Duck hunting & campaigning: Former President Jimmy Carter's connections to Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Former President Jimmy Carter passed away on Sunday at 100, the longest-lived president in U.S. history.

During his life, Carter visited Arkansas a handful of times for campaign visits, the dedication of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park in 2004, and to duck hunt in Arkansas County.

The Encyclopedia of Arkansas says Carter visited Texarkana in 1980 as one of his campaign stops.

Carter would regularly visit Poinsett County to duck hunt starting in 1983. He wrote a chapter in one of his 34 books about his time duck hunting in the Natural State.

The book titled "An Outdoor Journal," has 300-plus pages and was first published in 1988. In the book, Carter writes about his appreciation for nature and looks at his life's adventures and reflections.

The seven-page chapter about Arkansas was called "Arkansas Rain, Ice, and Ducks". Excerpts of the chapter can be found below.

On Nov. 18, 2004, Carter along with former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush attended the dedication of the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock.

The former president and his wife, Rosalynn, founded Habitat for Humanity. The nonprofit housing organization has locations across the U.S., and internationally. In Arkansas, there are multiple locations including ones in Bentonville, Fayetteville, and Little Rock. The organization builds and improves homes for those in need.

Multiple Arkansas lawmakers reacted to Carter's death on social media on Sunday including former Arkansas Governor and President Bill Clinton.

“Hillary and I mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter and give thanks for his long, good life,” Clinton posted in a statement on social media. “Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others until the very end.”