FILE - Former President Jimmy Carter speaks during a forum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Nov. 20, 2014.
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola) Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday this past week. He was born when Calvin Coolidge was president and William Howard Taft was still alive; it was 17 years before the U.S.
entered World War II and only 59 years after the Civil War ended. Quite a few U.S.
presidents have made it into their 90s, but only Carter has hit 100. The only other major-party presidential nominee who lived to 100 was Alf Landon. A former governor of Kansas, he was the 1936 Republican presidential nominee.
He had the dubious honor of losing to Franklin Roosevelt in a landslide. Born when Grover Cleveland was president, Landon lived until 1987, when Ronald Reagan occupied the White House. When it comes to U.
S. vice presidents, none have made it to 100. John Nance Garner, Franklin Roosevelt’s number two between 1933 and 1941, came closest, living to nearly 99.
What other famous people have been centenarians? Comedian Bob Hope, after 80 years in show business and 70 feature films, died at 100 in 2003. He was born when Theodore Roosevelt was president. Hope hosted the Oscars 19 times, wrote 14 books and made 57 USO tours entertaining military personnel.
His theme song was “Thanks for the Memory,” and for him it was a long one, indeed. Ron Faucheux Another comedian to m.
