Former President Jimmy Carter turns 99; tributes come from around the world
Jimmy Carter: Tributes are pouring in as the former president celebrates his 99th birthday. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
By Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter turned 99 years old Sunday. He is spending his day with his wife, Rosalynn Carter, and their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in Plains, Georgia, according to The Associated Press. He is the longest-living U.S. president.
Carter was joined by his wife, riding in the back of an SUV past the festival crowd celebrating his birthday, The Washington Post reported. The event was originally scheduled for Sunday but was moved to Saturday in case of a government shutdown.
Tributes for Carter have come in from across the world. One was from former President Bill Clinton on X, formerly known as Twitter. Clinton, elected in 1992, was the first Democrat since Carter to occupy the White House.
“Jimmy! Happy birthday,” Clinton said. “You only get to be 99 once. It’s been a long, good ride, and we thank you for your service and your friendship and the enduring embodiment of the American dream.”
Another was from Katie Couric, who, according to the AP, was the first woman to solo anchor a U.S. television network’s evening news broadcast.
Couric said that Carter wrote 32 books, worked with Habitat for Humanity and helped to “eradicate Guinea worm disease and river blindness,” the AP reported.
The Carter Center was founded in 1982 after Carter left the White House, according to the AP. It created a mosaic on its website filled with thousands of dedications to Carter and his legacy. You can see the full mosaic on the Carter Center website.
The center hosted events all weekend including a special naturalization ceremony for 99 new citizens at the Carter Library & Museum in Atlanta. The admission was 99 cents for the museum Saturday and Sunday.
World leaders and other pop culture figures wore “Jimmy Carter 99″ hats recently to focus on his decades of global humanitarian work after he left the White House, the AP reported.
“The remarkable piece to me and I think to my family is that while my grandparents have accomplished so much, they have really remained the same sort of South Georgia couple that lives in a 600-person village where they were born,” said grandson Jason Carter, according to the AP.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are the longest-married presidential couple ever, according to WSB-TV. They were married in 1946.
“You don’t get more out of a life than he got, right?” Jason Carter said, according to the AP. “It is an incredible, full rich life with a long marriage, a wonderful partnership with my grandmother, and the ability to see the world and interact with the world in ways that almost nobody else has ever been able to do.”
Carter started off as a peanut farmer in Georgia and found his way to becoming the governor of Georgia and then U.S. president, the Post reported.
In February, it was learned that Jimmy Carter had entered hospice care at home with his family without any additional medical treatment. WSB reported that three months after his announcement, the Carter Center announced that his wife, Rosalynn Carter, was diagnosed with dementia.
In 2015, according to the Post, doctors reportedly told Carter that his melanoma spread to his brain and liver. Carter was unfazed by it even though it is usually fatal.
Carter has been tracking the 2024 presidential election and watched the Atlanta Braves, who according to the Post, made the playoffs and was the No. 1 seed in the National League due to their MLB-best 104 victories.
Jimmy Carter through the years Jimmy(James Earl) Carter as Ensign, USN, circa World War II. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images) ( /Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years (Original Caption) Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter formerly announces intention to seek Dem. President candidacy here. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Jimmy Carter through the years James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, 39th President of the United States (1977-1981), Governor of Georgia (1971-1975). (Photo by: Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty)
Jimmy Carter through the years President Jimmy Carter. (Photo by/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images) (CQ Archive/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag)
Jimmy Carter through the years Louisville, Kentucky, USA - November 23, 1975: Then Governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter stands in front of posters saying 'Let's Elect JIMMY CARTER President' and addresses the National Democratic Issues Convention. (Photo by Mariette Pathy Allen/Getty Images) (Mariette Pathy Allen/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years (Original Caption) 11/23/1976-Washington, DC- Striking a pose similar to that of George Washington in the painting behind him, President-elect Jimmy Carter speaks to reporters at the Capitol where he met with House and Senate leaders. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Jimmy Carter through the years (Original Caption) 3/16/1977-Clinton, MA: President Jimmy Carter as he addresses a town meeting. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Jimmy Carter through the years U.S. President Jimmy Carter at the White House during a fireside chat on the Panama Canal Treaty, Washington, D.C., USA, photograph by Marion S. Trikosko,. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Circa Images/Universal History Archive/Univer)
Jimmy Carter through the years American President Jimmy Carter lays a wreath at the foot of a tomb at the cemetery at Omaha Bearch, where American soldiers killed during the Normandy landing of June 6, 1944 are buried, during his official trip to France. (Photo by Henri Bureau/Sygma/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images) (Henri Bureau/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years November 17, 1979: President Carter, shown waist-up, waves as he boards a helicopter on the White House lawn to fly to Camp David, Maryland, where he will spend the Thanksgiving holiday. He canceled a holiday in Georgia because of the Iranian crisis. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Jimmy Carter through the years 1979 President Jimmy Carter with his name in large letters above him appearing at a high school. (Photo by Ray Fisher/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images) (Ray Fisher/The LIFE Images Collection via G)
