Hamilton Jordan (1976 photo)

Hamilton Jordan, who guided former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's successful 1976 election campaign and served as his chief of staff, has died at the age of 63.

Jordan died Tuesday at his home in Atlanta, Georgia, after a two-decade battle with cancer.

In a statement, Mr. Carter hailed Jordan as a trusted confidant and friend.

President George Bush said Jordan played an important role in shaping the nation's policies, and praised him for his work with others battling cancer.

As an aide to then-Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter in the early 1970s, Jordan conceived the campaign plan that led Mr. Carter to the White House. When Mr. Carter was defeated by Ronald Reagan in 1980, after just a single term in office, Jordan returned to Georgia, where he launched an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 1986.

He worked on third-party candidate Ross Perot's unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1992.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.