Let’s go back, if you will, to a simpler time. A time before divisiveness plagued the political process and before presidential candidates called each other schoolyard insults. Back to 1977 when a humble peanut farmer captivated the world’s imagination and rose to the highest office in America. That man, former President Jimmy Carter, made more history today by reaching the ripe old age of 100 and becoming the longest-living president in the history of the United States.
Age is a big topic in the presidential race this year. Donald Trump is 78 years old, almost 20 years older than his opponent Kamala Harris, who is 59. President Joe Biden is 81 and the oldest president to ever serve. If Trump is elected and lives through his term, he will steal that record. Regardless, Carter is almost 20 years older than that.
Other long-living presidents include George H. W. Bush, who lived to 94, and Gerald Ford, who made it to 93. Ronald Reagan also made it to 93.
It should also be noted that Carter was known as a really nice man. He’s warmly remembered by history as someone who truly cares about people over money and politics, and his years building houses for Habitat for Humanity cement that claim pretty clearly.
People describe Carter warmly, even today. But it’s not just hyperbole — the man has the credentials to back it up.
Let’s take a look back at this beloved civil servant. He was born in 1924 in Plains, Georgia, where he still lives today. He worked his way up the ranks from state senator to Georgia governor to president in 1977. His humanitarian work started in earnest after he left the White House.
He founded a nonprofit called the Carter Center with his wife, Rosalynn Carter, to “prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.”
In 2002, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his promotion of social and economic development. As long as his body was able, he built houses for Habitat for Humanity. He was a shining example of what a leader can do when they’re not interested in helping themselves and truly believe social change is possible with good acts.
In 2015, he was diagnosed with melanoma, a type of dangerous cancer that spread to his brain. He’s been in hospice since February of 2023 but he’s still holding on like a champ. Why? He told his grandson very plainly: “I’m only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris.”