Former President Jimmy Carter turns 98

Washington
CNN
—

Jimmy Carter, the oldest living former US president, will turn 98 on Saturday.

Carter will celebrate quietly at home with her family, according to a Carter Center spokesperson. The Carter Center will be hosting a series of virtual events to celebrate the former president’s birthday and legacy, and the public is encouraged to send him a virtual birthday message through his foundation.

Carter became the oldest living US president in history after the death of George HW Bush, who died in late 2018 at age 94. In recent years, he has kept a low public profile due to the coronavirus pandemic, but has continued to speak out against risks to democracy around the world, a longstanding cause for him.

He was a peanut farmer and a lieutenant in the United States Navy before entering politics, eventually serving a term as governor of Georgia and president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.

The former Democratic president is widely revered for his defense of human rights. His negotiation of the Camp David Accords with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1978 remains central to his legacy.

After his presidency, Carter focused more on human rights and founded The Carter Center with his wife, Rosalynn, in hopes of advancing world peace and health. The Carter Center has worked to advance democracy by monitoring foreign elections and reducing disease in developing countries over the years. Carter himself is a longtime volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts to promote world peace.

Carter beat brain cancer in 2015 but faced a series of health issues in 2019 so underwent surgery to take the pressure off his brain. He has since recovered, but his health issues forced him to abandon his decades-long tradition of teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.

Rosalynn Carter celebrated her 95th birthday in August.