GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Several state and local officials have expressed their sympathies after the death of former President James Earl Carter Jr., better known as "Jimmy Carter."
He was President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. And a humanitarian leader in the years afterward, until he died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday at age 100.
Here are a few comments from dignitaries in Michigan.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer said President Carter was, "A good man and exemplary American who set a powerful example for all of us over the course of his long life."
Attorney General Dana Nessel said, "We should all cherish the example he left us, of a lifetime of model citizenship and decades of selfless service to his fellow Americans.
Second District Congressman Bill Huizenga mentioned he and his wife are saddened by Carter's death.
"Our hearts and prayers go out during this time of loss to the Carter family," Huizenga said.
The Gerald R. Ford Museum has opened a display titled, "Remembering President Jimmy Carter." It features campaign buttons and historical photographs of Carter and Ford. You can sign one of the memorial books inside the museum. The museum says the displays will be open until Carter's burial.
Brooke Clement is director of the Presidential Museum in downtown Grand Rapids and the Presidential Library in Ann Arbor. She says of Carter - quote - "His legacy of humanitarianism and dedication to public service is an inspiration to us all." End of quote.
Presidents Carter and Ford became close friends in the years after the 1976 election. Carter credited Ford for his role in bringing the country together following the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon's resignation. Carter would invited President Ford and wife, Rosalynn, to the White House whenever they were in Washington, D.C. in the late 1970s.
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Photo: Source: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation