Jimmy Carter achieved far more favourable reputation after leaving White House than he ever secured during his single term

Former US president Jimmy Carter , who has died aged 100 , achieved a far more favourable reputation after leaving the White House than he ever secured during his single term of office.

His sustained efforts to improve life for the deprived people of the world won him the 2002 Nobel peace prize.

Carter arrived in Washington with inflation running at 7% within 18 months it had climbed to 11.3% .

Ford was hand-picked by the beleaguered incumbent as his successor.

The electorate erupted in fury when the newly sworn-in President Ford announced an unconditional pardon for his patron.

But the very nature of his electoral campaign quickly rebounded on him.

He chose to emphasise the shift from previous administrations by appointing inexperienced assistants to senior posts.

Carter was already in deep trouble over the fall of the shah, but responded to the Soviet invasion by shooting himself in the foot.

With domestic political attention focused on the impending 1980 presidential campaign, he announced an embargo on a portion of US grain exports.

He did manage to see off the internal party challenge of Senator Edward Kennedy , but slipped badly in the broader race for re-election.