Former President Jimmy Carter has died at his home in Plains, Georgia at the age of 100.
His son, Chip Carter confirmed that the former president died about 3:45 p.m.
The nation’s 39th president had been in hospice care since February 2023. After a series of short hospitalizations, Carter 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 at the time.
Carter, 100, the longest-lived American president, was a little-known Georgia governor when he began his bid for the presidency ahead of the 1976 election. He went on to defeat then-President Gerald R. Ford, capitalizing as a Washington outsider in the wake of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal that drove Richard Nixon from office in 1974.
Carter served a single, tumultuous term and was defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980, a landslide loss that ultimately paved the way for his decades of global advocacy for democracy, public health and human rights via The Carter Center.
The former president and his wife, Rosalynn, who died on November 19, 2023, at the age of 96, opened the center in 1982. His work there garnered a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Carter, who has lived most of his life in Plains, traveled extensively into his 80s and early 90s, including annual trips to build homes with Habitat for Humanity and frequent trips abroad as part of the Carter Center’s election monitoring and its effort to eradicate the Guinea worm parasite in developing countries.
In 2015 Carter announced he had metastatic melanoma, which spread to his liver and brain. He survived through an immunotherapy treatment, but faced a series of additional health scares in 2019. He entered home hospice care on Feb. 19, and remained surrounded by his family members.
At that time, his grandson Jason Carter posted on Twitter: “They are at peace and — as always — their home is full of love.”
FILE – Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter is escorted by Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Sept. 30, 1976, as Carter landed at Boston’s Logan Airport for a campaign stop on his New England tour. Carter announced his campaign for the presidency in December 1974. At that point he had never met an American president. He later said part of what nudged him into the race was meeting several candidates ahead of the 1972 campaign and concluding that he was talented as they were. (AP Photo/Jeff Taylor, File) FILE – In this July 10, 1976, file photo Jimmy Carter, his wife Rosalynn and daughter Amy, lower left, respond to a huge crowd that welcomed them to New York. Jimmy and Rosalynn are celebrating their 77th wedding anniversary, Friday, July 7, 2023. (AP Photo, File) FILE – U.S. President Jimmy Carter waves to the crowd while walking with his wife, Rosalynn, and their daughter, Amy, along Pennsylvania Avenue. The Carters elected to walk the parade route from the Capitol to the White House following his inauguration in Washington, Jan. 20, 1977. Carter announced his campaign for the presidency in December 1974. At that point he had never met an American president. He later said part of what nudged him into the race was meeting several candidates ahead of the 1972 campaign and concluding that he was talented as they were. (AP Photo/Suzanne Vlamis, File) FILE – In this Nov. 3, 1978 file photo, President Jimmy Carter, left, and California Governor Edmund G.”Jerry” Brown Jr. wave to the crowd during visit to Sacramento, Calif. On Monday, Oct. 7, 2013, Brown will become the state’s longest serving governor, surpassing Earl Warren’s 10-year tenure in the office. Warren served as governor from Jan. 4, 1943 to Oct. 5, 1953, when he resigned to join the U.S. Supreme Court. Brown held the office from 1975-1983 and was able to run for governor again because his first stint as governor came before California’s term limits laws, which restricts governors to two terms in office. (AP Photo/file) (AP Photo/file)FILE – In this Dec. 13, 1978, file photo, President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn lead their guests in dancing at the annual Congressional Christmas Ball at the White House in Washington. Jimmy and Rosalynn are celebrating their 77th wedding anniversary, Friday, July 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz, File) FILE–Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, left, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands on the north lawn of the White House after signing the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel on March 26, 1979. Sadat and Begin were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for accomplishing peace negotiations in 1978. The rest of the Arab world shunned Sadat, condemning his initiative for peace. President Carter was pivotol for the two leaders to meet at Camp David and as a result, peace began between Arabs and Jews. It was shattered when Sadat was assassinated in Cairo on Oct. 6, 1981. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty) FILE – President Jimmy Carter waves from the roof of his car along the parade route through Bardstown, Ky., July 31, 1979. Well-wishes and fond remembrances for the former president continued to roll in Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, a day after he entered hospice care at his home in Georgia. