Former Democrat President Jimmy Carter turned 100 on Tuesday, earning him the distinction of being the first president to live to an entire century.
Carter, the country’s 39th President, has been a man of many initiatives. He was the first US president to be born in a hospital, the first Naval Academy graduate to become president, and the first president to make a formal state visit to sub-Saharan Africa, among other things. Now, Carter is the first US President in history to complete 100 years.
Carter remains under home hospice care in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, where he has lived since the end of his presidency in 1981. This coming February marks two years in hospice for the former president, who is survived by the death of his wife, Rosalynn. He died last year at the age of 96,
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Former President Carter and wife Rosalynn are shown taking a walk in their hometown of Plains, Georgia. (Matt McClain/Washington Post via Getty Images/File)
“It’s funny, President Carter has accomplished a lot and rarely fails. But there’s one thing he’s not good at This is Dharamshala. said Jill Stuckey, a family friend of the Carters for more than 30 years and superintendent of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park on the Plains. “He survives, and we’re so thrilled by that fact. So, if he wasn’t any good at anything, we’re glad it’s hospice.”
When Stuckey was asked what distinguished Carter from other former presidents who lived to old age, he said it was “perseverance”.
“He and Mrs. Carter were concerned about living as long as possible, staying as healthy as possible, so that they could help as many people as possible,” Stuckey told Fox News Digital. “They’ve eaten right every time. They’ve exercised every day. They’ve been consistent in taking care of themselves so they can live as long as possible to take care of others. And that’s what President Carter is proving today.” “All those things make a difference.”
The White House held a birthday message for Carter on the North Lawn.
The White House is celebrating former President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, becoming the first former president to do so. (Griff Jenkins/Fox News)
Stucky said events have been underway on the Plains since Saturday to commemorate Carter’s 100th birthday, when the city held its annual Peanuts Festival.
“We celebrate peanut harvest season here on the plains, and it coincides with President Carter’s birthday every year, so we kind of connect them,” Stuckey said.
A float walks down Main Street during the 26th annual Plains Peanut Festival ahead of former President Carter’s birthday on October 1. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
He also indicated that on Tuesday, Carter’s birthday, several other events would take place in Plains to commemorate his birthday, including a naturalization ceremony for 100 new citizens at Plains High School, which both Jimmy and Rosalynn attended. Had taken.
After the ceremony, a flyover will be organized in the honor of the former President Navy Secretary Carlos del ToroIn the late afternoon, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will also be held on the grounds for new statues dedicated to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
Meanwhile, in celebration of Carter’s birthday, volunteers in St. Paul, Minnesota Gathered to build 30 new houses in five days, Participants reportedly included country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.
“You are one of the most influential politicians in our history,” President Biden said in a video released ahead of Carter’s birthday on Tuesday.
Over the weekend, Grand Ole Opry member and country music legend Charlie McCoy gave a special presentation “Georgia on My Mind” to honor former President.
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The statue of former President Carter is covered with snow in Rapid City, SD on March 21, 2023 (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
“I remember the first time I saw him, and I was just amazed, and that feeling lasts forever. You can be around presidents all the time, but the first time is the most meaningful,” Kathy Skoog saidFormer member of the White House Communications Agency. “He didn’t care what people thought. He did what he thought was right for the country.”
Carter’s presidency was marked by efforts to protect the environment, advance human rights, and take the American education system to new heights. Carter overhauled the civil service system, deregulated the airline industry to promote competition, and created the departments of Energy and Education. It was also Carter’s administration that required both seat belts and airbags in cars.
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However, Carter’s presidency was also marked by trials, including high inflation, the energy crisis, and failed negotiations for the release of dozens of American hostages held in Iran. Carter’s Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, ultimately resigned in protest of the administration’s handling of the hostage crisis.
Amid the Iranian Revolution going on at that time, oil prices in the US increased significantly. In July 1979, Carter blamed Americans, discouraged by rising inflation and the energy crisis, for losing confidence in the country.
“The symptoms of this crisis of the American spirit are all around us,” Carter said in his speech. “For the first time in the history of our country, a majority of our people believe the next five years will be worse than the last five. Two-thirds of our people don’t even vote. The productivity of American workers is actually falling. , and Americans’ willingness to save for the future is lower than that of everyone else in the Western world.”
He further said, “We have to face the truth and then we can change our course.” “We simply must have faith in each other, faith in our ability to govern ourselves and faith in the future of this country. Restoring that trust and confidence in America is the most important task facing us now.”
Fox News’ Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
