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Tributes continue for former president hailed as ‘statesman and humanitarian’
Tributes have continued to pour in for Jimmy Carter, the former US president who died aged 100 on Sunday.
The 39th president of the United States was a tireless advocate for global health and human rights, and president Joe Biden has declared a national day of mourning for 9 January, describing Carter as an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian.”
“To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” Biden said in a statement.
Incoming president Donald Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social network that Carter “did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans” and the nation owed Carter “a debt of gratitude.”
World leaders have also paid effusive tributes, with the UK’s King Charles saying Carter’s “dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many”, and France’s president Emmanuel Macron describing him as “a steadfast advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable.”
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Biden cites Carter's character as spur for early endorsement for White House
Joe Biden has given a short public address paying tribute to Jimmy Carter, with both official praise and personal anecdote.
The US president said that Carter told him in the past that he was the first official figure to endorse Carter for the presidency, back in 1976 when Biden was the Democratic US senator for Delaware. Carter was a one-term Democratic president, 1977 to 1981, before he lost to Ronald Reagan and had to leave the White House at the age of just 56.
Biden said of Carter’s passing yesterday: “It’s a sad day but it brings back an incredible amount of good memories. Today, America – and the world, in my view – lost a remarkable leader. He was a statesman and a humanitarian and Jill [first lady Jill Biden] and I have lost a dear friend.”
Biden said it “dawned on him” that he and Carter “have been hanging out for 50 years” and he recalled that the former president used to tease him affectionately.
Biden said he came out to endorse Carter for president so early because of the Georgia politician’s character.
Here’s the video of Biden’s address.
Jimmy Carter was born and died in Plains, Georgia, a dot on the map in the south-western part of the southern state. He will be buried there after his state funeral in Washington, DC next week.
Plains is actually closer to Montgomery, Alabama, to the west, than it is to the Georgia state capital of Atlanta to the north, where the Carter Presidential Center is.
Funeral, burial details announced for Carter
The state funeral in Washington DC for the late Jimmy Carter will take place on Thursday 9 January, according to a schedule drawn up by Joe Biden, the sitting US president who is into his last few weeks in office.
The date has also been declared at national day of mourning in the United States. There will also be a public service in Atlanta, the capital of Carter’s home state.
The Carter Center, the late president’s organization in Georgia promoting conflict resolution, human rights and democracy, has said that after those official events, Jimmy Carter will be buried in a private service in Plains, his home town in Georgia, where he died yesterday.
The former prime minister of the UK, Gordon Brown, has written for the Guardian today about his memories of Jimmy Carter. He said:
He is, and will be, mourned in every country and continent where civil liberties are valued and peace has proved elusive; revered as the leader who stood with all those who faced imprisonment, torture or persecution for defending democracy and human rights. Carter gave oppressed people hope. I was proud to learn from him and to count him and his wonderful wife, Rosalynn – who was also his closest adviser – as friends. How to assess such a life? History will probably see Carter’s second act – his work as a former president – as more momentous than his four years in the Oval Office.
You can read his recollections in full here: Gordon Brown – My friend Jimmy Carter will be remembered long after other presidents are forgotten. Here’s why
Reuters, citing the Xinhua state news agency, reports that China’s president Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolence to US president Joe Biden, after the death yesterday of former president Jimmy Carter.
In a statement, XI said:
Former president Carter was the driving force behind the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US, and made important contributions to the development of China-US relations and the friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.
Richard Nixon had visited the People’s Republic of China in 1972, but the US did not formally have diplomatic relations with the nation until during the Carter administration in 1979, when the US embassy in Taipei was closed and a new embassy opened in Beijing.
Among many foreign leaders paying tribute to Jimmy Carter, India’s Narendra Modi and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa have also issued statements.
Modi said he was “deeply saddened” at the news of Carter’s death, describing him as “a statesman of great vision,” adding “His contributions to fostering strong India-US ties leave a lasting legacy.”
South Africa’s president Ramaphosa said:
I am deeply saddened by the passing of former US president Jimmy Carter, who we remember as an outstanding, compassionate leader and champion of human rights and peace globally.
Jimmy Carter was an outspoken critic of the apartheid state at a time when the regime was trying to ingratiate itself with influential economies around the world, and justify its inhumane policies.
Jan-Werner Müller writes for the Guardian today on the topic of Jimmy Carter, arguing that he was the most successful ex-president of the postwar period.
Carter apparently went through a difficult, depressive phase after being defeated by Reagan in a landslide. But, only 56 at the time, he resolved to use his talent and prominence to improve democratic politics, speed along whatever might have looked like a plausible “peace process” somewhere and to engage in a global fight to eradicate guinea worm. Others took different paths.
