Jimmy Carter, who rose from humble peanut farmer to president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, dies aged 100
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Carter was a towering figure in Democratic politics, both during and after his time in the White House. James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr, a naval officer, Nobel Peace Prize winner and peanut farm operator who became governor of Georgia and later the 39th president of the United States, has died.
![[Jimmy Carter photographed shovelling peanuts]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/11/15/13/GettyImages-1805422-1.jpg)
Carter, who was the longest-living former American president, died on Sunday, December 29, his son announced. An immediate cause was not given. He served as president for one term from 1977 to 1981, but is just as well-known for his humanitarian service after leaving Washington, DC, working for Habitat for Humanity and negotiating peace deals.
![[Carter smiles during a book signing event for his new book 'Faith: A Journey For All' at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Midtown Manhattan on March 26, 2018]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/11/21/21/gettyimages-938216978-594x594.jpg)
“Earlier in my life, I thought the things that mattered were the things that you could see, like your car, your house, your wealth, your property, your office. But as I’ve grown older I’ve become convinced that the things that matter most are the things that you can’t see—the love you share with others, your inner purpose, your comfort with who you are,” Carter said.
![[Carter poses with his mother Lillian in 1976]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/11/15/13/GettyImages-510582495-1.jpg)
He continued his volunteer work for decades after leaving office until he entered hospice care in February 2023. Carter, who throughout his political life went by Jimmy rather than James, was a towering figure in Democratic politics, both during and after his time in the White House. As president, he emphasized human rights in his foreign policy, championed environmentalism at a time when it was not yet popular and appointed record numbers of women and people of color during his administration.
![[Eleanor Rosalynn Carter (L) and Jimmy Carter when they were married, in Plains, Georgia, on July 7, 1946]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/05/15/14/SEI180924447.jpg)
