January 1, 2025 - The 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, was the longest living president at 100-years-old, and during his tenure, he paid a visit to the capitol city of the Mountain State.

Carter flew into “Kanawa Air National Guard Airport” on May 26, 1978, after a morning spent flying to Illinois to address a joint session at the State Legislature and attend a fundraising breakfast.

When Carter arrived in West Virginia, he was greeted by state officials and Democratic party leaders before joining his motorcade with West Virginia Senator Jennings Randolph and Representative John M. Slack.

Carter was driven to the Charleston Civic Center where he attended a fundraising reception in honor of Senator Randolph, accompanied by Governor John D. Rockefeller IV. 200 guests were said to have been in attendance.

During his time there, Carter participated in a forum on coal issues attended by around 450 people. It was also on this day that he signed Executive Order 12062, which established the President’s Commission on the Coal Industry to look into the state of the coal industry in the U.S.

Finishing the forum, Carter rejoined his motorcade, returned to the airport and flew back to Maryland. He spent the rest of his day talking to his Assistant for National Security Affairs, the French President and hosted a dinner.

Before retiring to bed, he visited the White House bowling alley.