Jimmy Carter and his hometown of Plains celebrate the 39th president’s 100th birthday

By BILL BARROW and CHARLOTTE KRAMON

ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter reached his 100th birthday Tuesday, the archetypal clip an American president has lived a afloat period and the latest milestone successful a beingness that took the lad of a Depression-era husbandman to the White House and crossed the satellite arsenic a Nobel Peace Prize-winning humanitarian and advocator for democracy.

Living the past 19 months successful location hospice care successful Plains, the Georgia Democrat and 39th president has continued to defy expectations, conscionable arsenic helium did done a singular emergence from his household peanut farming and warehouse concern to the satellite stage. He served 1 statesmanlike word from 1977 to 1981 and past worked much than 4 decades starring The Carter Center, which helium and his woman Rosalynn co-founded successful 1982 to “wage peace, combat disease, and physique hope.”

A motion wishing erstwhile President Jimmy Carter a blessed 100th day sits connected the North Lawn of the White House successful Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

“Not everybody gets 100 years connected this earth, and erstwhile idiosyncratic does, and erstwhile they usage that clip to bash truthful overmuch bully for truthful galore people, it’s worthy celebrating,” Jason Carter, the erstwhile president’s grandson and seat of The Carter Center governing board, said successful an interview.

“These past fewer months, 19 months, present that he’s been successful hospice, it’s been a accidental for our household to reflect,” helium continued, “and past for the remainder of the state and the satellite to truly bespeak connected him. That’s been a truly gratifying time.”

James Earl Carter Jr. was calved Oct. 1, 1924 successful Plains, wherever helium has lived much than 80 of his 100 years. He is expected to people his day successful the aforesaid one-story location helium and Rosalynn built successful the aboriginal 1960s — earlier his archetypal predetermination to the Georgia authorities Senate. The erstwhile archetypal lady, who was besides calved successful Plains, died past November astatine 96.

FILE – An estimated assemblage of 35,000 radical stitchery for a noontime code by Presidential campaigner Jimmy Carter successful downtown Philadelphia, Oct. 29, 1976. (AP Photo, File)

President Joe Biden, who was the archetypal sitting legislator to endorse Carter’s 1976 campaign, praised his longtime person for an “unwavering content successful the powerfulness of quality goodness.”

“You’ve ever been a motivation unit for our federation and the satellite (and) a beloved person to Jill and maine and our family,” the 81-year-old president tells Carter successful a tribute video filmed successful beforehand of Carter’s statesmanlike representation astatine the White House.

Outside the North Portico, the Bidens are placing a show of ample lettering declaring “Happy Birthday President Carter” and the fig 100. Carter has asked Biden to eulogize him astatine his authorities ceremonial erstwhile the clip comes.

FILE – Former President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday School people astatine the Maranatha Baptist Church successful his hometown of Plains, Ga., Aug. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

The Carter Center connected Sept. 17 hosted a musical gala successful Atlanta to observe the erstwhile president with a scope of genres and artists, including immoderate who campaigned with him successful 1976. The lawsuit raised much than $1.2 cardinal for the center’s programs and volition beryllium broadcast Tuesday evening connected Georgia Public Broadcasting.

In St. Paul, Minnesota, Habitat for Humanity volunteers are honoring Carter with a five-day effort to physique 30 houses. The Carters became apical ambassadors for the planetary enactment aft leaving the White House and hosted yearly gathering projects into their 90s. Carter survived a crab diagnosis and attraction successful his aboriginal 90s, past respective falls and a hep replacement successful his mid-90s earlier announcing astatine 98 that helium would participate hospice care.

Townspeople successful Plains planned different performance Tuesday evening.

FILE – Former President Jimmy Carter, right, and his wife, erstwhile archetypal woman Rosalynn Carter, clasp hands arsenic they locomotion from a authorities ceremonial for erstwhile President George H.W. Bush astatine the National Cathedral, Dec. 5, 2018, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

The past clip Jimmy Carter was seen publically was astir a twelvemonth ago, utilizing a reclining wheelchair to be his wife’s two ceremonial services. Visibly diminished and silent, helium was joined connected the beforehand enactment of Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church successful Atlanta by the couple’s 4 children, each surviving erstwhile archetypal lady, Biden and his woman Jill and erstwhile President Bill Clinton. A time later, Carter joined his extended household and parishioners astatine Maranatha Baptist Church successful Plains, wherever the erstwhile president taught Sunday School for decades.

Jason Carter said the 100th day celebrations were not thing the household expected to spot erstwhile his grandma died. The erstwhile president’s infirmary furniture had been acceptable up successful the aforesaid country truthful helium could spot his wife of 77 years and speech to her successful her last days and hours.

“We frankly didn’t deliberation helium was going to spell connected overmuch longer,” Jason Cater said. “But it’s a religion travel for him, and he’s truly fixed himself implicit to what helium feels is God’s plan. He knows he’s not successful charge. But successful these past fewer months, especially, helium has gotten a batch much engaged successful satellite events, a batch much engaged successful politics, a batch more, conscionable engaged, emotionally, with each of us.”

Jason Carter said the centenarian president, calved lone 4 years aft women were granted the law close to ballot and 4 decades earlier Black women won ballot access, is anxious to formed his 2024 statesmanlike ballot — for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrat who would go the archetypal woman, 2nd Black idiosyncratic and archetypal idiosyncratic of southbound Asian descent to scope the Oval Office.

“He, similar a batch of us, was incredibly gratified by his person Joe Biden’s courageous prime to walk the torch,” the younger Carter said. “You know, my gramps and The Carter Center person observed much than 100 elections successful 40 different countries, right? So, helium knows however uncommon it is for idiosyncratic who’s a sitting president to springiness up powerfulness successful immoderate context.”

Jason Carter continued, “When we started asking him astir his 100th birthday, helium said helium was excited to ballot for Kamala Harris.”

Early voting successful Georgia begins Oct. 15, 2 weeks into Carter’s 101st year.