Illinois politicians reflect on President Jimmy Carter’s legacy

Within the hours after former President Jimmy Carter’s death Sunday, Illinois elected officers shared their condolences and reflections on the legacy of the 100-year-old Nobel Peace Prize-recipient’s life.

The longest-lived American president died in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, the place he and his spouse, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023, spent most of their lives, the Carter Heart stated. Jimmy Carter entered hospice care in February 2023.

President Joe Biden stated he’s ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington.

Former President Barack Obama mirrored not solely on Carter’s legacy as president however on his decency as an individual, which Obama stated was evident each time the 2 frolicked collectively.

“He believed some issues had been extra vital than reelection — issues like integrity, respect, and compassion,” Obama stated in a press release. “As a result of Jimmy Carter believed, as deeply as he believed something, that we’re all created in God’s picture. Each time I had an opportunity to spend time with President Carter, it was clear that he didn’t simply profess these values. He embodied them. And in doing so, he taught all of us what it means to dwell a lifetime of grace, dignity, justice, and repair.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson stated Carter was a private inspiration of his as a “man of deep religion within the political enviornment” whose values proceed to indicate the way in which ahead.

“President Jimmy Carter lived the American dream in each approach,” Johnson stated in a press release. “His legacy of affection and his service to God and nation are admirable past measure. President Carter valiantly fought for human rights and peace internationally throughout his presidency and past.”

Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth each said admiration for his time as a public servant, and Durbin referred to as Carter an “inspiration to these of us who aspire to guide a lifetime of service.”

“Jimmy Carter proved that excellence in public service can prolong past the White Home,” Durbin stated in a press release Sunday. “I supply my condolences to your entire Carter household, to his mates and former employees members, and to the untold hundreds of thousands of individuals all through the world whose lives are higher as a result of Jimmy Carter lived.”

Rep. Mike Quigley lauded Carter’s time in workplace, however he stated Carter’s most vital accomplishments got here after his presidency, calling him “the best former president our nation has ever identified.”

“His work, alongside former First Woman Rosalynn Carter, on the Carter Heart, with Habitat for Humanity, and his profitable two-decade-long effort to eradicate the Guinea worm made him the epitome of a public servant,” Quigley stated. “These of us in elected workplace ought to look to President Carter’s instance as a mannequin for what we aspire to after leaving workplace.”

Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia remembered Carter as a “large” of progressive politics who was capable of pursue an agenda centered on social and human companies for working households via his administration.

“His post-presidency, nevertheless, was maybe the most efficient period of President Carter’s life,” Garcia stated in a press release. “His efforts to search out peaceable options to worldwide conflicts, to unwaveringly advance human rights and alleviate human struggling, earned him the Nobel Peace Prize many years after leaving the White Home. His steadfast pursuit of fact and peace leaves a strong legacy to uphold.”

They had been joined by a refrain of others honoring his legacy, together with Gov. JB Pritzker, who stated Carter exemplified what it means to dwell a life filled with service.

“His towering legacy of compassion for others set a regular that can all the time be remembered,” Pritzker stated in a press release.

“Illinois Democrats mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter, a frontrunner who embodied humility and repair,” the Democratic Celebration of Illinois wrote on social media. “His unwavering dedication to peace and justice will encourage generations. We prolong our condolences to the Carter household and honor his extraordinary life.”