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File) In this file photo taken March 26, 1979, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat,left, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin clasp hands on the north lawn of the White House as they completed signing of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. When Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin shook hands with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat on the White House lawn on March 26, 1979, ordinary Israelis saw not only an end to war with their largest neighbor but also the hope of warm relations with the people next door.Things haven’t quite worked out that way. This week, the countries mark the 30th anniversary of what is known in Israel as the “cold peace.”(AP Photo/Bob Daugherty,File) FILE – The Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and President Jimmy Carter, right, confer during a ceremony in Atlanta on Jan. 14, 1979, to present the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize to Carter. (AP Photo/Jim Wells, File) President Jimmy Carter, Tip O’Neil and Bowie Kuhn attend the seventh game of the World Series at Memorial Stadium between the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates in October, 1979. (J. Pat Carter, J. Pat Carter / Baltimore Sun file) Photo taken on March 22, 1987 in Damascus shows former U.S. President Jimmy Carter leaving the Saint John Church during his trip to Syria. (Photo by /AFP/Getty Images) For the first time in history, five US presidents gathered in one place. George HW Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon appear in the courtyard of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley Calif., November 04 1991. (Photo by Tom Mendoza/Daily News Staff Photographer) Former President George Bush, left, President Clinton, former President Gerald Ford, and former President Jimmy Carter, right, wave to the crowd at the dedication of the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 6, 1997. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) President Clinton presents former President and First Lady Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, during a ceremony at the Carter Center in Atlanta Monday, Aug. 9, 1999. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Former President Jimmy Carter attends a ceremony, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2000, to mark the 20th anniversary of then President Carter’s signing legislation to create the Martin Luther King Jr., National Historic Site in Atlanta. Carter _ a Sunday school teacher since he was 18 years old _ said he is cutting ties with the Southern Baptist Convention because he finds it increasingly rigid in its views on the role of women. “My grandfather, my father and I have always been Southern Baptists, and for 21 yearssince the first political division took place in the Southern Baptist Convention, I have maintained that relationship. I feel I can no longer in good conscience do that,” Carter said in Friday’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution.(AP Photo/John Bazemore) Former US President Jimmy Carter, center, and his wife Rosalynn, right, receive a drawing as a gift from Nudersi Garcia, 15, left, a patient at the “Los Cocos” AIDS sanatorium during his visit to the medical facility in Havana, Cuba Tuesday, May 14, 2001. (AP Photo/Cristobal Herrera) Former President Jimmy Carter kisses his wife Rosalynn after holding a news conference in Plains, Ga., Friday, Oct. 11, 2002, to discuss his thoughts on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Carter won the prize Friday, more than two decades after he left the White House with the nation’s mood darkened by economic malaise, the Iranian hostage crisis and the energy crisis. His post-presidency work has been more successful, as he has mediated conflicts across the globe, fought for human rights and tried to improve health care in the Third World. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter wanders through the crowd shaking hands and receiving hugs after a press conference where he talked about receiving the Noble Peace Prize 11 October, 2002 in Plains, Georgia. A commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering was not only a guiding principle of his single, four-year term as 39th president of the United States, but the cornerstone of The Carter Center he founded 20 years ago to pursue his vision of world diplomacy. (Photo by Steve Schaefer/AFP/Getty Images) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn wave to the audience during the Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter July 26, 2004 in Boston, Massachusetts. Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) is expected to accept his party’s nomination later in the week. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Former US president Jimmy Carter addresses the funeral for Coretta Scott King before US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush 07 February 2006 at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, GA. Civil rights “first lady” Coretta Scott King was given a fond farewell with soulful hymns and lively prayers at a funeral attended by four US presidents. (Photo by Ric Field/AFP/Getty Images) Former President Jimmy Carter addresses a crowd of students, faculty, and staff at Zellerbach Hall at U.C. Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif. on Wednesday, May 2, 2007. President Carter mainly talked about his book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid”, which is about the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. (Nader Khouri/Contra Costa Times) DENVER – AUGUST 25: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter (R) and former first lady Rosalynn Carter wave on stage during day one of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the Pepsi Center August 25, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. The DNC, where U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will be officially nominated as the Democratic candidate for U.S. president, starts today and finishes August 28th. