Former President Jimmy Carter, the longest-living U.S. president at 100 years old, passed away on Sunday, December 29th, 2023. The Carter Center confirmed his death in Plains, Georgia, where he was surrounded by his family. His passing came just over a month after the death of his wife, Rosalynn Carter, on November 28th, 2023. Rosalynn’s memorial service followed nine months after the announcement in February that the former president would receive hospice care at home. A statement from The Carter Center explained that Jimmy Carter “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention” after a series of short hospital stays.
Rosalynn’s passing was announced shortly after she began hospice care following a dementia diagnosis. In a statement shared by The Carter Center following her death, Jimmy Carter paid tribute to his wife, saying, “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished. She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
Following his four years in the White House (1977-1981), the former Georgia senator dedicated himself to humanitarian work. He became closely associated with Habitat for Humanity and served tirelessly as an ambassador to impoverished nations, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Reflecting on his life in a 2017 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Carter stated, “When I was president of the most powerful and influential nation on earth, I had more total influence over peace and progress and things like that. But the last 35 years since I’ve left the White House has been the most challenging and interesting and adventurous and unpredictable and gratifying times of my life… And the things that I tried and didn’t quite accomplish because of change in circumstances and so forth. But, I did the best I could. As my vice president said, ‘We told the truth, we obeyed the law and we kept the peace.'”
Carter’s personal life was equally fulfilling. Married to his childhood sweetheart, Rosalynn Smith, since July 7, 1946, they raised four children. In a 2015 interview with CNN, he described his wife and children as “the foundation for my entire enjoyment of life,” adding, “We have a big family now, we have 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, 38 of us in all. So, we try to hold our family together and just enjoy the family life.”
The Carter children are:
Jack Carter: Born July 3, 1947, Jack Carter pursued a career in the Navy and later in law, before running unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in Nevada in 2006.
James “Chip” Carter: Born April 12, 1950, Chip Carter served as a Georgia state senator from 1995 to 1999 and is an attorney. He released a statement following his mother’s death and his father’s death, paying tribute to both.
Donnel “Jeff” Carter: Born August 18, 1952, Jeff Carter co-founded the company Computer Mapping Consultants.
Amy Lynn Carter: Born October 19, 1967, Amy Carter is an artist and art historian. She is known for her political activism and illustrated her father’s children’s book, *The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer*.