The state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter will be held on January 9 at the National Cathedral in Washington, as part of a national day of mourning for the longest-serving American president.
Walter Mondale, who was Carter’s vice president, had intended to give a eulogy for his former boss, but he died in 2021. Mondale’s son plans to read the eulogy at the funeral, the New York Times reports.
Other details are emerging about how the country will honor the world-renowned humanitarian, who died Sunday at the age of 100 at his home in Plains, Georgia.
There will also be public ceremonies in Atlanta, Georgia, before Carter is laid to rest in Plains, according to the Carter Center.
Following the American custom of commemorating the deaths of important figures and leaders, President Joe Biden ordered American flags on federal property to be flown at half-staff for 30 days. That time frame will include the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The Carter family said it “respectfully and gratefully” accepted the invitation of the US Congress to lay Carter in state in the rotunda of the US Capitol building. By tradition, this is a public viewing where people will pay their respects, including lawmakers and high-profile individuals, as well as ordinary Americans.
Carter, a Democrat, will then be buried at his family’s estate next to his wife, Rosalynn, who died at age 96 in November 2023.
Biden requested that January 9 be used to honor the 39th President of the United States, James Earl Carter Jr.
“He embodied the best of America: a humble servant of God and people,” he said in a statement.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that while he and Carter disagree philosophically, he is a “genuinely good man” and has “the utmost respect.”
Other US leaders have also issued statements praising Carter’s life and work, including former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Former President Barack Obama said Carter “taught us all what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice and service.”
All four living former presidents are expected to attend services for Carter. At the 2018 funeral of George HW Bush – the last former president to die – more than 1,000 people attended the ceremony, including US politicians and world dignitaries such as then-Prince Charles and former British Prime Minister John Major.
Stock exchanges will be closed on January 9, as part of the National Day of Mourning.
Carter, a former Georgia peanut farmer turned naval officer turned US president, served from 1977 to 1981.
During his time in the White House, he advocated for global peace, the environment and human rights, and was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
One of his most significant achievements in office was brokering a Middle East peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.
However, Carter’s achievements as president were overshadowed by the crumbling US economy and what he called a “crisis of confidence”.
He served only one term in the White House and lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Much of Carter’s legacy was built in his post-presidential life.
He continued to work for global peace and met with international leaders; he founded the Carter Center, a non-profit organization started to help eradicate the disease; and, well into his 90s, worked with Habitat for Humanity to help build and repair homes.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of President Carter and our prayers are with the Carter family,” said Jonathan Reckford, executive director of Habitat for Humanity International.
