Carter’s single term in the White House was fraught with difficulties, among them the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, the 1979 energy crisis, the Iran hostage crisis, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow – although Carter was elected in 1978 by Anwar al- Helped establish peace between Egypt and Israel by hosting a summit at Camp David with Sadat and Menachem Begin. Nevertheless, when he ran for re-election in 1980, he lost handily to Ronald Reagan.
In later years, Carter’s public reputation was transformed by his work with the Carter Center, founded in 1982 to advance human rights and find peaceful solutions to international conflicts. Its accomplishments include leading a coalition that eliminated Guinea worm disease; Establish village-based health care delivery systems in communities across Africa; and observing 115 elections in 40 countries “to help establish and strengthen democracy.”
Carter, delivering his Nobel Lecture in 2002, said, “The scope and character of our Center’s activities are perhaps unique, but in many other ways they are similar to the work being done by the many hundreds of non-governmental organizations striving for human rights and peace.” are unique.” In Oslo. “I am here not as a public official, but as a citizen of a troubled world who finds hope in the growing consensus that society’s generally accepted goals are peace, freedom, human rights, environmental quality, reduction of suffering. Deterrence and the rule of law.”
In addition to his humanitarian and diplomatic work, Carter also taught at Emory University for decades; led Sunday school at his local Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains; Wrote several books (including memoirs; fictional works; several devoted to fly-fishing, a favorite hobby; and one about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, called Palestine peace, not apartheidand collaborated extensively with the Christian non-profit organization Habitat for Humanity.
Carter is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.
“My father was a hero not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and selfless love,” Chip Carter, the former president’s son, said in a statement released today. “My brothers, sister and I shared these common beliefs with the rest of the world. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing these shared values.
