Jimmy Carter Celebrates 100th Birthday, First Former President Ever To Do So

Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday on Oct. 1, making him the first former U.S. president to reach the milestone.

Carter has been receiving hospice care at his Georgia home for the last 19 months. The Democrat has told family members that he aims to stay alive until Oct. 15, when early voting begins in Georgia, so that he may cast his vote in the 2024 presidential election.

“I’m only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris,” the former president told his grandson, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Carter’s birthday comes 10 days after he was honored at a concert at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, which featured performances of “Love Shack” by the B-52’s and covers of songs by The Allman Brothers, a rock band that famously raised money for Carter’s 1976 campaign.

The former president was not able to attend the event, which was intended to be a gift for him, though he watched the special on Georgia Public Television with his loved ones.

Carter, who served one term in the White House, received birthday wishes from some of his successors on social media.

“To put it simply: I admire you so darn much,” President Joe Biden wrote.

Barack Obama echoed this sentiment, writing that he admired Carter’s “accomplishments in the White House, his incredible impact since leaving office, his fundamental decency.”

Carter’s wife, Rosalynn Carter, passed last November at age 96. The former president released a heartfelt statement following her death.

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in every endeavor I ever undertook. She provided me with the wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in this world, I always knew there was someone who loved me and stood by my side.”