AUSTIN – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) issued the following statement after the passing of former President Jimmy Carter:

“As a naval officer, Georgia state senator, governor, and President of the United States, Jimmy Carter served our nation with honor,” said Sen. Cornyn. “His love for his home state of Georgia and for those he served through his beloved Maranatha Baptist Church and charities like Habitat for Humanity was evident throughout his life, and his legacy will remain a cherished part of our great American story. My prayers are with the entire Carter family during this time.”

Jimmy Carter, 39^th president of the United States, was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, and grew up in the nearby community of Archery. He received a bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. He became a Navy submariner, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and rising to the rank of lieutenant. Following his father’s death in 1953, Carter resigned his naval commission and returned with his family to Georgia. He quickly became a community leader, serving on county boards supervising education, the hospital authority, and the library. In 1962, Carter was elected to the Georgia State Senate. Nearly a decade later, he became Georgia’s 76^th governor in 1971 and was eventually elected president in 1976. He died at the age of 100 in Plains, Georgia.