Jimmy Carter, former president and lifelong humanitarian, dies at 100

Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old.

The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023, spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said.

“Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center simply said in posting about Carter’s death on the social media platform X.

Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office.

The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s.

“My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said.

In San Francisco and beyond, local and state leaders reflected on Carter’s legacy as a civil rights champion.

Maureen Sedonaen, the CEO at Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco, praised the former president’s “unyielding dedication to equity, justice, peace, and affordable housing for all.”

In an emailed statement to The Standard, she acknowledged his four-plus decades of volunteer work on behalf of the housing organization.

“At every step of his life, he treated others with kindness and looked for opportunities to level the playing field,” Sedonaen said. “We are grateful for his service and proud to continue his legacy as we work to build and preserve affordable housing in our Bay Area community.”  

Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang said Carter will be remembered as a lifelong advocate for marginalized people.

During a 1976 campaign visit to San Francisco — in which he met Harvey Milk a year before the LGBTQ activist became the city’s first openly gay elected supervisor — Carter announced that he planned to sign the Equality Act, a gay civil rights bill, if it landed on his desk as president.

In 1977, he became the first sitting U.S. president to welcome a delegation of gay and lesbian advocates to the White House for policy discussions with the administration. And when he ran for re-election a few years later, he became the first Democrat to endorse a gay rights plank in the party’s national platform.

“He believed that everyone deserves equal treatment and opportunities, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or background,” Hoang said. “From his support of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts in Africa—increasing access to healthcare and education for those affected by the epidemic—to his vocal advocacy for marriage equality, President Carter used his powerful yet humble voice to speak up for all of us.”

Carter’s politics, and others’ evolving understanding of their worth in the wake of his unprecedented post-presidency, left a powerful impact on present and future civic aspirants.

In a commencement speech May 22 for San Francisco State University’s political science department, San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio told graduates that a plaque that asks “What would Jimmy Carter do?” hangs above his desk at City Hall.

On learning about Carter’s death Sunday, Engardio called him “one of our greatest presidents.”

“He was ahead of his time on some critical issues we face today, like the environment,” Engardio said. “He led with decency, dignity, and empathy. His work building homes — literally wielding a hammer well into his 90s — for Habitat for Humanity underscored his commitment to improve the human condition in every way.”

Engardio also pointed to the former president’s placement of solar panels atop the White House roof 45 years ago.

“Imagine how much better the world would be if we had followed Jimmy Carter’s vision and spent the past half century focused on advancing renewable energy,” Engardio said.

“Jimmy Carter was a great American who cared so deeply for this country & for the world,” state Sen. Scott Wiener wrote on BlueSky. “He continued his public service for the rest of his life after leaving office, showing his love for all people everywhere.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he and first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom offered their condolences. In a statement Sunday, the governor called Carter “a man of rare character — whose beliefs ran true and ran deep, whose moral compass never wavered.

“He saw the common humanity in all of us, building bridges between people of different faiths and factions abroad while working to meet the needs of those at home,” Newsom added.

“President Carter’s candor and compassion, moral leadership, and sense of duty set a standard we all should aspire to. His enduring example reminds us that we can still find common ground despite our differences.”

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said Carter’s “fervent commitment to honoring the spark of divinity within every person” and “faith in the sanctity of the public good” built a legacy that transcended his four years in the nation’s highest office.

“After leaving the White House,” she wrote on X, “he carried on his service — leading perhaps the most impactful post-presidency in history.”

President Joe Biden — who ordered a state funeral in Washington, D.C. — said he lost a friend and the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian.”