President Jimmy Carter, the only former U.S. commander-in-chief to ever reach age 100, passed away on Sunday, Dec. 29, at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was surrounded by family and friends. 

Carter, the nation’s 39th president (1976-1980), had been under hospice care since February 2023. His wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, passed away on Nov. 19, 2023, at age 96. The couple were married for 77 years, the longest marriage in presidential history. They had four children, and 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Before entering politics, Carter graduated from the Naval Academy and served as executive officer on a U.S. submarine before returning home to take over the family’s peanut farm following the death of his father. He was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1962 and served one term as governor, beginning in 1971. He served as campaign chairman for the Democratic National Committee in 1974. 

Undergirded by his strong faith in God, Carter was a Sunday school teacher for decades at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, even overseeing the class during his battle with cancer in 2015. When he entered the race for president, he campaigned on the promise that he would always tell the American people the truth. 

“To me, the relationship with God is a very personal thing,” he once said. “God is ever present in my life. He gives me guidance when I turn to Him.” 

Franklin Graham shared on social media that his father and Carter had a close relationship. “And we were honored to have him join us for the dedication of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte in 2007. I know that his family would appreciate your prayers.”

Carter’s interactions with Billy Graham began before he went to the White House. In 1973, while still governor, Carter served as an honorary chairman at Graham’s Crusade in Atlanta. In 1994, he spoke at another Billy Graham Crusade in Atlanta, and at that event he shared the story of how the evangelist sought his help once in the late 1960s. 

At the time, Billy Graham wanted to hold a Gospel film outreach in Georgia and needed someone to spearhead the effort. Carter accepted the role and held integrated staff meetings in Sumter County—something Mr. Graham insisted upon for all BGEA events. 

“Jimmy Carter was the only man who had the courage to be the chairman,” Mr. Graham said. 

It wasn’t an easy role. When Carter went to the major churches, none of them would let him and other event organizers in. “So we went to the basement of an abandoned school building, and that’s where we had our integrated planning meetings,” Carter said. 

When the film was shown in a local theater the next year, different races sat side by side, and hundreds went forward and knelt together as they made decisions for Christ. 

Through the years, Billy and Ruth Graham visited the Carters in the Georgia governor’s mansion and later at the White House. In 2007, Jimmy Carter, along with former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, participated in the dedication of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. 

Following his presidency, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter founded the Carter Center, a non-profit based in Atlanta, and in 2002, Carter was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work through the organization. The Carters also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for more than 35 years. 

Tributes began pouring in immediately after the Associated Press announced Carter’s death on Sunday. President-elect Donald Trump praised the former president as “a truly good man.” President Joe Biden called him “an example of simple decency.”  

President George W. Bush said President Carter was “a man of deeply held convictions,” noting that his service did not end with his single term as president. “His work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center set an example of service that will inspire Americans for generations.” 

The official state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter will be held Jan. 9 at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the White House confirmed Monday. 

Above: Jimmy Carter speaks at the May 2007 dedication of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte.