Carter, who has rarely used his full name — James Earl Carter Jr, was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. Gerald Ford, the Michigan native who was the 38th president after succeeding Richard Nixon, who had resigned the post, died Dec. 26, 2006. At the time of his death he was the longest-living president at age 93.

Lesser/Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, attach siding to the front of a Habitat for Humanity home in LaGrange, Georgia in 2003. For many, building homes for Habitat for Humanity is a once or twice in a lifetime experience.

On Thursday, all living presidents and spouses attended Jimmy Carter's funeral, except Michelle Obama. Here's why.