Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley — the only current member of congress who was serving when Jimmy Carter was president — says Carter was a man of many talents.
“Now he and I were bit by different political bugs, but we have a similar foundation,” Grassley said, “two small town boys, anchored in our faith.”
Grassley, who turned 91 in September, was born in New Hartford, Iowa and his childhood home did not have electricity or indoor plumbing. Carter’s family home in Plains, Georgia, did not have electricity and running water until Carter was a teenager. Grassley delivered a speech in the U.S. Senate today in tribute to Carter.
“This week our nation mourns the loss of our 39th president, Jimmy Carter. With grief comes reflection on his life — a life well lived,” Grassley said. “There’s no doubt Jimmy Carter made an impact on scores of Americans.”
Grassley praised Carter’s post-presidency work in building homes for the needy. “1 Peter 4:10 says: ‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.’ The light of the Lord shown through President Carter’s life of service,” Grassley said. “He used these gifts to serve others, even beyond the borders of the United States.”
About 20 years ago, Carter invited Grassley to speak to a Baptist group in Georgia, then Grassley had a private conversation with Carter and his wife, Rosalynn. “I remember him fondly,” Grassley said today. “…We say, ‘Goodbye,’ during this time, to this man of many talents.”
Grassley, at the age of 43, was seeking reelection to a second term in the U.S. House when the 52-year-old Carter was seeking the presidency. “In 1976 I was on the ballot as a congressman for Iowa’s third congressional district,” Grassley said. “And, of course, Jimmy Carter was on that same ballot.”
Carter died December 29 at the age of 100. Carter’s remains are lying in state in the U.S. Capitol today. His funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington is scheduled to begin Thursday at 10 a.m. Iowa time.