ATLANTA — The Carter Center announced Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States and winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, died Sunday, Dec. 29, at his home in Plains, Georgia.
At 100, he was the longest-lived president in U.S. history.
On Oct. 22, 1976, just 10 days before the election, President Gerald R. Ford and then-Democratic nominee and former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter came to Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall on the campus of William & Mary for the third presidential debate of the 1976 campaign, moderated by Barbra Walters.
“Jimmy Carter’s connection to Williamsburg and William & Mary came at a critical time in the 1976 campaign,” William & Mary Professor of Government John McGlennon recalled. “Carter’s arrival was in keeping with his effort to contrast to the ‘Imperial Presidency’ of Richard Nixon. Carter carried his own luggage into the Williamsburg Lodge, where he and his staff prepared for the debate.”
“The campus and community were buzzing with excitement about the attention coming with the debate, even if the student body was distinctly Republican, overwhelmingly favoring President Gerald Ford in a campus survey,” he added. “I remember attending a post-debate event, where Carter claimed a win. It was the final opportunity for voters to see the two candidates face-to-face before Election Day, drawing more than 62 million viewers to Phi Beta Kappa and William & Mary.”
That Nov. 2, Carter carried 23 states and the District of Columbia, winning both the popular vote 40,831,881 to 39,148,634 and the electoral vote 297 to 240. His presidency was dogged by a troubled economy, an energy crisis and consumed in its final year by the Iran hostage crisis, and Carter was defeated after one term in 1980 by Ronald Reagan in a landslide.
Carter was active in his post-presidency, known both for being a peace broker and his work for charity. In 2002, he won the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development,” according to The Nobel Foundation.
“To honor a great American, I will be ordering an official state funeral to be held in Washington D.C. for James Earl Carter Jr., 39th President of the United States, 76th Governor of Georgia, Lieutenant of the United States Navy, graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and favorite son of Plains, Georgia, who gave his full life in service to God and country,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.
Biden has scheduled the state funeral for Thursday, Jan. 9, which he also declared will be a national day of mourning. Biden also ordered flags to be displayed at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels for a period of 30 days from the day of Carter’s death.
Carter is survived by his children — Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy; 11 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosalynn, and one grandchild.
The Carter Center encouraged the public to visit the official tribute website to the life of President Carter at jimmycartertribute.org. This site includes the official online condolence book as well as print and visual biographical materials commemorating his life.
The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by the former President and First Lady in partnership with Emory University to advance peace and health worldwide.
