President Jimmy Carter celebrates 96th birthday with socially distanced party

By LAUREN LANTRY, ABC News

(PLAINS, Ga.) — Thursday marked President Jimmy Carter’s 96th birthday, another achievement for the longest-living president in United States history.

“Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were treated to a drive-by birthday parade outside their home in Plains, Ga., today!” the Carter Center’s tweeted late Thursday afternoon. “It was organized by members of the local community and Maranatha Baptist Church.”

The celebration included balloons, golf carts, American flags, face masks and socially distanced waves from Carter and his wife, Rosalynn.

Carter, who held office from 1977 to 1981, has had a remarkable life. As the son of a Georgia peanut farmer, he grew up not only to be president, but also a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a Grammy Award winner. He was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were treated to a drive-by birthday parade outside their home in Plains, Ga., today!

It was organized by members of the local community and Maranatha Baptist Church. pic.twitter.com/OExvEERA9S

— The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) October 1, 2020

The 39th president’s milestone birthday comes after a year of serious health challenges. Last year, Carter suffered from various falls and underwent brain surgery. In 2015, he survived cancer.

After his presidency, Carter mostly remained quiet in politics. But this year, he endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, recording an address featured during the Democratic National Convention.

One of Carter’s most notable accomplishments during his presidency was appointing the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She would later serve as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. According to the White House, Carter appointed “record numbers of women, Blacks and Hispanics to Government jobs,” in addition to focusing on human rights in foreign policy.

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