.
Though political pundits of the era predicted he would be remembered as an average, one-term president, it's often been observed that Carter's reputation became more distinguished after he left the White House. He continued to champion international human rights and peace efforts, promptingTime magazineto declare in 1989, just eight years after the end of his presidency, that Carter "may be the best former president America has ever had."
Carter "redefined the meaning and purpose of the modern ex-presidency," Time wrote. "While Reagan peddles his time and talents to the highest bidder and Gerald Ford perfects his putt, Carter, like some jazzed superhero, circles the globe at 30,000 feet, seeking opportunities to Do Good."
Arne Knudsen/Getty Images MORE: Dec. 10, 2002: Jimmy Carter accepts Nobel Peace Prize
Carter was the third U.S. president, following Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which he received in 2002 after creating the Carter Center. Barack Obama became the fourth, in 2009. In selecting Carter for the honor, the Nobel Committee cited "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."
Peanut farmer to politician
James Earl Carter Jr. was born in Plains, Georgia, on Oct. 1, 1924, to James Earl Carter Sr., a peanut farmer and businessman, and Lillian Gordy Carter, a registered nurse who famously became known as 'Miss Lillian.' Though he was the first American president born in a hospital, Carter was raised in a farmhouse without indoor plumbing or electricity.
Carter graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1946 and after spending seven years as an officer -- he volunteered for submarine duty and was honorably discharged in 1953 -- he returned to farming. He began his political career in 1962 when he was elected to the first of two terms as a state senator in Georgia. During his tenure, he promised to read every bill that came to a vote, even taking a speed-reading class to keep up.
After an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1966, Carter fell into a spiritual crisis, emerging as a born-again Christian. He later recalled this period as one that changed his life dramatically, saying on the campaign trail: "Since then, I've had an inner peace and inner conviction and assurance that transformed my life for the better."
Armed with this renewed energy, Carter launched an aggressive gubernatorial campaign and won the office in 1970.
Carter announced his bid for the presidency in December 1974 as his term as governor of Georgia was ending. A relative unknown, Carter won early victories in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. He became more well-known as he steadily picked up delegates and beat back challenges from Rep. Morris 'Mo' Udall and U.S. Sen. Henry M. Jackson to secure the nomination.
MORE: July 15, 1976: Jimmy Carter explains his vision for America at the DNC
The deeply religious candidate caused controversy late in his campaign when he told an interviewer from Playboy magazine, "I've looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times." While there was considerable criticism of that line and some of the other language Carter used in the interview, then-U.S. Rep. Andrew Young, whom Carter later appointed as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations,told The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionthat Carter had "taken care of his religion problem once and for all."
In November 1976, Carter defeated President Gerald Ford with 297 electoral votes to Ford's 241 to become the 39th president.
Energy and economy
From the moment of his inauguration, Carter set a different tone in Washington. He avoided formality, taking the oath of office as 'Jimmy' instead of 'James Earl' Carter. He and the first lady even walked the mile-and-a-half inaugural parade route to the White House, rather than ride in a limousine.
Once in the Oval Office, Carter continued to bring a common touch to the presidency. He discontinued limousine service for presidential staff and even personally controlled the schedule of the White House tennis courts. As America weathered an energy crisis, Carter ordered his staff to turn the White House thermostats down in the winter and up in the summer, an energy-conscious practice he continued throughout his public career.
Focus on foreign policy
Carter struggled with domestic policies, fighting near-record highs in inflation and unemployment. Among his few victories was the establishment of the Department of Education and the Department of Energy, the latter in response to a continued energy shortage at the time.
Yet, while his domestic policies drew criticism, Carter found widespread success in foreign affairs. His administration attracted worldwide praise for distinguishing itself with a firm commitment to international human rights. Unlike his predecessors, Carter did not hesitate to criticize repressive right-wing regimes, saying in a 1977commencement speechat Notre Dame, "Because we know that democracy works, we can reject the arguments of those rulers who deny human rights to their people."
The Iran Hostage Crisis and the end of an administration
The largest stain on Carter's foreign policy record came in November 1979, when a group of Iranian militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took hostage 52 American citizens. The militants demanded the return to Iran of the deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi from the U.S., where he was seeking medical attention, to stand trial.
Carter initially responded to the crisis by cutting diplomatic ties with Iran and blocking imports from the country. But when those measures failed, in April 1980, he ordered a secret armed rescue mission. It ended in disaster when several American helicopters malfunctioned and two aircraft collided, killing eight U.S. servicemen.
The hostages were freed Jan. 20, 1980, after 444 days in captivity. Perhaps as a final insult to Carter, Iran released the hostages just minutes after President Ronald Reagan had been sworn in. The new president sent Carter to Germany to greet the hostages.
Post-presidency legacy of public service
It wasn't until years after he left the White House that many came to appreciate Carter. The former president embarked on a new phase of his career in public service, devoting his days to peacemaking and humanitarian efforts.
"He has made the post-presidency an institution that it had never been before," said historian and author Steve Hochman, who helped establish the Carter Center. "He has been the most successful, most influential former president in American history."
Among the organization's many efforts, the Carter Center helped spearhead a successful campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, a debilitating parasitic infection spread by drinking water contaminated with the worm's larvae. In 1986, the disease affected 3.5 million people per year in 21 African countries, but by 2017, it had been reduced by 99.99%, to just 30 cases,according to the Carter Center.
Cartertold ABC Newsin 2015 that his goal was to eradicate the disease entirely. "I think this is going to be a great achievement for -- not for me -- but for the people that have been afflicted and for the entire world to see diseases like this eradicated," Carter said.
Carter also became the highest-profile supporter of Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit devoted to creating affordable housing. The Carters personally helped to build, renovate and repair 4,390 homes in 14 countries,according to the organization, which also called Carter and wife Rosalynn "two of the world's most distinguished humanitarians."
Guided by 'deep Christian faith'
In addition to his extensive humanitarian work, Carter wrote more than two dozen books after leaving the White House, including "Keeping the Faith: Memoirs of a President" (1982), "An Hour Before Daylight: Memoirs of My Rural Boyhood" (2001), "The Personal Beliefs of Jimmy Carter" (2002), and "Faith: A Journey for All," (2018). He also wrote poetry collections, as well as a fictional work about the Revolutionary War, titled "The Hornet's Nest" (2003).
Carter referenced his Christian faith in the opening lines of hispresidential inaugural addresson Jan. 20, 1977, quoting the biblical Old Testament call "to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."
Carter's faith and seemingly limitless energy manifested themselves as he taught at his church's Sunday school in his Plains, Georgia hometown, where congregants lined up to attend. He was also known for walking the length of every plane on which he traveled – he always flew commercial – to shake hands with every passenger.
Yet behind Carter's easygoing Southern manner was an iron will and inexhaustible determination. Biographer Douglas Brinkley recalled the 39th president as "a kind of military man" who never seemed to get tired.
"I mean," Brinkley noted, "the Secret Service nickname for him was 'Dasher' because he could move around so much."
Jimmy Carter's commitment to the principles that defined his life was, again, expressed in his presidential inaugural address: "Our commitment to human rights must be absolute, our laws fair, our natural beauty preserved," Carter declared. "The powerful must not persecute the weak, and human dignity must be enhanced."