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter work together to make a precise cut as they work on installing a windowsill at the Brookfield Court development in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Oct. 7, 2013. The Carters visited the 12-home development being built by Habitat for Humanity in Oakland’s Brookfield Village neighborhood.(Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group) Former US president Jimmy Carter (R) listens to Shaul Goldshtein, head of the Gush Etzion municipality, as he visits the Jewish settlement of Neve Daniel in the occupied West Bank on June 14, 2009. Israel is headed for a clash with main ally the United States over the issue of Jewish settlements, former US president Jimmy Carter said in an interview with the liberal Haaretz newspaper. (Yehuda Raizner/AFP/Getty Images) In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Rosalynn Carter, right, wife of former President Jimmy Carter, center, greets Nemo the dolphin at Hawk’s Cay Resort near Marathon, Fla., Dec. 29, 2010, in the Florida Keys. On Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, The Carter Center announced that the 96-year-old former first lady had died at her rural Plains, Georgia, home. Back in 2010, the couple and their family stayed at the resort during a vacation in the Florida Keys. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP) Former President Jimmy Carter signs a copy of his book “White House Diary” during a book signing event at Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010. (Kirstina Sangsahachart/ Daily News) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter takes a measurement with the help of Maury Furness, right, as they install a front door of a home on Terilyn Ave. in San Jose, Calif. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. Former President Carter and the first lady, Rosalynn Carter, helped volunteers rehabilitate the home as part of Habitat for Humanity’s 30th anniversary of the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Furness is a House Leader for Habitat for Humanity. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group) Former President Jimmy Carter, left, sits with his wife Rosalynn as they wait to pose for photos after Carter taught Sunday School class at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015, in Plains, Ga. More than 700 people heard Carter deliver a familiar message this weekend: When your burden grows heavy, ask God for strength. (AP Photo/David Goldman) David Goldman/Associated PressFILE – Former President Jimmy Carter, right, holds hands with his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, as they work with other volunteers on site, Aug. 27, 2018, in Mishawaka, Ind. Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Jimmy Carter during his one term as U.S. president and their four decades thereafter as global humanitarians, died Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. She was 96. (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP, File) FILE – Former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church, in Plains, Ga., Nov. 3, 2019. Well-wishes and fond remembrances for the former president continued to roll in Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, a day after he entered hospice care at his home in Georgia. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) This photo provided by The Carter Center shows former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020 in Plains, Ga. Former President Jimmy Carter marked his 96th birthday Thursday, the latest milestone for the longest-lived of the 44 men to hold the highest American office. (Luke Usry/The Carter Center via AP) Luke Usry/The Carter Center via APFILE – Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, sit together during a reception to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary, July 10, 2021, in Plains, Ga. Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Jimmy Carter during his one term as U.S. president and their four decades thereafter as global humanitarians, died Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. She was 96. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, Pool, File) Former President Jimmy Carter greets people as he leaves after the funeral service for his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, at Maranatha Baptist Church on Nov. 29, 2023, in Plains, Georgia. Rosalynn Carter, who passed away on Nov. 19 at the age of 96, was married to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter for 77 years. In her lifetime she was an activist and writer known to be an advocate for the elderly, affordable housing, mental health, and the protection of monarch butterflies. (Photo by Alex Brandon – Pool/Getty Images) FILE – Former President Jimmy Carter departs after attending the funeral service for his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, at Maranatha Baptist Church, in Plains, Ga., Nov. 29, 2023. In the year since Jimmy Carter first entered home hospice care, the 39th president has celebrated his 99th birthday, enjoyed tributes to his legacy and outlived his wife of 77 years. Rosalynn Carter, who died in Nov. after suffering from dementia, spent just a few days under hospice. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
