Jimmy Carter at 100: how his life outside the White House proves he’s long been ahead of his time

Anonymous/AP by Timothy Minchin, La Trobe University and Christopher Simmonds, La Trobe University On October 1, Jimmy Carter, the United States’ 39th president, turned 100. Carter’s longevity is notable. In 2024, centenarians make up just 0.03% of the US population, and 78% of them are women. Carter is the first US president to reach the landmark age and the longest-living former US president by some margin. His 77-year marriage to Rosalynn Carter, who died last year, was also longer than most presidents’ lives. It has now been almost 44 years since Carter lost office, easily defeated by a Republican, Ronald Reagan, who first promised to “make America great again”. As a one-term president, a fate that Joe Biden will also share, Carter does not rank highly in polls of great presidents. One former speechwriter, perhaps harshly, even labelled it the “passionless presidency”. But presidents are defined by more than their presidency – a lesson that may comfort Biden as he heads into enforced retirement. As Carter turns 100, it’s an apt time to reflect on a unique life after the oval office: one with relevance to key global issues of our time. A tough presidency As president from 1976 to...