Jimmy Carter: A Tribute in Government Documents

A round up of government resources about the life and presidency of Jimmy Carter

“Jimmy Carter in his Service Uniform”, National Archives and Records Administration. NAID 198244628. Also featured in The Text Message blog post, Rest Your Oar, Mr. Carter.

Former President Jimmy Carter passed away on December 29, 2024. He was 100 years old.

In light of his passing, many government agencies published information about Jimmy Carter and his tenure as the 39th President of the United States. Today, I’m sharing a few highlights.

The White House

Here are the official statements from The White House announcing Carter’s death:

• President Biden’s “Proclamation Announcing the Death of James Earl Carter, Jr.”

• President Biden’s “Message to the Congress on Death of James Earl Carter, Jr.”

• “Statement by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on the Passing of Former President Jimmy Carter”

• “Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris on the Passing of Former President Jimmy Carter”

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress (LOC) published a few blog posts about Jimmy Carter that feature some interesting archival documents:

• “President Jimmy Carter, Nation’s 39th President, Passes Away at 100” briefly covers the former president’s life and career

• “President Jimmy Carter in Photos” (my personal favorite of the three posts) features some photographs from a few LOC collections, including a photo of Carter’s boyhood home in Plains, Georgia. This post also has a list of additional resources at the bottom that is worth perusing

• “Jimmy Carter’s Lifelong Love of Poetry” talks about Carter’s interest in both reading and writing poetry, including efforts he made to encourage Americans to consume the medium

National Archives (NARA)

The National Archives released a statement recognizing Carter’s passing. The statement includes a slideshow of featured photos of Carter from collections in the National Archives.

The Text Message, a NARA blog, also published a post about Carter’s Naval career entitled, “Rest Your Oar, Mr. Carter - a Tribute to Jimmy Carter’s Naval Career”. (This is where I found the photo featured at the top of this post.)

The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum (run by NARA) features some interesting resources:

• The Frequently Requested Information About the Carters page has a list of key legislation from the Carter administration and an annotated bibliography of works authored by the Carters

• You can read entries from the President’s Daily Diary, which was the official log of Carter’s activities when he was in office (these are very fun to look through!)

• The Additional Resources page links to archival documents related to some notable periods of Carter’s presidency, including The Camp David Accords, the Iranian hostage crisis, and the Panama Canal Treaties

National Park Service

The National Park Service (NPS) maintains a webpage about the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, which has been updated with an obituary as well as the state funeral schedule. You can also browse the website for more information about Jimmy Carter’s boyhood home, which is located in the park, as well as a few historical highlights related to Carter’s life and presidency.

Until next time!