JIMMY Carter set a powerful model for ex-presidents despite the political crises he faced in the White House.
The late leader’s impact reached well beyond his time as President, with his recent passing at 100 years old signifying the loss of one of the most compassionate figures in America.
James Earl Carter Jr. came from humble beginnings, born and raised on a peanut farm in Plains, Georgia,
He was also the only US Naval Academy graduate to be elected to the White House before he took public office.
Political scientist and University of Oregon professor, Daniel Tichenor, explained that Carter’s background was a significant aspect of his popularity.
In an interview with The U.S. Sun, Tichenor said, “[Carter] was perceived as somewhat lacking in experience, Yet, this was precisely what made him so appealing to many Americans who had grown disillusioned with the government and the presidency, believing it had become tainted.”
Carter ran for president in 1976, just two years after Former President Richard Nixon resigned from office following the Watergate scandal.
Tichenor added that Americans also felt as if there were “a lot of deceptions surrounding the Vietnam War,” which ended in 1975 after two decades of fighting.
“The national spirit was low and here was somebody who was coming in with fresh ideas who wanted to make human rights and American morality front center in our foreign policy,” the expert said.
“And [Carter] also was promising unprecedented transparency and honesty as an elected official.”
Carter was “very popular at the outset,” according to Tichenor.
One of the highlights of Carter’s presidency was the Camp David Accords, a pair of political agreements signed in 1978 by Egypt and Israel that aimed to bring peace to the Middle East.
But, the Carter administration also took several political blows that the 39th president couldn’t recover from.
“He faced in his first term, a number of crises and challenges that really tested him and ultimately led to his defeat in the 1980 election,” Tichenor said.
This included the Iran hostage crisis, where 52 US diplomats and citizens from the national Embassy in Tehran were held hostage for 444 days, the 1979 oil crisis which was caused by a decrease in oil production during the Iranian Revolution, and the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
“All these things really shook confidence in his administration,” Tichenor said.
And in 1980, Carter lost the presidency to Republican nominee Ronald Reagan.
POST-PRESIDENCY SERVICE
While Carter might have been dealt a hard defeat, he didn’t give up in his commitment to service, in fact, he stayed active in public engagements until 2021 at the age of 97.
“The vast majority of former presidents usually spent their time in leisure,” Tichenor said.
“Instead President Carter really set a powerful model for how to really be an agenda setter and someone who is a change agent after one’s presidency.”
Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, founded the Carter Center in 1982, which “seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health,” on the global stage, according to their mission statement.
One of the center’s health programs, which has been around since 1986, includes the eradication of Guinea worm disease.
Kai Bird, Carter’s biographer, wrote in The New York Times, “He once told me that he hoped to outlive the last Guinea worm.
“Last year there were only 13 cases of Guinea worm disease in humans,” he said. “He may have succeeded.”
Carter and his wife have also contributed to Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit which builds houses for people in need across the world.
The former president was “somebody who was ready to roll up his sleeves and give back in a powerful way,” Tichenor said.
In 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which the Chairman of the Nobel Committee believed the former president deserved as early as 1978 after the Camp David Accords.
This award has only been given to three other presidents and Carter was the only one to be handed the award after his presidency.
Tichenor believes Carter was given the award for “a long tenure as a states person who tried to resolve conflicts around the world and to be a constructive force to encourage lasting peace.”
From peanut farmer to noble prize winner, Jimmy Carter committed his life to the well-being of not only the American people, but those in need around the globe.
“I have one life and one chance to make it count for something,” Jimmy Carter once said.
“My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.”
The 39th president of the United States, died after nearly two years in hospice care.
His son Chip Carter confirmed the former leader died at his Georgia home on Sunday around 3:45 pm ET.
Carter peacefully passed away surrounded by his family who paid an emotional tribute to the former leader.
Carter is survived by his children, Jack, James, Donnel, and Amy, as well as 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A state funeral is expected to be announced in the coming days.
