Jimmy Carter Turns 100, The First Former President To Do So

Former President Jimmy Carter is marking his 100th birthday — the first former president in United States history to do so.

It's a major milestone for Carter, who has been in hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia, since February 2023. Carter lost his wife, Rosalynn Carter, in November, after 77 years of marriage. The former president attended his late wife's memorial service in a wheelchair. 

President Biden shared a message wishing Carter, "on behalf of the entire Biden family, and the American people, Happy 100th Birthday!" Mr. Biden called him "a moral force for our nation and the world ... and most of all, a beloved friend."

Carter has said he wants to live long enough to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Early voting begins later this month in Carter's home state of Georgia. 

"I'm only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris," Carter told his son, Chip, as relayed by his grandson, Jason, to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The former president has lived remarkably long in home hospice care, where the average length of time for patients is 63 days, according to the National Institutes of Health. Carter has been in hospice for more than 19 months. 

A number of stars paid tribute to Carter in a celebration ahead of his 100th birthday, with more than 4,000 people filling Atlanta's Fox Theatre for a benefit concert in mid-September. The event, "Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song," raised funds for international programs of The Carter Center, the foundation Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter founded after leaving the White House.

"Everyone here is making history," grandson Jason Carter said. "This is the first time people have come together to celebrate the 100th birthday of an American president."

James Earl Carter Jr. was born on Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, the son of a peanut farmer and a nurse — the first future U.S. president to be born in a hospital. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Navy before returning home to run the family farm. He was elected governor of Georgia in 1970.

Carter, a Democrat, served one term as president from 1977 to 1981, overseeing a period of record-high inflation and other challenges. The seizure of American hostages at the U.S. embassy in Iran dominated the news during the last 14 months of the Carter administration. Iran released the Americans the day Carter left office in 1981. 

Carter, who has devoted his later years to humanitarian work, grew more popular as a former president than he was as president. When he was still physically able, Carter was active in building homes with Habitat for Humanity and traveled the world in support of democracy and public health initiatives.