US President Joe Biden declared January 9 a day of national mourning for the late Jimmy Carter. The former US president, who died on Sunday at the age of 100, according to Biden, “did not live a life measured by words, but by deeds”. TASR informs about it according to the AFP agency.
“I call on Americans to gather in their places on January 9th to honor the memory of President James Earl Carter Jr. I invite people around the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn commemoration,” Biden said in a White House statement.
Several world leaders paid tribute to Carter, including US President-elect Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French leader Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Biden described Carter as an exceptional leader, statesman and dear friend
Biden first paid tribute to Carter through a joint statement with US First Lady Jill, in which he was described as an exceptional leader, statesman, but also a dear friend.
“To all the young people of this country and anyone searching for what it means to live a purposeful and meaningful life – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith and humility,” the Bidens said.
In a later televised address, speaking from the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he is on vacation, Biden said some view Carter as a man from “a bygone era — with integrity, character, faith and humility.”
“But I don’t think it’s a bygone era. I see a man not only of our time, but for all time, someone who embodied the most basic human values that we must never take for granted. We would all do well to try to be a little more like Jimmy Carter,” Biden said.
Democrat Carter was the 39th president of the USA from 1977 to 1981. In 1982, he and his wife Rosalynn founded the Carter Center, a charitable organization that has been involved in human rights support, conflict resolution, election monitoring, and in the health field. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his significant contribution to the peaceful resolution of international conflicts.
Carter lived longer than any other American president. He celebrated his 100th birthday this October. After leaving the White House, he gained a reputation as a committed benefactor and was widely regarded as a better ex-president than he was, a status he readily acknowledged, Reuters wrote.
He had several health problems in recent years, including melanoma that had spread to his liver and brain. Beginning in mid-February 2023, after a series of short hospital stays, he decided to transition to home hospice care at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia.
Since then, he has rarely appeared in public. Last November, he attended a final farewell to his late wife, Rosalynn Carter. The former first lady of the USA died on November 19, 2023 at the age of 96. She and Carter were married for 77 years.
