My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs.
A former state legislator and Georgia governor, Carter unexpectedly rose to clinch the 1976 Democratic primary and presidency.
But Carter would serve only one term.
President Jimmy Carter in Washington, D.C., 1978. Though his time in office was fraught, Carter’s post-presidential legacy of humanitarian and diplomatic work was unparalleled.Bob Daugherty/AP/REX/Shutterstock
Though his time in office was fraught, Carters post-presidential legacy of humanitarian and diplomatic work was unparalleled.
He attended Georgia Southwestern State University, Georgia Tech, and the United States Naval Academy.
Carter soon established himself as a progressive local leader.
Carter jumped into politics in 1962, winning a seat in the Georgia state Senate.
These were all foreign-policy accomplishments, however.
Where Carter struggled was in inspiring hope domestically.
There was something more than a desire to lead, Carters speechwriter Hendrik HertzbergtoldRolling Stonein 2011.
That was very strong.
But as strong was the self-sacrificial ideal of doing the right thing even if it cost him the presidency.
He risked it over and over.
He loved thankless tasks like the Panama Canal.
Its a perfect Carter achievement.
He got absolutely no mileage out of it.
Reagan rode it to the election.
And yet, by doing it, he avoided a catastrophic, very serious war in Latin America.
The nations fears about energy security were further heightened by the nuclear mishap at Three Mile Island that March.
The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways, said Carter.
It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will.
In April 1980, he ordered Operation Eagle Claw, a military mission to rescue the hostages.
It failed, and eight American service members were killed.
The crisis persisted through the end of Carters presidency, and triggered his landslide Electoral College defeat in 1980.
(All 52 hostages were freed minutes after Reagan took the oath of office.)
In 1982, Carter and Rosalynn founded the Carter Center to advance peace and health worldwide.
Carters post-presidential work as a diplomat was equally far-reaching.
The ambiguity of this official-yet-unofficial status has irritated every American president from Reagan on.
Carters own assessments often relayed through opinion pieces were a constant in the American political discourse.
He long advocated for Palestines right to statehood, green energy solutions, and universal health care.
While Carter was critical of President Trump, he made his expertise available to the administration.
I pray for him fairly regularly.
If he answered my prayers, hed have to change a lot of things.
He spent his later years living modestly in Plains, painting, reading, and writing.
For Carter, there was no other option.
God gives us the capacity for choice.
We can choose to alleviate suffering.
We can choose to work together for peace.
We can make these changes and we must.
