President Jimmy Carter passed away at his home in Georgia on Sunday. He lived to 100 years old, the oldest any former president has ever lived. His beloved wife Rosalynn Carter passed away in November 2023, and President Carter basically held on throughout this year so he could cast his vote for Kamala Harris. Now that Carter has passed away within weeks of the inauguration, that means all federal buildings will be flying their flags at half-mast when that ugly orange man is sworn in. Which is fitting. It’s also fitting that President Carter adiosed out of the sh-tshow that will be 2025 and the second Donald Trump administration.

Former President Jimmy Carter died on Sunday at his home in Plains, Ga., after deciding nearly two years ago to forgo further medical care following a series of medical crises, according to two people close to the family and The Carter Center, the nonprofit he and his wife founded.

At 100, he was the longest-lived president in American history and became known as much for his post-presidential diplomacy and charitable works as for his single, economically turbulent term in office.

Tributes poured in on Sunday from his White House successors, including President Biden, who said in a statement that “America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian.” President-elect Donald J. Trump said in a statement that Mr. Carter “did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Mr. Carter, a peanut farmer and former Naval officer who served aboard submarines and studied nuclear physics, was elected governor of Georgia as a Democrat in 1970. With a promise never to lie to the American public, Mr. Carter positioned himself as the reformist antidote to an era of deep political mistrust after Watergate and the Vietnam War and won the presidency in 1976.

He presided over four tumultuous years plagued by long gas lines, high inflation and the Iran hostage crisis. But he also signed a strategic arms limitation agreement with the Soviet Union and helped forge the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. Mr. Carter cemented his legacy with a deeper engagement in public affairs than any other former president of modern times and was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize.

Chip Carter, the former president’s son, said in a statement his father was a hero to “everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love.” He added, “The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

[From The NY Times]

He was a very spiritual man, a mensch among men, a humanitarian and a blessed peacemaker. I’m not sure what I believe at this point, but I hope he’s reunited with Rosalynn and that he watches over all of us.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.