New York: A peanut farmer-turned-politician and former US President, Jimmy Carter, passed away at his home on Sunday. At 100, he was the longest-lived President in American history.
A Noble Prize recipient, Carter was known as much for his charity and diplomatic work later in life as he was for his single presidential term in the US that ended in 1981. According to reports, nearly two years ago he had decided to forgo further medical care following a series of medical crises.
He was also a former state legislator and Georgia governor. After the Watergate and the Vietnam war, when America was searching for a moral anchor, Carter was elected as the President in 1976. Many say it was his folksy charm and the Washington outsider status that gave him an edge over other.
But he served only one term despite taking up several landmark policies. His term in office was characterized by struggles to manage an energy crisis, an unstable economy, and the Iran hostage crisis.
Carter’s post-presidential legacy of humanitarian and diplomatic work was unparalleled. In 2002, he became the third president after Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He also founded the Carter Center, a nonprofit through which he worked to promote human rights until his death, with his wife Rosalynn.
