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The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) mourns the loss of President Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. A lifelong champion of human rights and powerful proponent of racial justice in America, President Carter broke new ground during his political career and presidency to establish crucial progress toward equality and civil rights, including in partnership with LDF. Mr. Carter passed away on Sunday, December 29, 2024 in Plains, Georgia, preceded in death by his wife and former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter, last year. Mr. Carter was 100 years old, the longest living president at the time of his death. 

“Mr. Carter’s powerful legacy demands that we reflect upon what we want for America’s tomorrow and for presidential leadership—especially in these times. His life’s work compels us to continue to challenge the status quo, work in service of a more inclusive society, and continue in his honor to raise the bar and create a multiracial democracy that serves all in the name of equality and justice.” said LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson in a statement 

“President Jimmy Carter was one of the smartest, shrewdest, most strategic presidents we’ve ever had. His commitment to broadening the diversity of the federal bench is one of his shining achievements as a leader — one that changed the makeup of the federal judiciary for the better,” said Elaine Jones, LDF’s fourth President and Director-Counsel. “I I am proud that the Carter administration was committed to its and LDF’s goals of increasing significantly the number of African Americans on the federal bench.  On the subject of inclusion, our Nation’s 39th President was one of the most empathetic and thoughtful leaders we have had.  And we know this from experience. ”   

“Jimmy Carter lived a long and good life. As the 39th president of the United States, he appointed more African American judges to federal courts than any other president, as well as African Americans to important positions in his administration. He selected Drew Days, a former LDF Assistant Counsel, to lead the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

I had the privilege of serving in the Carter Justice Department. Although he was a Southerner, his administration aggressively enforced the Nation’s civil rights laws. I have always been proud to have started my career as a civil rights lawyer in his administration,” said Ted Shaw, LDF’s fifth President and Director-Counsel.  

“Jimmy Carter was on the right side of almost every issue he confronted. He opposed apartheid, here in the United States and in South Africa. He spoke against injustice wherever and whenever he saw it. He appointed Andrew Young to be his ambassador to the U.N. As President he worked for peace in the Middle East, and, once he left office, he continued that quest there and around the world,” Shaw added. “Jimmy Carter worked to eradicate disease in African countries and homelessness in the United States. In his post-presidential years, Carter worked to improve the lives of people across the globe. Jimmy Carter dedicated his life to God and to his country. He was a good man, and a better president than many Americans know. And beyond a doubt, he was the best former president our country has ever had. May he rest in peace.” 

President Jimmy Carter at the Civil Rights Summit at the LBJ Presidential Library on On April 8, 2014. (Photo courtesy of the Carter Center)

James Earl Carter, Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, to James Earl Carter, Sr., a farmer, businessman, politician, and veteran; and Bessie Lillian Gordy Carter, a registered nurse. The Carter family owned a peanut farm, warehouse, and store, and Lillian Carter treated patients in their homes as well as in her own, crossing strict racial segregation lines to welcome Black patients into her home.   

Mr. Carter attended Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology, each for one year, before he enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland and graduated with distinction in 1946. Soon after graduating, Mr. Carter embarked on a distinguished career in the Navy, working in electronics and overseeing the building of submarines. For his Naval service, Mr. Carter received many honors, including the National Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. Upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy, Mr. Carter married his childhood friend and neighbor, Rosalynn Smith, with whom he shared four children: John William “Jack” Carter (1947); James Earl “Chip” Carter III (1953); Donnel Jeffrey “Jeff” Carter (1952); and Amy Lynn Carter (1967).   

In 1962, Mr. Carter was elected to the Georgia State Senate. As a state senator, he consistently advocated for a pro-integrationist stance, championing school integration after the 1954 landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education and working hard to eliminate laws that made it difficult for Black Americans to vote.  

In 1970, Mr. Carter was elected Governor of Georgia, a position he used to promote civil rights and took considerable steps to increase the presence of Black Georgians and women in the halls of the state government. He appointed more women and minorities to his staff, agencies, boards, and judiciary positions than all previous Georgia governors combined. He also reorganized and streamlined the complicated web of state agencies, attracting national attention. Time magazine featured Mr. Carter on the cover in 1971, declaring him a symbol of a “new day” for the South. 

In 1976, Mr. Carter was elected president of the United States, after presenting himself  as a man of strong moral principles and an outsider to Washington politics. At his inauguration on January 20, 1977, Mr. Carter emphasized the vital importance of advancing true opportunity and human rights in actualizing America’s vision of ‘liberty and justice for all.’ 

President Jimmy Carter at the 23rd Brown v. Board Anniversary discussion at the White House. (Source: LDF Archives)

Mr. Carter’s presidency, like his governorship, was marked by advances in diversity in the halls of government. The Carter administration expanded the racial and gender diversity of the candidates nominated and confirmed to positions in the Department of Justice (DOJ). He nominated a record number of minority judges to federal positions.

Around the same time, Mr. Carter was nominating a wave of judicial appointees, including U.W. Clemon, who had grown up in the Jim Crow South and now became Alabama’s first Black federal judge.

He nominated Drew S. Days III, an American legal scholar and a former LDF attorney, as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. In this role, Mr. Days led the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, becoming the first Black American to lead any division at the Department of Justice. Lani Guinier, another former LDF attorney and acclaimed scholar and educator, and Ted Shaw, fifth LDF President Director-Counsel, also served in the Carter administration’s Justice Department.

Former President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill said in 2022, “We pioneered advocacy to bring diversity to the federal bench beginning with President Carter. It was Elaine Jones then in LDF’s D.C. office that opened this area of work and brought the first serious wave of racial & gender diversity to the federal courts.”

Mr. Carter’s accomplishments as President spanned a wide range of sectors. His administration oversaw the creation of the Department of Education and the appointment of former federal judge Shirley M. Hufstedler as its first secretary. He launched a comprehensive energy program by the new Department of Energy, and signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which vastly expanded the size of America’s national parks and wilderness areas.

As President, Mr. Carter championed human rights across the globe and signed the International Covenant on Human Rights in 1977, the Panama Canal Treaties, the SALT II agreement with the Soviet Union, the Camp David Accords, the normalization of relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1978, and the historic peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in 1979. He was later awarded the China Service Medal for his profound contributions to US-China relations.

Though Mr. Carter was not elected to a second presidential term, the end of his political career marked the beginning of a continued chapter as a humanitarian, philanthropist, and advocate for peace and advancement around the world. In 1981, Mr. Carter established the Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, as well as the Carter Center, a nonprofit human rights organization. The Carter Center has pioneered new approaches to public health and helped to provide health care in thousands of communities, observed 114 elections in 39 countries to bolster their democratic systems, and worked to strengthen international human rights standards and support efforts for peace.

Mr. Carter also engaged in diplomatic efforts worldwide, mediating peace negotiations in Ethiopia, Haiti, and Bosnia, among other countries. He continued to advocate for causes that mattered to him, such as leading a worldwide call to end the juvenile death penalty. He observed elections at home and abroad, and remained deeply involved with the nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity, helping to build homes for those in need.

In recognition of his humanitarian efforts, in 1998 Mr. Carter received both the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights and the Hoover Medal, an award given to engineers for outstanding non-technical services to humanity. In 2002 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the second person from Georgia (after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) and the third American president (after Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson) to receive the honor. In 2004, LDF awarded him the Thurgood Marshall Pioneer of Justice Award for Human and Civil Rights.

The former president’s childhood home in Plains, Georgia has been named a National Historic Site and is now part of the National Park System. In 2009, the Southern Field Airport in Americus, Georgia was renamed Jimmy Carter Regional Airport.

Mr. Carter was also a prolific writer. He authored 32 books, including memoirs, writings about Middle East conflict and world issues, children’s books, a novel, and a collection of poetry. His last book, Faith: A Journey for All, a contemplative personal reflection on his lifelong experiences with the Christian faith, was published in 2018.

Mr. Carter was the first U.S. president to live to 100 years old and is survived by his sons John William “Jack,” James Earl “Chip,” Donnel Jeffrey “Jeff,” daughter Amy, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. His wife, life partner, and former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter, passed away in November 2023.

Mr. Carter’s extraordinary impact—marked by humanitarian leadership, unfaltering service, and dedicated activism—will live on for generations to come. In 2020, he said, “We are responsible for creating a world of peace and equality for ourselves and future generations.” LDF is immensely grateful for his contributions to advancing civil rights and racial justice in America, and we will continue to work to create that world in honor of his life and legacy.

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