You can read more here: Jan-Werner Müller – Jimmy Carter’s life after the presidency set a bar that few others have followed
Writing in the New York Times, the administrator of the US agency for international development (USAid) Samantha Power, says of Jimmy Carter’s legacy:
The former president’s regard for human rights was an outgrowth of his Christian faith — a faith so animating that he continued to teach Sunday school while president. Carter’s embrace of international human rights also grew out of his commitment to civil rights at home.
His human rights message had broad appeal in the wake of Watergate and Vietnam, with Americans and many in Congress clamoring for ethics and decency from their leaders.
Carter didn’t just change the way US officials talked; he changed the way they worked, taking steps no American president had taken. When he assumed office, USAid had nearly twice as many staff members in Washington as in the field — an imbalance his administration corrected.
She notes in the article that Carter was the first US president “to publicly denounce apartheid in South Africa” and “the first president to assert clear American support for a ‘Palestinian homeland.’”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has issued a statement following the death of Jimmy Carter, Reuters reports. Carter received the Nobel peace prize in 2002.
The committee said:
Upon the death of former US president Jimmy Carter, the Norwegian Nobel Committee would like to repeat its praise for his “decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”
Earlier this fall, the committee had the pleasure of congratulating him on his 100th anniversary, stating that his work in favour of peace, democracy and human rights will be remembered for another 100 years or more.
Other former US presidents have also been among those paying tribute to Jimmy Carter, who died on Sunday aged 100.
Barack Obama said of Carter “Elected in the shadow of Watergate, Jimmy Carter promised voters that he would always tell the truth. And he did — advocating for the public good, consequences be damned. He believed some things were more important than reelection — things like integrity, respect, and compassion.”
George W Bush described Carter as “loyal to his family, his community, and his country” and a man of “deeply held convictions.”
In a statement former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton said they were proud to have supported Carter. The former president said he was “proud to have presented the medal of freedom to him and [his wife] Rosalynn in 1999, and to have worked with him in the years after he left the White House.”
Overnight our picture editors put together this gallery of Jimmy Carter’s life.
Here is the text of president Joe Biden’s statement on the death of Jimmy Carter:
Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian.
Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well.
With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe.
He was a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism. We will always cherish seeing him and Rosalynn together. The love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism.
We will miss them both dearly, but take solace knowing they are reunited once again and will remain forever in our hearts.
To the entire Carter family, we send our gratitude for sharing them with America and the world. To their staff – from the earliest days to the final ones – we have no doubt that you will continue to do the good works that carry on their legacy.
And to all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility. He showed that we are great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.
Other US political figures to pay tribute to Jimmy Carter include US House speaker Mike Johnson and senior Republican senator Mitch McConnell.
McConnell said “President Carter served during times of tension and uncertainty, both at home and abroad. But his calm spirit and deep faith seemed unshakeable.”
Johnson said “President Carter’s story was one of humble beginnings, and his life is a testament to the boundless opportunities available in this great nation. Because of his work in brokering the Camp David accords and his advocacy with Habitat for Humanity, the world is a more peaceful place, and more Americans have a place to call home. No one can deny that President Carter led an extraordinary life of service to his country. May he rest in peace.”
Our video team have produced this obituary for Jimmy Carter, the former US president who died on Sunday aged 100.
If you would like something to listen to, we have a special edition of our Politics Weekly America podcast, in which Jonathan Freedland talks to Jimmy Carter’s biographer, Jonathan Alter, about why history should look favourably on the peanut farmer turned politician. You can find that here …
Jimmy Carter was the longest-lived US president, and his death was announced yesterday after he had spent 22 months in hospice care. Senior US politicians have paid tribute, among them vice president Kamala Harris and incoming vice president JD Vance.
Harris said “President Jimmy Carter was guided by a deep and abiding faith — in God, in America, and in humanity. Jimmy Carter’s life is a testament to the power of service — as a lieutenant in the US navy, the 76th governor of Georgia, and the 39th president of the US. He reminded our nation and the world that there is strength in decency and compassion.”
Vance said in a statement “Jimmy Carter dedicated his life to serving this country. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones. May he rest in peace.”
Tributes continue for former president hailed as ‘statesman and humanitarian’
Tributes have continued to pour in for Jimmy Carter, the former US president who died aged 100 on Sunday.
The 39th president of the United States was a tireless advocate for global health and human rights, and president Joe Biden has declared a national day of mourning for 9 January, describing Carter as an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian.”
“To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” Biden said in a statement.
Incoming president Donald Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social network that Carter “did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans” and the nation owed Carter “a debt of gratitude.”
World leaders have also paid effusive tributes, with the UK’s King Charles saying Carter’s “dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many”, and France’s president Emmanuel Macron describing him as “a steadfast advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable.”
