Here's What Jimmy Carter Has Been Doing After His Presidency

Jimmy Carter served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. In the 1980 presidential election, the Democrat was defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan. Today, Carter is the oldest living U.S. president at age 96 — and even though he didn't win a second term as president, he has kept busy over the past four decades.

One of the first things Carter did in his post-presidency life was establish The Carter Center with his wife, Rosalynn Carter. The Carter Center is a nongovernmental nonprofit. "Founded, in partnership with Emory University, on a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering, the Center seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health," according to its mission statement (via The Carter Center).

In 1982, Carter joined the faculty at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. After three decades teaching at Emory, Carter was named a tenured faculty member in June 2019 (via CNN Politics).

In 2002, Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee stated that they had chosen him due to "his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development" (via Politico).

Carter remained outspoken about politicians and their decisions and policies. For example, in 2003 he published an op-ed in The New York Times cautioning against President George W. Bush's use of military force in Iraq. He didn't reserve his criticisms for only Republicans — Carter also spoke out against Bill Clinton for his relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky and decision to pardon Marc Rich (via HuffPost).

However, Carter and Clinton did put up a united front in 2020 to urge Americans to vote for Joe Biden (via The Los Angeles Times). "Joe has the experience, character and decency to bring us together and restore America's greatness," Carter said in August 2020. "We deserve a person with integrity and judgment, someone who is honest and fair, someone who is committed to what is best for the American people."

Jimmy Carter has been married to Rosalynn Carter since 1946. The couple have four children and 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In 2015 he described his family as "the foundation for my entire enjoyment of life" (via Country Living).