Jimmy Carter turns 100 – the first US president ever to reach the century mark

Plains, United States:

Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday today – the first US president ever to reach the century mark and another extraordinary milestone for the former peanut farmer who found his way to the White House.

Carter's longevity — he began receiving hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia, more than 19 months ago — has exceeded all expectations.

The Democratic former president no longer appears regularly in public and is spending his birthday in the home he and his late wife Rosalynn built in Plains in the 1960s. The celebration will include a lunch with about 20 members of his extended family, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

President Joe Biden praised Carter as a “beloved friend” and “one of the most influential statesmen” in U.S. history in a video posted on his official X account.

“Your unwavering belief in the power of human kindness continues to be a guide for us all,” he said.

The White House lawn was decorated Tuesday with a sign that read, “Happy Birthday, President Carter.”

The British King Charles III. sent a private congratulatory message expressing “great admiration for the president's lifelong duty and public service,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.

And Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who is currently overseeing the response to a major storm disaster, declared “Jimmy Carter Day” across the state.

SMALL TOWN

In addition to serving as commander in chief for a term from 1977 to 1981, Carter worked as a global mediator, human rights activist and elder statesman, founding the prestigious Carter Center in 1982 to pursue his vision of world diplomacy.

His presidency included the 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, the establishment of diplomatic relations with China following a rapprochement initiated by President Richard Nixon, and the return of control of the Panama Canal to Panama.

But his administration faced numerous problems, including the Iran hostage crisis and another oil crisis in 1979-1980, which led to Ronald Reagan coming to power in a landslide.

“We are thrilled that the president of this small town will be the only president to ever live to be 100 years old,” Jill Stuckey, director of the National Park Service's Jimmy Carter Historic Site and a longtime family friend, told AFP.

She spoke of Plains High School, from which Carter graduated in 1941 and which now serves as a visitor center for the national park, which houses sites from his early life, including the nearby peanut farm where he grew up.

On Tuesday, the school held a naturalization ceremony for 100 new U.S. citizens, who placed their hands on their hearts and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

“He did so much for America,” said Adriana Vickers, 46, originally from Brazil.

“It's for all nations,” Carlene Ford, another newly naturalized citizen from Jamaica, told AFP. “It’s for everyone, it’s for the people.”

As part of the city's celebration, a flypast by four F-18 jets and two vintage aircraft graced the Plains skies.

“ALWAYS” POLITICAL

A devout Baptist and self-proclaimed “born again” Christian, Carter is known for his moral fiber but also for his politeness, which is admired even by critics on the other side of the wedding aisle.

According to his family, Carter remains deeply interested in politics and was highly motivated to make it to 100 and vote for fellow Democrat Kamala Harris in the November election.

“He will vote by postal vote,” Stuckey told AFP, adding: “He's always been very politically active and that hasn't changed.”

At the naturalization ceremony attended by the mayor, those in attendance were encouraged to register to vote.

In Plains, as in many rural towns with strong evangelical Christian leanings, far more yard signs support Republican Donald Trump than Harris.

But it's also not unusual to see a sign that says “Trump” as well as a sign celebrating Carter's centennial birthday.

Carl Lowell, who has lived in Plains since he was a child, said he tries not to get involved in politics because it is “so divisive” right now.

Like most Plains residents, the 59-year-old retired firefighter has ties to Carter in a variety of ways – he says his grandfather helped build the Carter home and he even once went dove hunting with him.

“Jimmy is a good man, he's a godly man, and that's what people like about him,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)