Jimmy Carter ‘embodied the very best of America,’ Biden says

MORE: Celebrating the life, legacy of Jimmy Carter

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - President Joe Biden said Jimmy Carter, a presidential predecessor and longtime friend, “embodied the very best of America.”

In a message to Congress, Biden said Carter was a “humble servant of God and the people.”

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“A heroic champion of global peace and human rights, and an honorable leader whose moral clarity and hopeful vision lifted our nation and changed our world,” Biden called Carter in his message to Congress.

Biden reflected on Carter’s public service — starting with his term in the Navy, his time in the Georgia governor’s mansion and his path before and after the White House.

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“Through his extraordinary moral leadership, President Carter lived a noble life full of meaning and purpose,” Biden said. “And as a trusted spiritual leader, he shepherded people through seasons of pain and joy, inspiring them through the power of his example and healing them through the power of his guidance. May President Carter’s memory continue to be a light pointing us forward. May we continue to be guided by his spirit in our Nation and in our world.”

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Carter died Sunday at 100.

Jan. 9 will be a National Day of Mourning for Carter and his state funeral in Washington will also be held that day. Biden made the proclamation for the day and the funeral shortly after Carter’s ing.

Biden is expected to give the eulogy at the funeral after revealing last year that Carter had asked him to.

Biden’s full message to Congress:

By this message, I officially inform you of the death of James Earl Carter, Jr., the 39th president of the United States.

President Carter was a man of character, courage, and comion, whose lifetime of service defined him as one of the most influential statesmen in our history. He embodied the very best of America: A humble servant of God and the people. A heroic champion of global peace and human rights, and an honorable leader whose moral clarity and hopeful vision lifted our nation and changed our world.

The son of a farmer and a nurse, President Carter’s remarkable career in public service began in 1943 as a cadet at the United States Naval Academy.

He later served in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets before becoming a decorated lieutenant and being selected to the elite nuclear submarine program. After his father died, he shifted from active duty to the Navy Reserve and returned home to Plains, Georgia, to help manage his family’s peanut farm. He worked hard stewarding the land while leading his community as a church deacon, Sunday school teacher, and board member of a hospital and library. His deep faith inspired a ion for public service that led him to be elected state senator, Georgia’s 76th governor, and ultimately president of the United States.

As president, he understood that government must be as good as its people — and his faith in the people was boundless just as his belief in America was limitless and his hope for our common future was perennial.

With President Carter’s leadership, the modern Department of Education and the Department of Energy were created. He championed conservation and his commitment to a more just world was at the heart of his foreign policy, leading on nuclear nonproliferation, g the Panama Canal treaties, and mediating the historic 1978 Camp David Accords. His partnership with Vice President Walter Mondale is one that future istrations strived to achieve.

Following his presidency, President Carter advanced an agenda that elevated the least among us. Guided by an unwavering belief in the power of human goodness and the God-given dignity of every human being, he worked tirelessly around the globe to broker peace; eradicate disease; house the homeless; and protect human rights, freedom, and democracy. Through his extraordinary moral leadership, President Carter lived a noble life full of meaning and purpose. And as a trusted spiritual leader, he shepherded people through seasons of pain and joy, inspiring them through the power of his example and healing them through the power of his guidance.

As we mourn the loss of President Carter, we hold the memory of his beloved Rosalynn, his wife of over 77 years, close in our hearts. Exemplifying hope, warmth, and service, she and her husband inspired the Nation. The love Rosalynn and President Carter shared is the definition of partnership, and their devotion to public service is the definition of patriotism.

May President Carter’s memory continue to be a light pointing us forward. May we continue to be guided by his spirit in our Nation and in our world.