Jimmy Carter through the years (Original Caption) Washington: President Carter speaks of the need for new energy source as he stands onto he roof of the West Wing of the White House to dedicate a newly installed solar heating system. The $28,000 unit primarily provides hot water for the staff mess hall. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Jimmy Carter through the years (Original Caption) 3/24/1979-Elk City, Oklahoma: President Jimmy Carter addressing a town meeting. American flag is hung in background. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Jimmy Carter through the years Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter renovating an apartment building on the Lower East Side for Project Habitat for Humanity, New York, NY 1984 (Photo by Evelyn Floret/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images via Getty Images) (Evelyn Floret/The LIFE Images Collection via G)
Jimmy Carter through the years ATLANTA - OCTOBER 17: Former President Jimmy Carter throws out the ceremonial first pitch before Game One of the 1992 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays at Fulton County Stadium on October 17, 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves defeated the Blue Jays 3-1. (Photo by MLB via Getty Images) (MLB Photos/MLB via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years ATLANTA - January 4: Former US President Jimmy Carter photographed with a wooden Chess set, board, case and photo album he made by hand at The Carter Center on January 4,1993 in Atlanta Georgia. (Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images) (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO -- Episode 717 -- Pictured: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on June 21, 1995 -- (Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images) (NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via)
Jimmy Carter through the years Jimmy Carter attends Habitat For Humanity Benefit Project on June 23, 1995 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty)
Jimmy Carter through the years Former US president Jimmy Carter takes a rest June 2, 1997, during an early bicycle tour at the office of Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok in The Hague. Carter and some members of his family cycled some 25 km (16 miles) from the Noordwijk congress center through the dunes to the center of The Hague. Carter is taking part in the Inter Action Council of former heads of state and governments. (Photo credit should read ED OUDENAARDEN/AFP via Getty Images) (ED OUDENAARDEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years ATLANTA -- SEPT 14: Former President Jimmy Carter interviewed for "The Presidents' Gatekeepers" project at the Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia, September 14, 2011. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images) (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years ATLANTA -- SEPT 14: Former President Jimmy Carter interviewed for "The Presidents' Gatekeepers" project at the Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia, September 14, 2011. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images) (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years Former US president Jimmy Carter speaks during a press conference about his home building work project on November 7, 2011 in Leogane, south of Port-au-Prince for victims of the last earthquake of January 12, 2010. AFP PHOTO/Thony BELIZAIRE (Photo credit should read THONY BELIZAIRE/AFP via Getty Images) (THONY BELIZAIRE/AFP via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years Former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school on Easter Sunday at Maranatha Baptist Church on April 20, 2014 in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Chris McKay/Getty Images) (Chris McKay/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years Former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school on Easter Sunday at Maranatha Baptist Church on April 20, 2014 in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Chris McKay/Getty Images) (Chris McKay/Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years Jimmy Carter speaks onstage during the 2015 MusiCares Person of The Year honoring Bob Dylan held at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic) (Michael Tran/FilmMagic)
Jimmy Carter through the years Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter attends the 25th anniversary MusiCares 2015 Person Of The Year Gala honoring Bob Dylan at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 6, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. The annual benefit raises critical funds for MusiCares' Emergency Financial Assistance and Addiction Recovery programs. For more information visit musicares.org. (Photo by Michael Kovac/WireImage) (Michael Kovac/WireImage)
Jimmy Carter through the years Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter speaks to the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church before teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Georgia on April 28, 2019. Carter, 94, has taught Sunday school at the church on a regular basis since leaving the White House in 1981, drawing hundreds of visitors who arrive hours before the 10:00 am lesson in order to get a seat and have a photograph taken with the former President and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES - 2018/03/26: Former US President Jimmy Carter at a book signing for his new book "Faith: A Journey For All" at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan in New York City. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter through the years FILE- In this Oct. 7, 2019 file photo, former President Jimmy Carter builds corbels at a Habitat for Humanity project in Nashville, Tenn. Carter fell at home, requiring 14 stitches, but he did not let his injuries keep him from participating in his 36th building project with the nonprofit Christian housing organization. Carter, the longest serving president in U.S. history, recovered from several falls this year. This was one of the top stories in Georgia in 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) (Mark Humphrey/AP)
Jimmy Carter through the years FILE-In this Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 file photo, Former President Jimmy Carter answers questions during a news conference at a Habitat for Humanity project, in Nashville, Tenn. Carter has been hospitalized after an another fall at his home in Plains, Ga. A statement from The Carter Center says Carter suffered "a minor pelvic fracture" on Monday, Oct. 21 but remains in good spirits and looks forward to recovering at home. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) (Mark Humphrey/AP)
Jimmy Carter through the years Democratic presidential candidate and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, left, meets with former President Jimmy Carter, center, at the Buffalo Cafe in Plains, Ga., Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (Matt Rourke/AP)