Jimmy Carter Turns 98, Sets Record for Longest Living President

On his 98th birthday, Jimmy Carter has once again set a new record as the longest-living United States president.

He’s held the title since March of 2019, months after the previous title holder, President George H.W. Bush, died at the age of 94.

Despite Carter only running the nation for four years, in the four decades that have followed his White House tenure, he’s managed to leverage his place in history to help others both domestically and abroad. 

The Carter Center, founded by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in 1982, has been aiding in a wide range of humanitarian efforts for 40 years now.

Jason Carter, grandson of the former first couple who currently serves as president of the Carter Center board of trustees, said, “I’m not surprised my grandfather would still be politically engaged while he approaches his 100th birthday.”

“As the longest-living president in U.S. history, President Jimmy Carter has had a remarkable life of service that deserves worldwide celebration,” said Paige Alexander, the Carter Center CEO, in a statement.

On a digital bulletin board created by the Carter Center team to celebrate the former president’s birthday, people from all around the world have been leaving kind messages and recalling fond moments of Jimmy, some recent and some dating back several decades.

President Carter’s unusually long post-White House life of 41 years and counting has allowed him to author 30 books, the most recent published when he was 93.

Until the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the Carters spent a week each year volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. For many of those years, Jimmy also taught Sunday school classes in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, a small rural area with a population in the hundreds.