Jimmy Carterthe earnest Georgia farmer who as U.S. president fought a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis but negotiated peace between Israel and Egypt, and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, died Sunday, the Carter Center said.
He was 100 years old.
“My father was a hero, not only to me, but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and selfless love,” said Chip Carter, the former president’s son. “My brothers, sister and I share him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family for the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these beliefs shared”.
Carter, a Democrat, was president between January 1977 and January 1981after defeating the Republican president Gerald Ford in the 1976 elections. Carter was ousted four years later in an electoral avalanche in which voters supported the Republican candidate Ronald Reaganformer actor and governor of California.
Carter lived longer after his term in office than any other American president. Along the way, he earned a reputation for being better former president than presidenta status that he did not hesitate to recognize.
