A look back on President Jimmy Carter's visits to Austin
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States and 76th governor of Georgia, died Sunday at 100 years old. Serving as president from 1977 to 1981, Carter remains the last Democratic presidential candidate to win Texas, according to historic voting records provided by the Texas Secretary of State.
Beyond his four years in office, Carter was noted for his humanitarian efforts, founding The Carter Center to aid in conflict mediation work in Ethiopia and Eritrea, North Korea, Haiti, Sudan and Uganda, the Middle East and Mali. Alongside his wife, Rosalynn, the two worked with the nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity until 2020, per The Carter Center.
In December 2002, the Norwegian Nobel Committee selected and awarded Carter with the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of "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," according to The Carter Center.
Alongside his work in and beyond the White House, Carter traveled to Austin several times over the years in support of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and former President Lyndon B. Johnson's family.
Archival photos from the Associated Press captured Carter's April 1981 visit to Austin, where he took part in a two-day visit and library tour.
The Carters visited Austin in July 2007 to attend the funeral services for former First Lady Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson, who passed away that July at age 94. A slew of former presidents and first ladies joined the Carters at the funeral services, including former First Lady Nancy Reagan, then-First Lady Laura Bush, former President Bill Clinton and then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
During his lifetime, Carter made a handful of visits to the LBJ Presidential Library for events and addresses. When asked in February 2011 what his proudest accomplishment was from his presidential tenure, Carter's answer centered around peace efforts.
I think the proudest accomplishment in general terms is maintaining peace. We never dropped a bomb, we never fired a bullet, we never launched a missile while I was president. And the main thing is we tried to bring that sort of relationship to other countries. I spent a lot of time negotiating between Israel and Egypt to prevent another war, and to normalize diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and working in Africa with Zimbabwe and South Africa to try to bring democracy. Those kinds of things, so I would to say to preserve peace for us and maybe to enhance it for others. And then, the No. 1 thing of which I'm most proud of, I guess, would be the treaty between Israel and Egypt, which has been precious even to today and in the future.
Former President Jimmy Carter during a Feb. 15, 2011 appearance at the LBJ Presidential Library
In April 2014, the LBJ Presidential Library invited Carter to speak at its Civil Rights Summit in Austin, which served to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That legislation, signed into law by Johnson, outlawed discrimination and discriminatory practices made on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
Carter joined Mark Updegrove, then-director of the LBJ Presidential Library, to discuss his legacy post-presidency, his past peace treaty negotiations alongside his volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity.
Also in 2014, Carter stopped by Austin's independent bookseller BookPeople for a signing of his book, "A CALL TO ACTION: Women, Religion, Violence and Power." BookPeople said the former president visited the shop "multiple times over the years."
"We join the nation in mourning President Carter and honor his legacy of civil service and leading by example," BookPeople wrote in the post. "Rest in peace."
Following Carter's death Sunday, Johnson's daughters — Lynda Johnson Robb and Luci Baines Johnson — released statements commending Carter's legacy as an "unforgettable peacemaker" and "a man of great faith."
An extraordinary human being and an unforgettable peacemaker, Jimmy Carter dedicated his life to others. As a military officer, as a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, and through his work at The Carter Center to eliminate disease and promote democracy, Jimmy Carter was the embodiment of integrity, a champion of human rights, and an inspiration to us all. God bless this 'good and faithful servant.'
President Jimmy Carter was a man of great faith and works who taught us the joy and rewards of giving. He set the standard for being a servant leader and a devoted husband of over 70 years. He was my treasured friend and mentor for over 40 years. Any good that I will ever do will always be inspired by his example. He had so much to be proud of, as America should be proud of him.
Combined statements made from Lynda Johnson Robb, Luci Baines Johnson following the death of former President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29, 2024