Jonathan Alter

Yeah. So basically, first he revolutionized the vice presidency by giving Walter Mondale stuff to do, which almost none of his predecessors had. Then he revolutionizes the office of first lady or the position of first lady by empowering Rosalind Carter. And then after leaving office, he revolutionizes the post presidency.

And there's this myth that he got more done as a former president than as president. That's completely wrong. You don't have the levers of power when you're not in office. So the Carter Center did wonderful work in essentially eradicating getting worm disease, making great progress against river blindness.

And there's this myth that he got more done as a former president than as president. That's completely wrong. You don't have the levers of power when you're not in office. So the Carter Center did wonderful work in essentially eradicating getting worm disease, making great progress against river blindness.

And there's this myth that he got more done as a former president than as president. That's completely wrong. You don't have the levers of power when you're not in office. So the Carter Center did wonderful work in essentially eradicating getting worm disease, making great progress against river blindness.

He did get some political prisoners released in monitored elections in more than 100 countries. In 1994, he was very involved in preventing wars in Haiti and arguably in North Korea. But mostly he became a symbol. that you can keep on serving, keep on helping other people, keep on inspiring other people to do their best on behalf of not just themselves, but others.

He did get some political prisoners released in monitored elections in more than 100 countries. In 1994, he was very involved in preventing wars in Haiti and arguably in North Korea. But mostly he became a symbol. that you can keep on serving, keep on helping other people, keep on inspiring other people to do their best on behalf of not just themselves, but others.

He did get some political prisoners released in monitored elections in more than 100 countries. In 1994, he was very involved in preventing wars in Haiti and arguably in North Korea. But mostly he became a symbol. that you can keep on serving, keep on helping other people, keep on inspiring other people to do their best on behalf of not just themselves, but others.

And the Carters did this in literally hundreds of ways after leaving office. And we could talk all day about the smaller things that they did as he tried to show that you don't have to just play golf and serve on corporate boards and take big speaking gigs when you're a former president.

And the Carters did this in literally hundreds of ways after leaving office. And we could talk all day about the smaller things that they did as he tried to show that you don't have to just play golf and serve on corporate boards and take big speaking gigs when you're a former president.

And the Carters did this in literally hundreds of ways after leaving office. And we could talk all day about the smaller things that they did as he tried to show that you don't have to just play golf and serve on corporate boards and take big speaking gigs when you're a former president.

I think it's some combination. What happened was both he and Rosalind Carter were depressed after he was shellacked by Ronald Reagan. And she wanted him to try to make a comeback. And he brushed that aside. But then in the middle of the night, it occurred to him, why can't I do what I did at Camp David in Atlanta?

I think it's some combination. What happened was both he and Rosalind Carter were depressed after he was shellacked by Ronald Reagan. And she wanted him to try to make a comeback. And he brushed that aside. But then in the middle of the night, it occurred to him, why can't I do what I did at Camp David in Atlanta?

I think it's some combination. What happened was both he and Rosalind Carter were depressed after he was shellacked by Ronald Reagan. And she wanted him to try to make a comeback. And he brushed that aside. But then in the middle of the night, it occurred to him, why can't I do what I did at Camp David in Atlanta?

And so first in association with Emory is called the Carter Center, which is a terrific organization. They began to hold conferences and then that evolved into other projects. Not all of them worked. But they created an institution that is now outliving him.

And so first in association with Emory is called the Carter Center, which is a terrific organization. They began to hold conferences and then that evolved into other projects. Not all of them worked. But they created an institution that is now outliving him.

And so first in association with Emory is called the Carter Center, which is a terrific organization. They began to hold conferences and then that evolved into other projects. Not all of them worked. But they created an institution that is now outliving him.

It's chaired by his grandson, Jason, and they continue to do terrific work all around the world on many different important, mostly health-related issues.

It's chaired by his grandson, Jason, and they continue to do terrific work all around the world on many different important, mostly health-related issues.

It's chaired by his grandson, Jason, and they continue to do terrific work all around the world on many different important, mostly health-related issues.

Well, I interviewed him a dozen times, and I had met him when I was a columnist for Newsweek magazine in 2000. I interviewed him on a Habitat for Humanity site, and then I helped the Carters build a house in Memphis in 2015. I traveled with him up to Annapolis for his 75th reunion, 75 years after he graduated from the Naval Academy.