Jimmy Carter set the standard for the modern post-presidency

Elected in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, the former governor of Georgia, ran as a Washington outsider and rose to the White House with a strong sense of morality, an engineer's mind and a progressive, moderate approach to governing.

Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 100, after going into hospice care in February 2023 at his home in Plains, Georgia, served only a single term in office but devoted the decades that followed to bettering the lives of countless people across the U.S. and around the world.

He faced massive crises during his presidency — sky-high oil prices, double-digit interest rates and inflation, and the Iran hostage crisis — and his failure to effectively address them resulted in his failure to win reelection in 1980. He also had some major accomplishments, including the negotiation of a peace deal between Egypt and Israel.