| 2 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 5 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 6 | | |
|---|
| 6 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
|---|
| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, The Honorable James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th |
|---|
| 8 | 9 | | president of the United States and a greatly admired humanitarian, |
|---|
| 9 | 10 | | passed away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100; and |
|---|
| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia, on |
|---|
| 11 | 12 | | October 1, 1924, to James Earl and Lillian Carter; he entered the |
|---|
| 12 | 13 | | U.S. Naval Academy during the Second World War and graduated in |
|---|
| 13 | 14 | | 1946, a year after the war's close; he went on to become a U.S. Navy |
|---|
| 14 | 15 | | lieutenant, serving as a nuclear engineer and submariner; and |
|---|
| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, The young navy midshipman met and fell in love with |
|---|
| 16 | 17 | | Rosalynn Smith, a friend of his younger sister, and married her just |
|---|
| 17 | 18 | | weeks after his graduation from the academy and commission into the |
|---|
| 18 | 19 | | U.S. Navy; following his father's death, he took over the family |
|---|
| 19 | 20 | | peanut farm back in Georgia and began making a name for himself |
|---|
| 20 | 21 | | speaking out in favor of Black voting rights and racial |
|---|
| 21 | 22 | | integration; at the age of 39, he was elected to the Georgia State |
|---|
| 22 | 23 | | Senate, where he served for four years; and |
|---|
| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, State Senator Carter first ran for governor of |
|---|
| 24 | 25 | | Georgia in 1966, and he found success in his second bid for that |
|---|
| 25 | 26 | | office in 1970; in his inaugural speech as the state's 76th |
|---|
| 26 | 27 | | governor, he powerfully asserted that "the time for racial |
|---|
| 27 | 28 | | discrimination is over"; as governor, his leadership in efficiency, |
|---|
| 28 | 29 | | racial justice, and progressive reforms set him up as a national |
|---|
| 29 | 30 | | figure who would launch a run for president of the United States in |
|---|
| 30 | 31 | | 1976; and |
|---|
| 31 | 32 | | WHEREAS, Governor Carter was elected as the 39th president of |
|---|
| 32 | 33 | | the United States, and he earned the distinction of being the most |
|---|
| 33 | 34 | | recent Democrat to win the State of Texas in a presidential contest; |
|---|
| 34 | 35 | | his presidency was dedicated to humanitarian advancement at home |
|---|
| 35 | 36 | | and around the world, and he began his term by pardoning |
|---|
| 36 | 37 | | approximately 10,000 Vietnam War draft evaders; he also established |
|---|
| 37 | 38 | | the Departments of Energy and Education and expanded domestic |
|---|
| 38 | 39 | | environmental conservation efforts, and his administration was |
|---|
| 39 | 40 | | instrumental in promoting diplomacy abroad; he brokered a peace |
|---|
| 40 | 41 | | agreement between Egypt and Israel with the Camp David Accords, put |
|---|
| 41 | 42 | | pressure on oppressive regimes by leveraging economic and military |
|---|
| 42 | 43 | | aid, and helped secure the release of 52 U.S. citizens during the |
|---|
| 43 | 44 | | Iran Hostage Crisis; and |
|---|
| 44 | 45 | | WHEREAS, President Carter left office in 1981, but he did not |
|---|
| 45 | 46 | | withdraw from public service; he established the Carter Center |
|---|
| 46 | 47 | | alongside his wife with the purpose to promote human rights, |
|---|
| 47 | 48 | | democracy, and public health, and the center's many accomplishments |
|---|
| 48 | 49 | | included negotiating a peace agreement during the Sudan Civil War |
|---|
| 49 | 50 | | and diplomatically easing U.S. tensions with North Korea as well as |
|---|
| 50 | 51 | | between Eritrea and Ethiopia; the center has also played a crucial |
|---|
| 51 | 52 | | role in monitoring and ensuring fair elections in more than 40 |
|---|
| 52 | 53 | | countries, and it helped to build thousands of homes in |
|---|
| 53 | 54 | | collaboration with Habitat for Humanity; in addition, the Carter |
|---|
| 54 | 55 | | Center has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to disease |
|---|
| 55 | 56 | | prevention, specifically empowering initiatives to combat malaria |
|---|
| 56 | 57 | | and mental health crises, and it has supported efforts to eradicate |
|---|
| 57 | 58 | | Guinea worm, which, at its height, affected an estimated 3.5 |
|---|
| 58 | 59 | | million people in 20 countries; and |
|---|
| 59 | 60 | | WHEREAS, Former President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, |
|---|
| 60 | 61 | | celebrated 77 years of marriage before her passing on |
|---|
| 61 | 62 | | November 19, 2023; they are survived by their four children and |
|---|
| 62 | 63 | | many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and |
|---|
| 63 | 64 | | WHEREAS, Jimmy Carter devoted his life to public service and |
|---|
| 64 | 65 | | humanitarianism, and he leaves behind a legacy that will continue |
|---|
| 65 | 66 | | to inspire generations of Americans for years to come; now, |
|---|
| 66 | 67 | | therefore, be it |
|---|
| 67 | 68 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
|---|
| 68 | 69 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable James |
|---|
| 69 | 70 | | Earl Carter Jr., 39th president of the United States, and express |
|---|
| 70 | 71 | | deep appreciation for his many years of dedicated public service; |
|---|
| 71 | 72 | | and, be it further |
|---|
| 72 | 73 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|---|
| 73 | 74 | | prepared for the Carter Center and the Jimmy Carter Presidential |
|---|
| 74 | 75 | | Library and Museum. |
|---|