Jimmy Carter, the third US President to travel to India, passes away at the age of 100
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Washington, Dec 30 (NationPress) Former US President Jimmy Carter passed away on Sunday at the remarkable age of 100.
He was recognized as the oldest living President in history and marked his place as the third US President to visit India.
Carter's last moments were spent at his home in Plains, Georgia.
He had been battling a severe form of melanoma, a type of skin cancer, which had metastasized to his liver and brain. He had opted to discontinue medical treatment and was receiving hospice care at home.
The announcement of his passing was made by the Carter Centre in Atlanta.
“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and selfless love,” shared Chip Carter, the son of the former President.
“My siblings and I shared him with the global community through these common values. The world is our family due to the way he united people, and we appreciate you honoring his legacy by living out these shared principles.”
President Carter, a member of the Democratic Party, served a single term from 1977 to 1981 and was voted out of office, despite notable achievements such as the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, which ultimately did not suffice to counterbalance the dissatisfaction over a faltering economy domestically and the Iran crisis internationally.
Following his presidency, he led an extraordinary life and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for “his decades of relentless efforts to find peaceful resolutions to global conflicts, to promote democracy and human rights, and to foster economic and social development.”
His wife of 77 years, Rosalyn Carter, passed away in November 2023 at the age of 96.
Carter was the third US President to visit India, following Dwight Eisenhower in 1959 and Richard Nixon in 1969.
During his visit in 1978, he was joined by the First Lady.
Carter met with then President Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy and Prime Minister Morarji Desai, and he addressed the Parliament. A village he visited at that time in Gurugram (formerly known as Gurgaon) was named Carterpuri and continues to carry that name.
“The atmosphere throughout the visit was warm, and the reception President Carter received from the Indian public was enthusiastic,” the US Embassy in New Delhi reported to the State Department in a telegram released by the US Office of the Historian.
“It is evident that the President developed an excellent personal relationship with the Prime Minister. Editorial commentary following the visit, while generally reflecting the positive atmosphere described, also noted some reservations, primarily focusing on differences in the nuclear domain.”
Interestingly, Carter's mother, Lilian Carter, had visited India long before him. She traveled to India as a member of the Peace Corps at the age of 68 and returned in 1977 to represent the US at the funeral of President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed.
“My mother, who deeply loves this nation and its people, has expressed to me the warmth and friendship of the Indian people,” President Carter remarked to Indian lawmakers.
“She felt it during her years of service here and again a few months ago during a time of sorrow when she represented me as President and the people of the US at the funeral of your former President.”
