Pahayag ng Karaniwang Dahilan Pangulong Virginia Kase Solomon

Today, we join the nation in mourning the passing of our 39^ika President, Jimmy Carter. President Carter was a man of great faith and great integrity. While his accomplishments as President were many, it was his life after he left the White House, that was in many ways more defining of his legacy than the time he spent in office. Upon losing his re-election bid more than 40 years ago, he said that he would emulate former President Harry Truman by not trading on the office he once held to enrich himself financially. Instead, he chose a life of service.

He kept true to his word, moving back to the small town where he grew up. But his post-presidential years were not a quiet retirement from public life. He was a leader, showing kindness and a deep sense of humanity and commitment to our country and to the world through his volunteer work and role as a humanitarian and peacemaker. We share the nation’s gratitude for his tireless service.

Many will remember the former president on a ladder swinging a hammer building housing for Habitat for Humanity, an organization he advocated and fundraised for while also serving as a volunteer. President Carter, with his late wife Rosalynn, also established The Carter Center to tackle some of the world’s most difficult and persistent problems – from wars and human rights abuses to famines and health crises in scores of nations across the globe.

It is a testament to President Carter’s commitment to his fellow man that more than 20 years after he left the White House, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his decades of work to resolve international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.

President Carter never used his status as a former president to enrich himself, but he used it to leave the world a better place. His was a life well-lived and a model to future presidents and a grateful nation.