As a conservative Republican, I did not vote for President Jimmy Carter in 1980 and often disagreed with his policies and public statements. But I have far more respect for Carter than I do for most politicians, regardless of party. Indeed, it is hard to imagine another political leader so consistently committed to his Christian faith, integrity, courage, hard work and helping others. Whether he served in the U.S. Navy, on the Sumter County School Board, in the state legislature, as governor, president, director of the Carter Center, or Sunday school teacher, Carter gave his entire wonderful life in the service of others. Whether he likes his politics or not, he has conducted himself with grace and honor.

And there is much to admire about so many of Carter’s policies and statements. As Georgia’s first non-segregationist governor, he declared that “the time for racial discrimination is over,” placed a portrait of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the state capital and appointed a record number of black Georgians to public office. He streamlined state government by merging numerous departments and agencies, improved state prisons, and, with the help of his wife Rosalynn, reformed Georgia’s psychiatric hospitals.

As president, he was a great environmentalist, protecting more land from development than any other president. Despite opposition from many in his own party, he deregulated banks, railroads, trucks, and airlines, allowing many more Americans to afford to fly.

In foreign policy, he repeatedly faced seemingly insoluble challenges that his predecessors avoided. He won the Panama Canal treaties, returning what was considered colonial possessions, improving U.S. relations with Latin America. Through tireless personal diplomacy, he achieved the Camp David Peace Accords, which have maintained peace between Israel and Egypt since 1979. He led the United States to live up to its commitment to freedom by vigorously advocating for greater human rights for everyone around the world. including our allies. This gave Latin Americans enormous hope and helped the region make a dramatic transition to democracy in the 1980s. Carter also signed the SALT II nuclear arms control treaty with the Soviet Union to slow the Cold War arms race.

Daring to pursue another major controversial policy initiative that he believed would help the entire world, Carter became the first U.S. president to normalize relations with Communist China in 1979, even hosting Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping at the White House . Carter and Deng began supplying the guerrillas fighting the Russian army’s cruel occupation of Afghanistan. With the help of the USA and China, the Russians withdrew from the country in 1989. Carter and Deng also began the enormous Sino-American trade, which benefited both economies enormously.

During his presidency from 1977 to 1981, the United States did not bomb, shell, or invade anyone anywhere in the world, and Carter led a highly honest administration that was free of significant scandals. How many presidents can say that about their president?

A retired president since 1981, Carter traveled the world for four decades advocating for peace; to ensure that the elections were conducted fairly; to promote human rights; Supporting agricultural and economic development in developing countries; saving so many lives in Africa through vaccination; and building homes for poor people in America – even in his 90s after hitting Brain cancer.

Carter has done so much to help people on the macro and micro levels. Long after he retired from the campaign, he continued to visit poor families with fruit, took underprivileged children into his home, played tennis with them and, in 1998, helped establish a public swimming pool for impoverished black children in southwest Georgia. He and Rosalynn Carter were even there when the water opened to swim with them.

The three best Sunday school experiences of my life were in Carter’s class at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. Arriving with only his Bible, he eagerly inquired about where everyone came from and commented on his connection to each place. He then filled us in on his and Mrs. Carter’s recent travels before reading the Bible, giving his lesson for the day, and concluding with a prayer. After the service, he and Rosalynn patiently stood for photos and shook all of our hands.

Whatever political differences we have had with President Carter – and I have had many – each of us can honestly say that our politics and government would not be significantly better if even a quarter of our leaders shared the faith, the vision, the work ethic and the have decency? by Jimmy Carter? He really is that rare great man in history who is actually good. Thank you very much, a well-deserved 100^Th Birthday, and may God bless you, kind Lord.

Dr. Douglas Young is a professor emeritus of political science who taught government and history for over 33 years and whose essays, poems and short stories have appeared in various publications in America, Canada and Europe. His first novel, Deep in the forestwas released in 2021 and the second, Due southwas published in 2022. His first book of essays, This Little Opinion Plus $1.50 Will Buy You a Coke: A Collection of Essaysreleased in 2024.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.