As the nation begins to say goodbye to former president Jimmy Carter, his grandson says the beloved humanitarian is “at peace.”
Yesterday, The Carter Center announced that he has chosen to spend his remaining days at home surrounded by his family. At 98 years old, the 39th U.S. president opted not to seek further medical treatment for an undisclosed illness. Instead, he returned to his Plains, Georgia, home under hospice care. He remains the longest-living president in U.S. history.
While America mourns, Carter’s grandson, former Georgia state senator Jason Carter, said his grandfather’s house is filled with love.
Jimmy Carter served as Georgia’s governor from 1971 to 1975 before being elected president in 1977. Widely considered one of the most truly decent and honorable men to serve in the oval office, his single presidential term is ranked among the most ineffective. However, his true legacy and historical impact would come after his political career had ended. In 1984, he partnered with Habitat for Humanity, which provides free housing to the needy, and was honored with the United Nations Human Rights Prize in 1998. A year later, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His greatest achievement came in 2002 when he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Carter’s current diagnosis was not released, though he has had treatments related to cancer over the years. CNBC reported that he had a cancerous mass removed from his liver in 2015, to which he said, “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes. I’ve had an exciting, adventurous, and gratifying existence.”