Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, has turned 100.
Tuesday’s milestone marks the first time an American president has turned 100, according to the Associated Press.
For the past 19 months, Carter has been in home hospice care in Plains, Georgia.
He served as president for one term from 1977 to 1981. After leaving the White House, he worked more than 40 years as head of The Carter Center, which was founded by Carter and his wife Rosalynn in 1982. The purpose of the center is to “wage peace, fight disease, and build hope.”
Jason Carter, the former president’s grandson, praised on his grandfather’s longevity.
“Not everybody gets 100 years on this earth, and when somebody does, and when they use that time to do so much good for so many people, it’s worth celebrating,” Jason Carter, chairman of The Carter Center governing board, said.
“These last few months, 19 months, now that he’s been in hospice, it’s been a chance for our family to reflect,” he added, “and then for the rest of the country and the world to really reflect on him. That’s been a really gratifying time.”
Carter was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, where he has lived more than 80 years. He is expected to mark his birthday in the one-story home he and Rosalynn built in the early 1960s before he was elected to the Georgia state Senate.
The former first lady, who was also born in Plains, died last November at the age of 96.
He was governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975, and a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967, according to the White House website.
In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his “work to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development,” per the website.
President Joe Biden, paid tribute to Carter for his “unwavering belief in the power of human goodness,” per the AP.
“You’ve always been a moral force for our nation and the world (and) a beloved friend to Jill and me and our family,” Biden said.
Carter has asked Biden to eulogize him at his state funeral.
On Sept. 17, the Carter Center hosted a musical gala in Atlanta to honor Carter.
More than $1.2 million was raised that will benefit the center’s programs.
Habitat for Humanity volunteers in St. Paul, Minnesota, are honoring Carter by building 30 houses in five days.
The Carters were ambassadors for the international organization after they left the White House.
They also hosted annual building projects well into their 90s.
Former President Barack Obama, as well as many others, paid homage to Carter on X, formerly Twitter.
“Thank you for your friendship, your fundamental decency, and your incredible acts of service through the CarterCenter,” Obama wrote.
“Join us in honoring our visionary co-founder, America’s humanitarian-in-chief,” the Carter Center posted. “No other U.S. president has lived so long or done so much good for so many after leaving office.”
