ATLANTA — Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president and Georgia's favorite son, marks his 99th birthday today.
President Carter reaches the milestone as he enjoys, alongside former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, what their grandson has called the "final chapter" of their remarkable story.
The former president went on hospice back on February, and Rosalynn was diagnosed with dementia in May.
On Saturday, celebrations were held at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum in Atlanta. There's been no public communication about how Carter will celebrate his birthday, though his family has given periodic updates about how he continues to take visits and he was even out for a ride a weekend ago with Rosalynn for the Plains Peanut Festival.
You can share a birthday message for President Carter on the Carter Center website here. The center has also been sharing birthday messages for Carter from friends and figures such as Willie Nelson, Bill Clinton, Jane Fonda and others. You can see those messages on the Carter Center's X account.
11Alive sent its birthday message along, too:
Carter was born Oct. 1, 1924 in Plains, Ga., where he was raised, met his wife of 75 years, Rosalynn, and eventually launched his political career with a Georgia Senate run in 1962.
Back in 2019, Carter became the nation's oldest living president.
Carter was born in the small farming town of Plains, Georgia and grew up in the neighboring community of Archery. His father, James Earl Carter Sr. was a farmer and businessman. His mother, Lillian Gordy Carter, was a registered nurse, according to the Jimmy Carter Library.
Carter attended public school in Plains and later attended Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also received a B.S. degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1946.
He was elected to the Georgia Senate and lost his first gubernatorial campaign in 1966, but won the next election and became Georgia’s 76th governor in 1971. On Dec. 12, 1974, he announced his candidacy for president. He won the Democratic nomination and was elected president on Nov. 2, 1976.
As president, Carter served from Jan. 20, 1977 to Jan. 20, 1981. He campaigned for human rights around the world and made significant foreign policy accomplishments, including the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords and the establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.
In 1982, he became University Distinguished Professor at Emory University in Atlanta and founded The Carter Center. The nonpartisan, non-profit center addresses national and international issues of public policy.
Before the pandemic, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter long volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and for many years Jimmy taught Sunday school at the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains.
On Dec. 10, 2002, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Carter 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.”
In an interview with People Magazine in August, grandson Jason Carter said the former president is "still fully Jimmy Carter" and still sharing moments of love with Rosalynn.
"They are still holding hands," Jason Carter said. "It's just amazing."