Jimmy Carter Becomes the First American President to See 100 Independence Days

     Yesterday, Jimmy Carter quietly broke another record of the American presidency while under hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia. In a clear reminder of how truly young our nation is, Jimmy Carter has become the first American president to live to see 100 Independence Days in his lifetime. That's roughly 40 percent of the 248 Independence Days since 1776.

     Those who least expected this were the Carter family, who believed the former 39th president and Nobel Peace Prize winner had just days left when he decided to live out the rest of his life in hospice care in February 2023. Still, it was revealed this week that the family is cautiously making plans for Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday, should he live to see it.

     As it turned out, it would be Rosalynn who would pass away first: the Presidential Medal of Freedom winner and former first lady lost a battle with dementia and a UTI in November of last year. As sad as it was to lose his partner of 77 years, Jimmy Carter had evidently hoped he would outlive Rosalynn to avoid leaving her a widow. Her husband has handled the past eight months remarkably well, appearing at her memorial service nine days after her passing. As of this month, he has lived longer without Rosalynn than George H. W. Bush lived without Barbara.

     From his presidency to his countless good works post-politics to his career as a writer and speaker down to his longevity, Jimmy Carter is more than a dedicated public servant and a humanitarian. He seemingly lives to make history, and he is history, reminding us all of a seemingly-bygone era, of men and women whose greatest political faults were honesty and integrity. This Independence Day, Americans should try to be more like Jimmy Carter.