Jimmy Carter dead at 100: A look back at the 39th U.S. president's legacy in photos

Yahoo News takes a look at the life of the small-town hero turned president and inspiring humanitarian.

Chanelle Chandler, Yahoo News Photo Staff

Updated Sun, December 29, 2024 at 9:53 PM UTC

8 min read

President Jimmy Carter leans across the roof of his car to shake hands along the parade route through Bardstown, Ky., on July 31, 1979. The president climbed on top of the car as the parade moved toward the high school gym, where a town meeting was held. (Bob Daugherty/AP)

Jimmy Carter, the longest-living U.S. president, died on Sunday in his hometown of Plains, Ga., the Carter Center said. He was 100 years old.

Carter entered hospice care in February 2023 after several hospital stays, forgoing further medical treatments to stop the spread of melanoma, a form of skin cancer.

The former president started from humble beginnings as a peanut farmer on his family’s farm just outside of his birthplace and beloved Plains, a place that helped shape his political career and philanthropy work.

Out of all of his accomplishments, Carter said the best thing he ever did was marry fellow Plains native Rosalynn Smith in 1946. Rosalynn Carter died on Nov. 19, 2023, shortly after entering hospice following a dementia diagnosis.

Carter, a Democrat, took office as the 39th U.S. president in January 1977. During his one term in the White House, he decreased the budget deficit, became a trailblazer for green energy, negotiated the Panama Canal treaties, brokered the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, created millions of jobs and the Education Department, brought diversity to the federal bench and diverted a nuclear disaster.

But his struggle to suppress rising inflation and interest rates, as well as the diplomatic standoff of the Iranian hostage crisis, contributed to his loss to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election.

In 2002, Carter became the third president to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his work, both during and after his presidency, in helping to resolve international conflicts, advancing social welfare and campaigning for human rights.

After Carter lost reelection, he and Rosalynn moved back to Plains, lived in a modest home and were commonly spotted by the town's hundreds of residents. From there, Carter helped to build, renovate and repair 4,300 homes in a long-lasting relationship with Habitat for Humanity, as well as raising funding for construction.

Well into his 90s, Carter could be seen teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church, where he was a devoted member for decades.

Here’s a look at the former president’s life in photos.