Friday marked another milestone for 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter. He officially became the oldest former president in United States history on March 22, at the age 94 years and 172 days.
Jimmy Carter surpassed these past presidents in age:
- George H.W. Bush lived to be 94 and 171 days.
- Ronald Reagan lived to be 93 years and 120 days.
- Gerald Ford lived to be 93 years and 165 days.
- John Adams lived to be 90 years and 247 days.
- Herbert Hoover lived to be 90 years and 71 days
George Washington, on the other hand, only lived to age 67.
Is there reason for celebration? Yes. Is there time for a celebration? Hardly.
Former President Carter stays busy overseeing the Carter Center, which he and his wife Rosalynn, 91, co-founded in 1982. The Carter Center’s mission includes building hope, waging peace, fighting disease and promoting democracy and fair elections worldwide.
“We at the Carter Center sure are rooting for him and are grateful for his long life of service that has benefited millions of the world’s poorest people,” the center said in a statement.
Each year, Jimmy Carter heads out to a city, in the U.S. or abroad, and with Rosalynn, helps build homes for Habitat for Humanity. Their time and effort goes to aid struggling families. In 2019, the Carters are scheduled to be in Nashville. Despite being in his mid-90s, Carter still physically gets out there and contributes directly to the construction of these much-needed homes.
He’s just that kind of awesome. And he always has been.