Editor-DN
Plains, United States:
Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday today — the first US president to reach the century mark and another unusual milestone for the one-time peanut farmer who found his way to the White House.
Carter’s longevity — she began hospice care at her home on the Georgia Plains more than 19 months ago — has defied all expectations.
No longer seen regularly in public, the Democratic former president is spending his birthday at the home he and his late wife Roselyn built in the 1960s on the Plains. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the festivities included a lunch with about 20 members of his extended family.
President Joe Biden called Carter a “dear friend” and “one of the most influential politicians in American history” in a video posted on his official X account.
“Your unwavering belief in the power of human goodness continues to be a guiding light for us all,” he said.
The White House lawn was decorated Tuesday with a sign reading “Happy Birthday President Carter.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said Britain’s King Charles III sent a private message of congratulations expressing his “great admiration for the president’s lifetime of duty and public service”.
And Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, currently overseeing a major disaster response to the storm, declared a statewide “Jimmy Carter Day.”
Little Town
In addition to serving as commander in chief for a single term from 1977 to 1981, Carter worked as an international mediator, rights activist, and elder statesman, advancing his vision of global diplomacy in 1982. I founded the famous Carter Center.
His presidency included the signing of the 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, the establishment of diplomatic relations with China following the rapprochement initiated by President Richard Nixon, and the return of control of the Panama Canal to Panama.
But his administration hit a number of obstacles, including the Iran hostage crisis and the renewed oil crisis of 1979-1980, which saw Ronald Reagan sweep to power in a landslide.
Jill Stuckey, superintendent of the National Park Service’s Jimmy Carter Historic Site and a longtime family friend, told AFP, “We are very happy that the president of this small town will be the only president to live to be 100 years old. “
He spoke at Plains High School, where Carter graduated in 1941 and which now serves as the national park’s visitor center that includes sites from his early life, including the nearby peanut farm where he lived. had grown up.
On Tuesday, the school held a naturalization ceremony for 100 new U.S. citizens, who placed their hands over their hearts and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
“He did a lot for America,” said Adriana Vickers, 46, originally from Brazil.
“He’s for all nations,” another newly naturalized citizen from Jamaica, Carlene Ford, told AFP. “He’s for everybody, he’s for the people.”
A flyover of four F-18 jets and two vintage airplanes circled the skies over the plains as part of the town’s celebrations.
‘Always’ political
A devout Baptist and self-described “born-again” Christian, Carter is remembered for an ethical streak, but also for his civility, admired by opponents across the aisle.
According to the family, Carter has a keen interest in politics and was very motivated to make it to 100 and vote for fellow Democrat Kamala Harris in the November election.
“He will vote by mail-in ballot,” Stuckey told AFP, adding that “he has always been very active politically, and nothing has changed in that respect.”
At the naturalization ceremony, attended by the mayor, those present were encouraged to register to vote.
In the Plains, like many rural places with strong evangelical Christian leanings, yard signs support Republican Donald Trump far more than Harris.
But it’s also not uncommon to see a sign celebrating Carter’s centennial alongside a Trump supporter.
Carl Lowell, who has lived on the Plains since childhood, said he tries not to get involved in politics because it’s “so divisive” right now.
Like most Plains residents, the 59-year-old retired firefighter is connected to Carter in a variety of ways — he says his grandfather helped build Carter’s house and he himself once dove with it. Went to hunt.
“Jimmy’s a good guy, he’s a godly guy, and that’s what people like about him,” he said.
(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
