Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States and one-time peanut farmer who was married to his wife Rosalynn for 77 years, died Sunday. Carter was remembered on Sunday by President Biden, former President and First Lady Bill and Hillary Clinton who wrote that Carter “worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world,” as well as former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
Barack and Michelle Obama hailed Carter for his “decency” and how he “believed some things were more important than reelection — things like integrity, respect, and compassion. Because Jimmy Carter believed, as deeply as he believed anything, that we are all created in God’s image.”
Former President Obama continued: “Whenever I had a chance to spend time with President Carter, it was clear that he didn’t just profess these values. He embodied them. And in doing so, he taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service.”
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said the world lost “an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian.”
Former President and First Lady Hillary Clinton issued a lengthy statement on X in honor of Carter. “Hillary and I mourn the passing of President Carter and give thanks for his good, long life. Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others — until the very end,” the pair began.
“From his commitment to civil rights as a state senator and governor of Georgia; to his efforts as President to protect our natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, make every energy conservation a national priority, return the Panama Canal back to Panama, and secure peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David; to his post-Presidential efforts at the Carter Center supporting honest elections, advancing peace, combating disease, and promoting democracy; to his and Rosalynn’s devotion and hard work at Habitat for Humanity — he worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world,” the statement continued.
“Hillary and I met President Carter in 1975 and were proud, early supporters of his Presidential campaign. I will always be proud to have presented the Medal of Freedom to him and Rosalynn in 1999, and to have worked with him in the years after he left the White House.”
“Our prayers are with Jack, Chip, Jeff, Amy, and their families,” they concluded.
He was also remembered by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, former Georgia representative Stacey Abrams, and Sen. Ed Markey, who wrote Carter was “a conscience, caretaker, and commander for the U.S. and our world.”
Sen. Chuck Shumer also published a statement on Carter’s death. “Today, we mourn the loss of one of our most humble and devoted public servants, President Jimmy Carter. President Carter personified the true meaning of leadership through service, through compassion, and through integrity,” he wrote on the social media platform.
“President Jimmy Carter lived a life of courage, fortitude, kindness and grace,” Abrams wrote on X. “He was a giant who never saw anyone as smaller than himself. Whether at a Boys & Girls Club banquet or when he sponsored a medical clinic for the uninsured in his corner of rural Georgia, he lived James 2:17 each day. Jimmy Carter built homes, saved lives and tended to souls. God bless President Carter, may the family he and Mrs. Carter raised know only comfort in these days of grief.”
Carter was integral in paving the way for Georgia to become a production hub for film and television, which the Motion Picture Association and CEO Charles Rivkin noted in a statement.
“Jimmy Carter was a public servant to his core – a president, governor, humanitarian, farmer, and proud son of Georgia who always stayed true to his roots and his unwavering belief in fairness, equality, and justice,” the statement read. “For the creative community, he was also a visionary leader who saw what Georgia could, and would, become: a thriving ecosystem for film and television production. By establishing Georgia’s film office ahead of most other states, and envisioning movies and series as fertile ground for growth, President Carter helped turned his beloved home state into a powerful home base for world-renowned storytellers.”
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey wrote his own tribute on the platform. “President Jimmy Carter led with compassion, integrity, & an heroic determination to lift humanity’s spirit. We will forever be indebted to him for building a more peaceful world. Thank you, Mr. President, for being a conscience, caretaker, and commander for the U.S. and our world.”
Former Florida Congresswoman Val Demings wrote, “President Jimmy Carter should be an example to all of us. He was decent, kind, and honorable. He devoted his life to serving others. It is heartbreaking to lose him, but we can say with utter confidence that his was a life well lived.”
“President Jimmy Carter’s leadership, intellect, and moral example ennobled our country, during and ever since his presidency,” Buttigieg wrote on X.
“President Jimmy Carter embodied decency and integrity throughout his life of public service,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on the platform. “I’ll never forget as a teenager meeting him in Buffalo. He was an inspiration to me and so many Americans. Our hearts are with the Carter family during this difficult time.”
Maryland’s Rep. Jamie Raskin said Carter was “A leader of soaring integrity and passionate devotion to human rights, his legacy already sparkles like a diamond in the rough” in a message shared on X.
“Jimmy Carter was the one ex-president in the modern era to openly admit (and lament) the truth about what America has become in the post-Citizens United era,” wrote The Lever founder David Sirota. “The national press corps probably won’t mention this, but it was really something. He was a real one. RIP.”
Fox 11 host Elex Michaelson noted that President Carter was “a man who deeply loved his faith, family and country.”
“Although there may be disagreements about his policy choices, it’s hard to argue with his commitment to serving the public with honor, decency, and an eye towards lifting up the most vulnerable,” Michaelson added.
“Jimmy Carter lived his 100 years to the fullest. President, humanitarian, loving husband and father. RIP President Jimmy Carter,” actress Marlee Matlin wrote on X.
