(Washington) Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter, 98, is in “hospice care” at his home, where he wants to “spend the time he has left” after a series of hospitalizations, said his foundation SATURDAY.
He is the oldest surviving American president.
The former Democratic leader, who occupied the White House from 1977 to 1981, chose to stay at home, surrounded by his loved ones, “rather than additional medical intervention,” the Carter Center said in a statement.
The Carter family wishes to preserve their privacy, she said.
In a tweet on Saturday, her grandson, Jason Carter, said he saw his “both grandparents yesterday.” “They are at peace, and as always, their home is full of love,” he said.
Camp David Accords
PHOTO ARCHIVES AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Former Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat (L) shakes hands with former Prime Minister Menachem Begin in front of Jimmy Carter at Camp David in 1978.
Many elected officials hastened to salute the career of the president, elected to the White House in 1976, in an America still marked by the Watergate scandal which had pushed President Nixon to resign.
“You are a blessing to our country,” cheered Democratic Senator Tina Smith.
Jimmy Carter served only one term as president.
Artisan of the Camp David agreements which led, in March 1979, to the signing of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, he had been strongly criticized in his country during the taking of Americans hostages in Iran in 1979-1980.
After leaving the White House, Jimmy Carter founded The Carter Center in 1982 to promote development, health, and conflict resolution around the world.
A tireless traveler, he is found everywhere: in Mexico, Peru, Nicaragua, or even East Timor.
In 2002, he received the Nobel Peace Prize, in particular for “his decades of tireless efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts”.
The former tenant of the White House, who often speaks of his Christian faith, had already suffered from a series of health problems which had forced him to be hospitalized several times in 2019.
The same year, he became the first American president in history to reach the age of 95.
Biden’s visit
Jimmy Carter was not present for Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony in January 2021, traditionally attended by former US presidents.
In 1976, Joe Biden, then a young senator from Delaware, was one of the first elected officials to support Jimmy Carter in his race for the presidency.
In April 2021, Jimmy Carter received Joe Biden in his small hometown of Plains, Georgia, where he has resided since leaving Washington.
The former head of state did not appear in front of journalists on this occasion, but his wife Rosalynn, who used a walker, was seen alongside the Biden couple.
Two months later, the Carter couple celebrated 75 years of marriage. The former president and his wife had met in 1945 through the Democrat’s little sister, who was then a student at the Naval Academy in Annapolis.