Jimmy Carter, the longest-living former president in U.S. history, celebrates his 97th birthday on Friday.
Carter surpassed former President George H.W. Bush as the oldest former president in March 2019. Bush was born fewer than four months before Carter and had been the oldest former president at the time of his death in November 2018 at 94.
Several weeks before Carter's birthday, his wife Rosalynn sent a message through The Carter Center encouraging Americans to sign a virtual birthday card for her husband.
"On his birthday, there is nothing that would make Jimmy happier than to receive greetings from his friends," the former first lady's message said. "Throughout his life Jimmy has fought tirelessly for the rights of others. Even after 75 years of marriage I am still constantly amazed by his energy and his commitment to helping those in need.
"Please take a moment to sign the birthday wall and let him know that you share his dreams for peace," her message continued. "Thank you for making his day so special!"
The Carter Center's website features a link that directs visitors to a virtual birthday card, where individuals can post personalized messages for the former president. Some who shared birthday wishes included photos they took alongside Carter at some point in the past; others shared recent pictures of themselves or historical photos of the Carters.
Rosalynn Carter, the oldest surviving former first lady, celebrated her 94th birthday in August. The Carters also celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary over the summer.
Forty years have passed since Carter, the country's 39th president, left the White House in 1981 after his failed bid for a second term during the 1980 presidential election. Shortly after leaving office, the Carters founded The Carter Center, a human rights nonprofit that works to advocate for peace and democracy around the world. In addition to his work with the center, Carter has continued to speak out on political issues in the U.S. and abroad.
Carter was born in Plains, Georgia, on October 1, 1924, as the son of a farmer and registered nurse. He spent time in the U.S. Navy before launching his political career and joining Georgia's state Senate as an elected official in the early 1960s. Carter went on to become his state's 76th governor before running for president in 1976.
A documentary titled Man from Plains was released in 2007 focusing on a promotional tour Carter took for his book Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. Additional documentary-styled films—including Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President and Carterland, both of which were released earlier this year—have delved into the former president's life and legacy, with yet another biographical study released in the form of a comic book earlier this week.
Newsweek reached out to the Carter Center for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
(CNN) Jimmy Carter, the son of a Georgia peanut farmer who'd go on to be America's 39th president, turns 96 today. He's the oldest living former US president -- and he's outlived every other occupant of the Oval Office.
At 96, the Nobel Peace Prize winner remains the longest-living president in US history, surpassing George H. W. Bush, who died in 2018 at 94.
Carter's kept busy since his last birthday. He was hospitalized for much of the latter half of 2019 to recover from brain surgery, infections and two falls. His health woes forced him to stop teaching Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, a tradition he took up after leaving office in 1981.
But by December, he was back in the church pews with his wife, Rosalynn. And before his brain surgery, he traveled to Nashville for the 36th Carter Work Project, a tradition that sees Carter build homes with Habitat for Humanity. He said then that building homes was his No. 1 priority.
The coronavirus pandemic forced him to cancel some of his planned projects at the Carter Center, his nonprofit, and with Habitat for Humanity. He and his wife posed in masks and urged supporters of the Carter Center to donate to local Covid-19 response efforts instead.
And this summer, when police killed George Floyd and reignited protests against racism and police brutality, Carter spoke out in support of those peacefully protesting.
"People of power, privilege, and moral conscience must stand up and say 'no more' to a racially discriminatory police and justice system, immoral economic disparities between whites and blacks, and government actions that undermine our unified democracy. We are responsible for creating a world of peace and equality for ourselves and future generations," he said.
He's certainly seen a lot in his 96 years: Serving in the nation's highest office, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom and several Grammy Awards for his audio books and continuing to build homes and advance peace abroad despite health issues.
But he and Rosalynn plan to spend his birthday quietly at home in Plains, a spokesperson for the former president tells the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
To celebrate the 39th president's birthday, fans can send him a virtual birthday message through the Carter Center, Carter's nonprofit that works to advance human rights worldwide.
CNN's Tina Burnside, Elizabeth Wolfe and Chandelis Duster contributed to this report.
There are six living presidents including the most recent commander-in-chief, President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who is the oldest person ever elected president.
The other living Americans who have served as president are Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter. Their careers in the White House span more than four decades.
The record for the most living presidents and former presidents at one time is six. Prior to the inauguration of Joe Biden, there were only two such moments in modern history: 2017 and most of 2018, when the above presidents and George H.W. Bush were alive during the first two years of the Trump presidency, and between 2001 and 2004 when both Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford were still alive during the George W. Bush presidency.
Of the five living presidents, only Clinton and Obama have the distinction of entering the office in their 40s. Carter and the younger Bush entered the White House in their 50s. Trump was 70 when he became president in January of 2017, and Biden started his term in 2021 at the age of 78.
The last time a former president died was in November 2018, when the elder Bush died at age 94.
On March 21, 2019, Carter became the oldest living American president in history at 94 years and 172 days old. The elder Bush was 94 years and 171 days old when he died.
Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images
Joe Biden, a Democrat and the former vice president to Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017, won election to the presidency in 2020, defeating incumbent Donald Trump. At the time of his election in November 2020, Biden was 77 years old, and he turned 78 between his election and inauguration, surpassing his predecessor as the oldest person ever elected to the presidency.
Alex Wong / Getty Images
President Donald Trump, a Republican, is serving his first term in the White House. He first won election in 2016 after defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in what was widely portrayed as an upset.
Trump was 70 years old at the time of his inauguration, making him the oldest person to be elected to the highest office in the land. The second-oldest president was Ronald Reagan, who was 69 years old when he took office in 1981.
Trump's relationship with his living predecessors was strained; each of the former presidents criticized Trump at one time or another because of his policies and what they have described as behavior that is "un-presidential."
Eric Draper / The White House / Getty Images
George W. Bush, a Republican from Texas, was the 43rd president of the United States. He is a member of the Bush political dynasty. Bush was born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut. He was 54 when he was sworn into his first of two terms in the White House in 2001. He was 62 when he left office eight years later, in 2009.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Bill Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, was the 42nd president of the United States. Clinton was born on Aug. 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas. He was 46 when he took the oath of office in 1993 for his first of two terms in the White House. Clinton was 54 when his second term expired in 2001.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter talking to Ghanaian children about Guinea worm disease. Louise Gubb / The Carter Center
Jimmy Carter, a Democrat from Georgia, was the 39th president of the United States and is the oldest of the five living presidents. Carter was born on Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. He was 52-years-old when he took office in 1977, and 56 years old when he left the White House four years later, in 1981.
Carter was diagnosed with cancer of the liver and brain in 2015, at age 90. He initially believed he had only weeks to live. Speaking to reporters that year, he said:
"I have had a wonderful life. I'm ready for anything and I'm looking forward to new adventure. It is in the hands of God, whom I worship."