PLAINS — Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday on Tuesday — the first-ever former US president to reach the century mark and another extraordinary milestone for the one-time peanut farmer who found his way to the White House.
Carter's longevity — he began hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia, more than 19 months ago — has defied all expectations.
No longer regularly appearing in public, the Democratic ex-president spent his birthday in the home he and his late wife Rosalynn had built in Plains in the 1960s. Celebrations included a lunch with extended family.
"It's south Georgia, so you know, we had fried chicken and we had grilled cheese sandwiches, then we had family and lively discussion," the ex-president's grandson, Josh Carter, said downtown afterwards.
Carter was also able to watch a flyover of four F-18 jets and several vintage planes that graced the skies over Plains as part of the town's celebrations. CBS footage showed him being wheeled into his garden among friends and family to view it.
In a video posted on X, President Joe Biden hailed Carter as a "beloved friend" and "one of the most influential statesmen" in US history, while the White House lawn was decorated with a sign reading "Happy Birthday President Carter."
Tributes meanwhile poured in from Vice President Kamala Harris, former president Barack Obama and Britain's King Charles III, who sent a private message of congratulations.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp proclaimed a statewide "Jimmy Carter Day."
Little town
Beyond serving as commander in chief for a single term from 1977 to 1981, Carter worked as a global mediator, rights activist and elder statesman, founding the well-respected Carter Center in 1982 to pursue his vision of world diplomacy before winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
His presidency included the 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, the establishment of diplomatic relations with China following a rapprochement initiated by president Richard Nixon, and the return of control of the Panama Canal to Panama.
But his administration hit numerous snags, including the Iran hostage crisis and a renewed oil crisis in 1979-1980, which saw Ronald Reagan sweep into power in a landslide.
"We are thrilled that the president from this little town is going to be the only president to ever live to be 100 years old," Jill Stuckey, superintendent of the National Park Service's Jimmy Carter historical site and longtime family friend, told Agence France-Presse.
She spoke from Plains High School, where Carter graduated in 1941 and which now serves as the visitor center for the national park that features sites from his early life, including the nearby peanut farm where he grew up.
On Tuesday evening, it hosted a concert in honor of the president, with video tributes from musicians Willie Nelson and Garth Brooks.
In the morning, the school was the site of a naturalization ceremony for 100 new US citizens, who placed hands over their hearts and recited the pledge of allegiance.
"He did so much for America," said Adriana Vickers, 46, originally from Brazil.
"He's for all nations," Carlene Ford, another newly naturalized citizen, from Jamaica, told AFP. "He's for everybody, he's for the people."
'Always' political
A devout Baptist and self-described "born-again" Christian, Carter is remembered for a moralistic streak, but also his civility, admired even by detractors across the aisle.
According to family, Carter remains keenly interested in politics and is highly motivated to make it to 100 to vote in the November election for Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee.
"He will be voting by mail-in ballot," Stuckey told AFP, adding "he's always been very politically active, and nothing has changed with that respect."
In Plains, like in many rural places with a substantial evangelical Christian population, far more yard signs support Republican Donald Trump than Harris.
But it is also not uncommon to see a sign celebrating Carter's centennial birthday next to one supporting Trump.
Carl Lowell, who has lived in Plains since infancy, said he tries not to get involved in politics because it is "so divisive" right now.
Like most residents of Plains, the 59-year-old retired firefighter is linked to Carter in various ways — he says his grandfather helped build the Carters' house and that he himself even went dove hunting with him once.
"Jimmy's a good man, he's a godly man, and that's what people like about him," he said.