Former US president Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100, his son has announced.
Carter, who was the longest-living former American president, served just one term between 1977 and 1981 and will be remembered for his humanitarian work as well as his astounding political career.
Carter entered hospice care in 2023 but was able to celebrate his 100th birthday in October 2024, making him the oldest president in American history.
The 39th president of the United States, Carter was a towering figure in Democrat politics both during and after his term in office.
Known for his early championing on environmentalism and human rights, Carter continued to work and campaign for decades after leaving office.
Born in October 1924, in the small farming town of Plains, Georgia, Carter graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946 and served for seven years.
He entered politics in 1962 and four years later became Georgia’s 76th governor. Ten years later, he would win his parties nomination for the presidency in which he went on to defeat republican Gerald R Ford.
Despite only serving one term, his accomplishments were many with the impact of the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel and the establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China still felt today
There were however struggles during his time in office, notably the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, inflation and recession and the Iranian hostage crisis, which saw mobs ransack the US embassy in Tehran capturing 52 people and holding them hostage for the duration of his presidency.
Carter’s attempts at mediation and negotiation failed, as did a rescue attempt, causing international embarrassment for the country.
His election defeat was one of the most catastrophic in democratic history as he picked up just six states as Ronald Reagan swept to a historic victory.
After leaving office, Carter and his wife Rosalynn founded the Carter Centre, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing human rights, leading health initiatives and improving the quality of life for people around the world.
Under Carter’s leadership, the Carter Centre worked alongside the World Health Organisation to nearly eradicate Guinea worm disease, an infection that occurs due to contaminated drinking water, driving infections down from 3.5 million in 1986 to just 13 in 2002.
For his humanitarian efforts, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
In recent years, Carter’s health declined markedly, and he was admitted to hospice care in February 2023. Against the odds, he survived to celebrate his 100th birthday in October 2024 and even managed to vote for Kamala Harris in November’s election.
Carter is survived by his four children, 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
