Jimmy Carter Turns 98: The Longest-Lived President in U.S. History

Ordinary Life in Hometown with 95-Year-Old Wife Mrs. Roselyn
Efforts for World Peace and Human Rights... Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter celebrated his 98th birthday on the 1st (local time).
The photo shows former President Carter and his wife Rosalynn sitting side by side at their 75th wedding anniversary reception on July 10 last year. Photo by AP Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Jimmy Carter, the longest-living president in U.S. history, celebrated his 98th birthday on the 1st (local time).

Jason Carter (47), Carter's grandson and chairman of the Carter Center board, said in an interview with the AP news agency, "Grandfather celebrated his 98th birthday with faith in God's plan for him," adding, "Seeing grandfather feeling peace and happiness in his present and future is a blessing for all of us." He continued, "Grandfather hopes his 98th birthday will be an ordinary day watching his favorite Major League Baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, on TV."

Carter, a peanut farmer who inherited his father's business, served in the U.S. Navy before entering politics and retired as a lieutenant. After serving as Georgia's first-term governor, he immediately ran for president and served as the 39th U.S. president from 1977 to 1981.

Contrary to expectations, his presidency was harsh. Due to various adversities such as failure to control inflation, the second oil shock, and the Iran hostage crisis, he suffered from low approval ratings and was labeled an incompetent president. Ultimately, Carter lost his re-election bid to Republican candidate and former actor Ronald Reagan and retired to Georgia at the age of 56 in 1981.

However, Carter gained greater popularity after his presidency than during it.

He established the Carter Center in Atlanta in 1982 and actively participated in the Habitat for Humanity movement, known as "building homes with love." He also created the Jimmy Carter Project, a short-term home-building volunteer effort for disaster victims, visiting various parts of the world. For his contributions to poverty eradication, world peace, and resolving international conflicts, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

He also has a special connection with Korea. On June 24, 1994, just 14 days before the death of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, he made a surprise visit to North Korea and met Kim Il-sung, working to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and improve North Korea-U.S. relations.

He suffered from a brain tumor in 2015 and underwent surgery to reduce intracranial pressure in 2019, among other health issues. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, he has refrained from official activities and lives an ordinary life in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, with his wife Rosalynn. Mrs. Rosalynn also celebrated her 95th birthday last month and is the oldest living former U.S. first lady.

The second longest-living U.S. president after Carter was George H. W. Bush, father of former president George W. Bush, who died in 2018 at the age of 94.