Former President Jimmy Carter, a Georgia peanut farmer who vowed to restore morality and truth to politics after an era of White House scandal and who redefined post-presidential service, died Sunday at the age of 100.

The tenacious Southerner was turned out of office by disillusioned voters after a single term. But he had a brilliant post-presidential career as a champion of health, peace and democracy.

Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia, who also served in the US Navy, was president from 1977 to 1981.

Championing human rights at the center of US foreign policy, Carter forged a still-standing peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. He also established the Department of Energy in 1977.

Shortly after, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, established The Carter Center, which has monitored international elections and promoted public health across the world.

Jimmy Carter, a no-frills and steel-willed Southern governor who was elected president in 1976, was rejected by disillusioned voters after a single term and went on to an extraordinary postpresidential life that included winning the Nobel Peace Prize, died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia, according to his son James E. Carter III, known as Chip. He was 100 and the oldest living U.S. president of all time.

Jimmy Carter: The life of the 39th president

Jimmy Carter, a steel-willed Southern governor who was elected president in 1976, died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Dec. 29, according to his son James E. Carter III, known as Chip. He was 100 and the oldest living U.S. president of all time.

The funeral: President Joe Biden issued a proclamation declaring a National Day of Mourning on Jan. 9. Here’s what we know about the memorial services for Carter, which are expected to span several days and include public events in Atlanta and Washington.

The un-celebrity president: Carter’s simple and modest lifestyle was rare, in sharp contrast to his successors. He declined corporate board memberships and lucrative speaking engagements, and decided that his income would come from writing. He wrote 33 books and helped renovate 4,300 homes for Habitat for Humanity.

Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter: Rosalynn Carter, a close political and policy adviser to her husband, died Nov. 19, 2023. The Carters were married for more than 77 years, the longest presidential marriage in U.S. history. Their love story blossomed in World War II and survived the searing scrutiny of political life. Rosalynn Carter expanded the role of first lady.

Jimmy Carter was remembered as a selfless person and incredible grandfather by one of his grandsons, who shared a tribute to him on social media following his death on Sunday.

Hugo Wentzel, one of Carter’s 11 grandchildren, described the former president as “an absolutely incredible person” in a post on Instagram on Monday.

“He was the most selfless person I’ve ever met in my entire life, and I’m not even joking when I say probably one of the most selfless humans in history,” Wentzel wrote in part. “I am so, so grateful to be his grandson.”

Wentzel says the 39th president taught him how to fly fish, hunt, cook and even chop down Christmas trees. “I remember in middle school he would come with the entire secret service just to spend time with me,” he added.

President Jimmy Carter’s earnest desire to protect international human rights led him to meet with some of the most controversial leaders in the world, presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said Monday.

“He would talk to anybody. He would talk to a dictator, whether in Bosnia-Herzegovina or one in North Korea,” Brinkley told CNN’s Pamela Brown. “Anything in the name of peace.”

President Joe Biden honored the passing of his longtime friend, former President Jimmy Carter, on Sunday.

“This is a sad day, but it brings back an incredible amount of good memories,” Biden said, taking time out of his St. Croix vacation for the speech. “America and the world, in my view, lost a remarkable leader. He was a statesman and humanitarian, and Jill and I lost a dear friend.”

The president, who said he’d been “hanging out with Jimmy Carter for more than 50 years,” said Carter lived a life measured not by words, but deeds.

“To know his core, you need to know he never stopped being a Sunday school teacher at that Baptist school in Plaines, Georgia,” he said.

Biden called Carter “just as courageous in his battle against cancer as he was in everything in his life,” and talked about how the illness had impacted their lives.

“Cancer was a common bond between our two families, as in many other families, and our son, Beau, died – when he died, Jimmy and Rosalynn were there to help us heal,” Biden said.

He said he and the first lady “did our best to comfort him” when Carter himself was diagnosed.

“We talked and he shared our beliefs that as a nation we have the talent and the resources to one day end cancer as we know it,” Biden said.

Biden told reporters he had spoken with all of Carter’s children and that his team was “working with his family and others to see to it that he’s remembered appropriately.”

Carter, a Democrat, served a single term from 1977 to 1981, losing a reelection bid to Ronald Reagan. Despite his notable achievements as a peacemaker, Carter’s presidency is largely remembered as an unfulfilled four years shaken by blows to America’s economy and standing overseas. His most enduring legacy, though, might be as a globetrotting elder statesman and human rights pioneer during an indefatigable 43-year “retirement.”

Carter became the oldest living former president when he surpassed the record held by the late George H.W. Bush in March 2019.

Carter’s beloved wife, Rosalynn, died in November 2023. They had been inseparable during their 77-year marriage, and after she passed away, the former president said in a statement that “as long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”

Jimmy Carter will be MISSED and his LEGACY will live forever….. May he rest in peace.