Jimmy Carter dies: Jimmy Carter, the 39th US President, passed away at the age of 100 on Sunday (local time) at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived US president passed away more than a year after entering hospice care at his home in the small town of Plains, according to The Carter Center.
Carter served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, earning widespread admiration for his integrity and humanitarian efforts. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in promoting democracy and human rights around the world.
Chip Carter, the former president’s son, in a statement released by The Carter Center said, "My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love. "My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs."
Carter is survived by his children—Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy; 11 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Rosalynn, and one grandchild.
Joe Biden mourns loss
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden mourned the loss of former President Jimmy Carter, describing him as an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian.
In his statement, Biden said over six decades, with his compassion and moral clarity, Carter 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 the people. 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,” said Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden.
President-elect Donald Trump said while he "strongly disagreed" with Carter "philosophically and politically", he also realised that he truly loved and respected "our country, and all it stands for". "He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect. He was a truly good man and, of course, will be greatly missed. He was also very consequential, far more than most Presidents, after he left the Oval Office,” Trump said.
Haryana's Carterpuri named after Jimmy Carter
Carter was the third American president to visit India during which a village in Haryana was named Carterpuri in his honour. He was the longest-lived president in US history. He was regarded as a friend of India. He was the first American president to visit India after the lifting of the Emergency and the victory of the Janata Party in 1977.
He was the third American president to visit India and the only one with a personal connection to the country – his mother, Lillian, had worked there as a health volunteer with the Peace Corps during the late 1960s.
In his address to the Indian parliament, Carter spoke against authoritarian rule. " India's difficulties, which we often experience ourselves and which are typical of the problems faced in the developing world, remind us of the tasks that lie ahead. Not the Authoritarian Way," Carter said on January 2, 1978.
A day later at the signing of the Delhi declaration along with then Prime Minister Morarji Desai, Carter said at the heart of the friendship between India and the US is their determination that the moral values of the people must also guide the actions of the states, the governments. "The United States gave the world an illustration of a new form of government, with a new relation between the citizen and the state — a relation in which the state exists to serve the citizen, and not the citizen to serve the state," he said.
According to the Carter Centre, on January 3, 1978, Carter and then First Lady Rosalynn Carter travelled to the village of Daulatpur Nasirabad, an hour southwest of New Delhi.
“The visit was so successful that shortly after, village residents renamed the area 'Carterpuri' and remained in contact with the White House for the rest of President Carter’s tenure. The trip made a lasting impression: Festivities abounded in the village when President Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, and January 3 remains a holiday in Carterpuri,” the Carter Centre said, adding that the visit laid the groundwork for an enduring partnership that has greatly benefited both countries.
(With PTI inputs)
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