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A mere 1 percent of males born in the U.S. live to the age of 100, and none of our 45 U.S. presidents had ever done so — until now. Jimmy Carter hits the century mark on Oct. 1, a milestone that’s being met with celebrations and homages from around the country.
Carter began his long life in a very different world, to be sure. In 1924, Calvin Coolidge was president, women had only recently been given the right to vote, Ford’s Model T was the most popular car, televisions were inconceivable, and a loaf of bread cost about 9 cents.
In the ten decades since, Carter grew up on his family’s farm near rural Plains, Georgia, went on to become the state’s governor, and then the nation’s 39th president, from 1977 to 1981. His post-White House years were filled with philanthropic work, including home building with Habitat for Humanity, and international diplomacy efforts that won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Longest-living Presidents
Carter’s health has declined sharply in recent years — he’s been in hospice care at his Plains home for about 19 months, and he’s reportedly suffered greatly since the death last year of his wife, Rosalynn, at age 96.
Meanwhile, admirers are marking his 100th birthday with celebrations, concerts and other tributes, including at The Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in his tiny hometown. Among other festivities planned in Plains for Oct. 1, F18s and the Navy Tailhook Flight Association will offer a flyover to honor the president’s military service. And Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) is broadcasting multiple airings of The Carter Center’s Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song, filmed on Sept. 17 at Atlanta’s Fox Theater and featuring artists such as Chuck Leavell, BeBe Winans, Drive-By Truckers, Eric Church, The B-52’s, and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus. The show premieres Oct. 1 at 7 p.m., and is available on demand at gpb.org/jimmycarter100.
Here, we honor the former president with moments from his 100 years.
A Look Back
Jimmy Carter grew up in rural Georgia in the 1920s.
Carter was assigned to the USS Wyoming as an ensign after graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946. He was in the Navy until 1953.
Jimmy Carter and wife, Rosalynn, who died last November at age 96, in 1976. “The best thing I ever did was marrying Rosa,” the 39th president once said. “That’s the pinnacle of my life.”
Jimmy, Rosalynn, and daughter Amy, who’s now 56, on his presidential inauguration day in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 1977.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter working on a house for Habitat for Humanity. “When they worked with Habitat for Humanity, that wasn’t a PR stunt,” Chris Matthews, retired cable news network host and Carter’s former speechwriter, said when Rosalynn passed away. “Rosalynn had her nail apron on, and she carried two-by-fours around.”
Carter speaking to the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church before teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, in 2019.
