National Archives Mourns Passing of President Jimmy Carter
By Victoria Blue | National Archives News
WASHINGTON, December 30, 2024 — The National Archives and Records Administration will take part in a national day of mourning for Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, who died on December 29 at the age of 100.
President Joe Biden declared January 9, 2025, as a National Day of Mourning, in his Presidential Proclamation issued on December 29, 2024.
"I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance," Biden said in the proclamation.
Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan said, “We mourn former President Carter together and honor his legacy. A humanitarian and champion of democracy, Carter spent his life bringing people together to solve global problems with peaceful solutions.”
The National Archives Building in Washington, DC, will display the Camp David Accords and the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty of 1979 in the East Rotunda Gallery. The public is also invited to sign a condolence book, located next to the exhibit, for the Carter family. To learn about condolence books and observances at a Presidential Library near you, please visit the Presidential Libraries website. All National Archives facilities, except the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, will be closed on Thursday, January 9.
James Earl Carter Jr. grew up on a peanut farm in Plains, GA. His life in public service began as a naval officer and continued as a Georgia state senator and Governor of Georgia. He was elected as the 39th President of the United States, serving one term from 1977 until 1981. He was the longest-living U.S. President.
Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 1946. A month after graduation, he married Rosalynn Smith. Their 77-year marriage was the longest of any married couple in Presidential history.
After serving in the Navy’s nuclear submarine service, Carter returned to Plains and took over operation of the family farm. In 1962 he won a seat in the Georgia state senate and in 1970 won election as governor.
In 1976 Carter won the Presidency, defeating President Gerald R. Ford. Carter’s term in office was marked by the Panama Canal Treaty, a national energy policy to respond to the energy crisis, the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, and the Iran hostage crisis.
When Carter left office, defeated in 1980 by Ronald Reagan, he entered an active and productive post-Presidency. He was the author of more than 30 books and founded the Carter Center, which has programs throughout the developing world to resolve conflict, advance democracy, and ease suffering from disease.
In 2002 he received the Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the honor after leaving office, for “his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”
Carter was preceded in death by his wife, Rosalynn, who died on November 19, 2023. He is survived by his sons John (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), and Donnel (Jeff); and daughter Amy.
Obituary and funeral information are online at www.jimmycartertribute.org.
The National Archives extends condolences to the Carter family, to our colleagues at the Carter Library, and to the American public.
President Jimmy Carter in 1994. (Jimmy Carter Library)
The Carters surprised onlookers when they left their car and walked down Pennsylvania Avenue during the Inaugural Parade on January 20, 1977. (Jimmy Carter Library)
President Jimmy Carter swings a baseball bat during a softball game in Plains, Georgia., on July 7, 1977. View in the National Archives Catalog.
President Carter works in his study on November 7, 1977. View in the National Archives Catalog.
On January 14, 1979, President Carter accepted the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolence Peace Prize at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. View in the National Archives Catalog.
President and Mrs. Carter in Egypt, March 9, 1979. Photo by Karl H. Schumacher. View in the National Archives Catalog.
In September 1978, Jimmy Carter negotiated the Camp David accords, which created a framework for a peace agreement in the Middle East. Pictured are Egypt President Anwar Sadat, President Carter, and Israel Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the March 26, 1979, White House signing of the resulting Israel-Egypt peace treaty that began an era of lasting peace between the two nations. Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick. View in the National Archives Catalog.
President Carter endorsed the use of solar power as part of a comprehensive plan to strengthen the nation’s energy security by conserving energy and developing alternative energy sources. On June 20, 1979, he showed reporters and other guests new solar panels on the West Wing providing hot water for the White House. Photo by Bill Fitz-Patrick. View in the National Archives Catalog.
In 2002, Jimmy Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” (The Carter Center. Quote excerpted from Norwegian Nobel Committee’s announcement.)
Jimmy Carter consoles a young patient having a worm removed from her body in Savelugu, Ghana, in February 2007. The Carter Center leads the international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease. (The Carter Center)