Jimmy Carter turns 100, becoming the first centenarian former US president | Jimmy Carter

Joe Biden on Tuesday congratulated Jimmy Carter on his 100th birthday, a milestone that makes Carter the first former U.S. president to become a centenarian.

Carter began hospice care 19 months ago at his home in Plains, Georgia. His grandson Jason Carter said the former president was determined to vote for Kamala Harris, a fellow Democrat, in the presidential election.

The White House marked the celebration with a large sign reading “Happy Birthday, President Carter” and the number 100 in front of the north portico. Carter has asked Biden to eulogize him at his state funeral in due course.

In a statement, Biden, 81, who was the first sitting senator to support Carter's 1976 campaign, said his predecessor had always been “a moral force for our nation and the world.”

He added: “Your hopeful vision of our country, your commitment to a better world and your unwavering belief in the power of human kindness continue to be a guide for us all.”

Barack Obama posted a video message on social media platform X saying, “Happy 100th Birthday, President Carter! Thank you for your friendship, basic decency, and incredible service through the @CarterCenter. Michelle and I are grateful for everything you have done for this country.”

Carter, who lived longer than any other U.S. president in history, served just a single term from January 1977 to January 1981 and was plagued by high inflation and the Iran hostage crisis. More recently, however, historians have argued that his record deserves reassessment and that he was ahead of his time in calling for action to address the climate crisis.

His decades of humanitarian work after leaving office, including promoting human rights and alleviating poverty in countries around the world, earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

His birthday will be celebrated with the broadcast of a tribute concert by country, rock and gospel music stars recorded last month at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. The concert raised more than $1 million for the Carter Center's international program, which he founded with his wife, Rosalynn Carter. According to his grandson Jason Carter, the former president plans to watch the concert on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were married for 77 years. Rosalynn Carter died in November last year and the former president was last seen in public at his wife's funeral, where he used a wheelchair and appeared frail. He was diagnosed with cancer and other health problems and decided to stop medical intervention and enter hospice care in February 2023.

Carter is expected to celebrate his birthday in the same one-story home he and Rosalynn built in the early 1960s – before his first election to the Georgia state Senate. Until a few years ago, he taught Sunday school at his hometown Baptist church in Plains.

Jason Carter, chairman of the board of the Carter Center, told the Associated Press: “Not everyone has 100 years on this earth, and if someone does and if they use that time to do so much good for so many people, that's it that's worth celebrating.

“The last few months, 19 months, now that he's in hospice, has been a chance for our family to reflect and then for the rest of the country and the world to really think about him. It was a really enjoyable time.”

Early voting in Georgia begins Oct. 15, two weeks after Carter turns 101. Jason Carter added: “When we asked him about his 100th birthday, he said he was thrilled to vote for Kamala Harris.”

The Carters have worked with the nonprofit group Habitat for Humanity International since the 1980s, and the ex-president regularly joins other volunteers to help build homes for people affected by poverty or disasters.

To mark Carter's birthday, numerous Habitat volunteers, including country stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, will build 30 homes in St. Paul, Minnesota, this week.

Jonathan Reckford, managing director of Habitat, said: “The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project serves not only to honor the legacy of the Carters, but also as a reminder of what is possible when people from all walks of life come together to work towards it. “a common goal.”