Former President Jimmy Carter, the longest-lived president in American history, is receiving end-of-life care at his home in Georgia. The Carter Center announced on Saturday that at 98 years old, he has chosen to spend his final moments in hospice with family rather than seek additional medical intervention, following several hospital visits.
The statement said the 39th president has the full support of his medical team and family, which “asks for privacy at this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.”
Carter was a little-known governor from Georgia when he launched his bid for the presidency ahead of the 1976 election. Billing himself as an outsider, he defeated then-President Gerald Ford in the wake of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal that drove Richard Nixon from office in 1974.
As the 39th president, Carter negotiated the historic Camp David Accords, which brokered peace between Israel and Egypt, an agreement that remains foundational in Middle East relations today.
However, Carter’s presidency was also marked by double-digit inflation and the notorious 444-day hostage crisis in Iran, during which 52 Americans were held hostage. These events partly eroded his public support, and he later lost his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Despite this setback, Carter continued to make a significant impact on the world. He spent his post-presidency years working on causes such as building houses for the poor, election monitoring abroad, and combating Guinea worm disease through public health campaigns that focused on improving access to safe drinking water in Africa.
His work as a former president and through the Carter Center eventually earned him the Nobel Peace Prize, helping to recreate his image in the eyes of many Americans.