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When the nation’s oldest living president, Jimmy Carter passed away at 100 years old on Dec. 29 we knew we had to write something. With the news being covered by nearly every outlet in the world it can be hard to find words still left unsaid.

While trying to find the words to describe the legacy of Georgia’s sole president there was one that lingered; genuineness. It is a trait rarely seen among politicians but seemed to stand out in the former Georgia Governor. The memories and eulogies over the past week have told the story of a farmer, a man of faith and peacemaker who wanted a better world for his fellow Americans.

Despite having inherited multiple international crises during his presidency, Carter did what all farmers did, rolled up his sleeves and got to work. His legacy as president is one of a diplomat; from the Camp David Accords, where Carter helped negotiate a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel to establishing diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China. Regardless of political allegiance, Carter has become a beloved figure due to the belief that we can create a better world with collaboration and fellowship.

The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper wrote a post celebrating Jimmy Carter the environmentalist. Carter signed the legislation creating the Chattahoochee River National Park in 1978, protecting key parts of the River.

“Carter’s environmental legacy is sprawling, from the Okefenokee Swamp to the Alaskan wilderness and beyond. We’re grateful for his many years of public service and mourn his passing,” the CRK post read.

After his presidency, Carter returned to Georgia to continue his mission. He and his beloved wife Rosalynn became heavily involved in philanthropy and known for their work with Habitat for Humanity. Carter was hammering nails in homes well into his 90s.

In Atlanta, he created the Carter Center to tackle issues like public health, human rights and democracy. The New York Times obituary for Carter referred to him as a “freelance diplomat” in the years following his one-term presidency, traveling the world as a missionary for peace. He would receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, largely for the work done after his time in Washington.

He and Rosalynn’s relationship seemed to have the same genuineness he as a politician exemplified. The pair lived in the same one-story family home in Plains, GA they had shared before the fame of office had brought them to Atlanta and until Roselynn passed in 2023. They taught Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church in what was likely the most well-attended Sunday school in the country.

While claimed by Georgia, Carter did leave a mark on Chambers County. According to our staff historian Wayne Clark, Carter made his way to the Valley in 1968 while campaigning for Georgia Governor. He shook hands with the voters of West Point before moving to what is now, serendipitously, the Habitat for Humanity Restore. There he would introduce himself, say he was running for Governor, and would like their vote. The people replied with laughs, informing him that he was currently in Alabama.

Carter would return to Chambers in 2009 to celebrate the life of Lanett native Millard Fuller, co-founder of Habitat and the Fuller Center, for his work building homes.

With the division that seems insurmountable in today’s political landscape, Carter stands out as a beloved figure on both sides of the aisle. Even in death, Carter has brought people together with Republicans and Democrats echoing their admiration for the former president. Georgia should be proud to call the Peanuts Farmer President its own.

While only our West Point readers can claim him as a Governor, we can all claim him as a president. That is something to be proud of.