Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter smiles during a book signing event in 2018. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Former President Jimmy Carter died Sunday at his home in Plains at the age of 100, triggering an outpouring of tributes from prominent national figures from both sides of the aisle.
President Joe Biden, Carter’s longtime friend and political ally, said Sunday that he will order an official state funeral to be held in Washington. A public service is also planned for Atlanta, though the details have not yet been announced. Biden is set to give televised remarks on Carter’s passing at 8 p.m. Sunday.
“To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” the president and first lady Jill Biden said in a joint statement. “He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.”
Carter had famously told his family that he hoped to live long enough to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential race, which he did by absentee ballot in October.
“President Jimmy Carter was guided by a deep and abiding faith — in God, in America, and in humanity,” Harris said Sunday, calling his life “a testament to the power of service.”
Incoming GOP President Donald Trump, whose inauguration is set for Jan. 20, said in an online post that he and Carter belonged to the same “very exclusive club.”
“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,” Trump said in the statement.
Former President Barack Obama reflected on Carter’s legacy, including his many years teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in tiny Plains, Georgia.
“Elected in the shadow of Watergate, Jimmy Carter promised voters that he would always tell the truth. And he did — advocating for the public good, consequences be damned,” Obama wrote.
“He believed some things were more important than reelection — things like integrity, respect, and compassion. Because Jimmy Carter believed, as deeply as he believed anything, that we are all created in God’s image,” he added.
Carter may have suffered defeat at the ballot box when he sought another term but his impact is widely seen as extending well beyond his four years in the White House.
“President Carter served during times of tension and uncertainty, both at home and abroad,” said longtime GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. “But his calm spirit and deep faith seemed unshakeable.
“Jimmy Carter served as our commander-in-chief for four years, but he served as the beloved, unassuming Sunday school teacher at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia for forty. And his humble devotion leaves us little doubt which of those two important roles he prized the most,” McConnell added.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Carter “taught us that the strength of a leader lies not in rhetoric but in action, not in personal gain but in service to others.”
“At the heart of President Carter’s public service was his fervent commitment to honoring the spark of divinity within every person,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat. “He always defended that spark: whether teaching Sunday school in his beloved Maranatha Baptist Church, brokering the landmark Camp David Accords to pave the way to peace or building homes with Habitat for Humanity.”
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.