Jimmy Carter, longest-lived US president, dies aged 100
GuardianJan 01
Former US Pres. Jimmy Carter Dies at 100
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Above: Jimmy Carter teaching Sunday School at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. Image copyright: Michael S. Williamson/Contributor/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The Facts
Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, died Sunday in Georgia at the age of 100.
The former Georgia governor and the one-term Democratic president — taking office in 1977 in a term that ended with the Iran hostage crises of 1981 — had been a world-leading voice in human rights and health causes.
In 2002, he was awarded 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."
The Spin
Narrative A
Jimmy Carter — a high school basketball star, former US Navy officer, and longtime Sunday school teacher — campaigned for civil rights causes and fiercely advocated for peace. Though he served just one term in office, the longest-lived US president spent his post-presidential life dedicated to the service of ordinary Americans.
Narrative B
Though Jimmy Carter's presidency was marked by economic tumult and the Iran hostage crisis, it brought stability, calm, and integrity after the political turmoil of Nixon, Watergate, and the Vietnam War. He was just what 1970s America needed and carried himself about as admirably as he could have done.
