Jason Carter, grandson of Jimmy Carter, said his grandfather was "driven by his faith and his desire to do what he could to help others" during his life after leaving the White House.
Teaching Sunday School at his church, Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., was "one of the things that kept him grounded" and helped him "maintain that moral center," Jason previously told NPR.
Carter, who was elected in 1976, lost his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan in 1980. After leaving office with low approval ratings, he would become regarded as an American statesman championing human rights and received the Nobel Peace Prize.
The way Carter handled his failed re-election bid was encouraging for Jason during his own defeat in his campaign to be governor of Georgia in 2014.
"When I ran for governor, I knew it was a long shot and my grandfather told me, you know, there's a lot worse things than losing an election. And I do think that watching him going through an election where he was very disappointed to lose and yet still come forward and do the remarkable things that he has done over the last four decades — it makes you realize that there are things that are so much more important than political victory."
Copyright 2024 NPR