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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER
WHEREAS, former President Jimmy Carter was laid to rest on January 9, 2025, beside his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter; and
WHEREAS, President Carter leaves behind a legacy of service that is marked by grace, justice, empathy, and compassion; and
WHEREAS, President Carter served at the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981; and
WHEREAS, President Carter was born in Plains, Georgia to Bessie Lillian Gordy and James Earl Carter Sr.; and
WHEREAS, President Carter began his service to his country as a Navy submariner, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and rising to the rank of lieutenant; and
WHEREAS, following the death of his father in 1953, President Carter returned to Georgia where he took over the Carter farms and quickly became a leader in the community, serving on county boards that oversaw education, the hospital authority, and the library; and
WHEREAS, President Carter was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1962; and
WHEREAS, President Carter became the 76th governor of Georgia in 1971; and
WHEREAS, President Carter was elected president of United State on November 2, 1976, and served for one term; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure, President Carter led a government that he deemed “as competent, as compassionate, as good” as the American people; and
WHEREAS, President Carter’s visionary leadership saw the creation of both the Department of Education and the Department of Energy; and
WHEREAS, President Carter championed government efficiency through civil service reform; and
WHEREAS, President Carter is a known advocate for human rights and equity, appointing record numbers of women, African Americans, and Hispanics to federal positions; and
WHEREAS, President Carter deftly navigated international relationships, including the establishment of full diplomatic relations with China, the ratification of the Panama Canal treaties, and negotiating peace between Egyptian and Israeli leaders through the Camp David Accords; and
WHEREAS, once his service as president concluded, President Carter founded the Carter Presidential Center at Emory University devoted to furthering human rights and alleviating human suffering though the prevention and resolution of conflict, the enhancement and freedom and democracy, and improvement of health; and
WHEREAS, President Carter continued his service to the residents of the United States and beyond through his work with Habitat for Humanity, driven by his belief in affordable housing, where he gave freely of his time and talents in helping with home construction; and
WHEREAS, President’s Carter’s work with Habit for Humanity inspired the creation of the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, an initiative that, to date, has rallied 108,100 volunteers across 14 countries to build 4,447 homes, including two homes in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, President Carter’s good works and vibrancy were lauded in 2002 when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for 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;” and
WHEREAS, President Carter spoke of his beloved America saying, “We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” May we take this sentiment with us as we continue our work to serve the residents of Cook County; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners and the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby honor the life and legacy of President Jimmy Carter; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body.
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