The passing of President Jimmy Carter hits the nation deeply. He entered office during a turbulent period—we had been rocked by President Richard Nixon's resignation after Watergate, economic dislocation at home, the end of our painful involvement in Vietnam, and unrest in the Middle East.

We recall Carter’s many accomplishments during his one term as the nation’s 39th president, from negotiating the Camp David peace accord between Israel and Egypt, to passing legislation on a wide range of issues from energy security to health care, to championing human rights. We also think about his setbacks, from oil shocks, inflation, and the hostage crisis in Iran to losing the confidence of the left wing of his party, culminating in his loss to Ronald Reagan in 1980.

And we also commemorate Carter’s extraordinary post-presidency. The longest in American history, Carter's nearly 44 years as a former president were marked by generosity and personal commitment, from building homes for less fortunate Americans and teaching Sunday school to his peacekeeping efforts around the world and his leadership in ending global diseases such as Guinea worm.

Jimmy Carter holds a special place in the Miller Center's history. Our own deep connection began when Carter agreed to sit for an oral history interview in 1982, not long after he left office. The Miller Center organized and led an interview that lasted nearly four hours, where Carter candidly reviewed his accomplishments and his disappointments. Along with former President Gerald Ford, Carter co-chaired an important Miller Center commission following the disputed 2000 presidential election, which developed recommendations for a more secure and accurate voting system. And Carter returned to the Miller Center in 2002 to dedicate the Center’s new east wing.

We send our deepest condolences to the Carter family, to those who carry on his and his beloved Rosalynn's great work at the Carter Library and Carter Center, and to the many alumni of his administration whom we have come to know and work with.

As always, our scholars and professional staff have been working hard to bring forward the lessons of the Carter presidency. Please see especially:

• Robert Strong's biographical essays on our website
• Russell Riley’s essay on reconsidering Carter’s legacy
• Essays by Riley, Barbara Perry, and Guian McKee on different dimensions of Carter’s policy agenda
• Several past events about the Carter presidency, including Stuart Eizenstat’s book on the Carter legacy
• An upcoming event with Paige Alexander, CEO of the Carter Center, and Jonathan Alter, author of His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life, moderated by Robert Strong, a Miller Center senior fellow who participated in the Center’s Jimmy Carter Presidential Oral History Project

William J. Antholis, Director & CEO