What to know about former President Jimmy Carter, including El Paso visit and Iran hostage crisis

Former President Jimmy Carter has a history in El Paso. The then-presidential Democratic nominee stopped in El Paso on Oct. 8, 1976, and did an exclusive interview with the El Paso Times.

Carter entered hospice at 98 years old Feb. 18, according to a statement by The Carter Center, a nonprofit founded by Carter's wife Rosalynn in 1982.

After a series of short hospital stays, Carter “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention," according to the statement. Carter has the full support of his medical team and family, which "asks for privacy at this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.”

Carter became the 39th U.S. president when he defeated former President Gerald R. Ford in 1976. He served a single term and was defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Carter was born Oct. 1, 1924, to a prominent family in rural south Georgia. He went on to the U.S. Naval Academy during World War II and pursued a career as a Cold War Naval officer before returning to Plains, Georgia, with Rosalynn and their young family to take over the family peanut business after Earl Carter's death in the 1950s.

Carter, arms spread wide in a friendly gesture, greeted supporters at the El Paso International Airport. The then-El Paso and Juarez mayors joined Carter during the campaign stop.

How old is Jimmy Carter?

Carter has lived longer than 46 other presidents in more than 230 years.

At 98 years old, Carter, the 39th president, has outlived George H.W. Bush by just under four years.

Jimmy Carter's history with Habitat for Humanity

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteered for decades with Habitat for Humanity, beginning in 1984 and continuing until 2020, according to the Habitat for Humanity website

Throughout their involvement with the Carter Work Project, they have been advocates, active fundraisers, and hands-on construction volunteers.

What happened during the Iran hostage crisis?

On Nov. 4, 1979, militant Islamic fundamentalist Iranian students seized the U.S. embassy in Teheran and took hostage the 66 Americans inside. For the next 444 days, until Jan. 20, 1981. The crisis paralyzed the administration of President Jimmy Carter, who was unable to secure their release, according to the Bill of Rights Institute.

His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980.

It was my decision to attempt the rescue operation. It was my decision to cancel it when problems developed in the placement of our rescue team for a future rescue operation. The responsibility is fully my own," Carter said on April 25, 1980.

President Joe Biden's statement

"To our friends Jimmy and Rosalynn and to their family – Jill and I are with you in prayer and send you our love. We admire you for the strength and humility you have shown in difficult times. May you continue your journey with grace and dignity, and God grant you peace," Biden said in a social media statement on Feb. 19.

AP contributed to this report

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Look at President Jimmy Carter's time in El Paso, Iran hostage crisis