In 2023, the Carter Center revealed that the 39th US president was fighting an aggressive form of melanoma skin cancer. He spent his last years at home under hospice care. He was the longest-lived president in American history.
“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” his son, James E. Carter III, said in a statement.
“My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs,” he added.
Born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Carter graduated from a naval academy and served as an engineer on a submarine. He was elected governor of Georgia in 1971 and eventually served as president from 1977 to 1981.
During his term in office, Carter initially sought to continue the policy of detente with the Soviet Union, aiming to ease the geopolitical tensions of the Cold War. In June 1979, he and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II (SALT II) agreement, which sought to curtail the arms race between the two superpowers. However, the treaty faced obstacles in the US Senate and was never ratified, largely due to escalating tensions following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the end of 1979.
Carter saw the Soviet war in Afghanistan as a threat to American interests in the region and implemented several measures against the USSR, including economic sanctions and the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
He authorized the CIA to secretly help train and arm the anti-Soviet mujahideen fighters. The covert aid to the rebels contributed to the eventual withdrawal of the Soviet troops and the rise of the Taliban.
Carter brokered the 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, which became the first case of an Arab state officially recognizing Israel.
He also paved the way for the handover of the Panama Canal to Panamanian authorities in 1999. US President-elect Donald Trump has recently threatened to reverse this decision and restore American control of the important waterway.
At home, Carter focused on reducing inflation and championing environmentalist policies. As part of his government reorganization, he created the Department of Energy and the Department of Education.
His last year in office was marred by the hostage crisis in Iran, where supporters of the Islamic Revolution held American diplomats captive for 444 days. The hostages were released in January 1981, just minutes after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the next US president.
After leaving the presidency, Carter dedicated himself to humanitarian efforts, founding the Carter Center in 1982, which focused on promoting democracy and human rights. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.
