| Interment Location | Visited | Sequence in Graves I Have Visited |
|---|---|---|
| Plains, GA | August 8, 2025 | 40th President visited |
Not many people live for a full century. Even fewer folks pack those 100 years with the amount of achievements and superlatives that James Earl Carter, Jr. did. Now, Jimmy Carter rests beside his wife of 77 years and partner in all things, Rosalynn Smith Carter. The couple’s grassy burial plot is part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in their hometown of Plains, Georgia.
Mrs. Carter based the design of their gravestones on those of Pat and Richard Nixon in Yorba Linda, California. The National Parks Service states that these “simple granite headstones […] reflect the Carter family’s humility.”
Jimmy Carter’s epitaph lists four of the position he held in life: Georgia state senator, governor of Georgia, president of the United States, and co-founder of the Carter Center.
Fast Facts
Born: October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia
Spouse: Eleanor Rosalynn Smith Carter (m. 1946-2023)
Military Rank: Lieutenant — U.S. Navy
Political Affiliation: Democratic Party
Gubernatorial Tenure: 1971-1975
Time Man of the Year: 1976
Presidential Tenure: 1977-1981
Vice President: Walter Mondale
Presidential Medal of Freedom: Awarded by Bill Clinton (1999)
Nobel Peace Prize: 2002
Died: December 29, 2024 in Plains, Georgia
Age: 100
"For American democracy to endure, we must demand that our leaders and candidates uphold the ideals of freedom and adhere to high standards of conduct."
- Jimmy Carter
in an opinion essay published by the New York Times on January 5, 2022
Sources Consulted and Further Reading
Alter, Jonathan. His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2020.
Baker, Peter. “A Four-Decade Secret: One Man’s Story of Sabotaging Carter’s Re-election.” New York Times. March 18, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/18/us/politics/jimmy-carter-october-surprise-iran-hostages.html.
Bird, Kai. The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter. New York: Crown, 2021.
Carter, Jimmy. “I Fear For Our Democracy.” New York Times. January 6, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/opinion/jan-6-jimmy-carter.html.
Jordan, Mary and Kevin Sullivan. “With Rosalynn’s passing, Jimmy Carter faces life alone.” Washington Post. November 19, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/11/19/rosalyn-carter-jimmy-carter-partnership/.
Lamas, Daniela J. “A Fitting Final Gift From Jimmy Carter.” New York Times. August 28, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/28/opinion/jimmy-carter-hospice.html.
National Park Service. “The Carter Gardens & Burial Site.” Updated July 17, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/jica/planyourvisit/the-carter-gardens-burial-site.htm.
Roessner, Amber. Jimmy Carter and the Birth of the Marathon Media Campaign. Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 2020.
Rojas, Rick. “The Hometown That Drew Jimmy Carter Back Keeps Vigil.” New York Times. February 22, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/22/us/jimmy-carter-hometown-plains-georgia.html.
Ward, Jon. Camelot’s End: Kennedy vs. Carter and the Fight that Broke the Democratic Party. New York: Twelve, 2019.
Wharton, Mary, director. Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President. Not Just Peanuts, 2020. 1 hr., 36 min.