Everything to Know About Jimmy Carter’s Funeral Services
The official state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter will take place on Jan. 9 in Washington, D.C., following days of services and ceremonies to honor the 39th President.
President Joe Biden declared Jan. 9 a National Day of Mourning, and ordered all executive departments and agencies of the federal government to close out of respect for the former President, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100. But ceremonies honoring Carter started before then, on Jan. 4, when a motorcade transported Carter through his hometown of Plains, Georgia. On Jan. 7, the former President will begin lying in state, which will last until the day of his state funeral.
Here’s what to know about the tributes for the former President.
What has happened during the first two days of the funeral schedule?
On the morning of Jan. 4, the memorial services began as Carter’s remains were taken outside Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia. Former Secret Service agents who had protected the late President served as pallbearers. Locals gathered outside the hospital to honor him, while members of the Carter family looked on as the flag-draped coffin of the former President was moved to the vehicle.
When Carter was taken through his hometown by motorcade, the procession took a “brief pause” at his boyhood home in front of his family’s farm in Archery, Georgia. There, the National Park Service saluted and rang a historic farm bell 39 times. The home is now a part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park.
As the motorcade rode through Plains, Georgians lined the streets, waving U.S. flags to pay their respects. The shop windows were filled with memorabilia of Carter.
CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann spoke of how entrenched in the everyday life of the town Carter had previously been and how his former neighbours came to pay their respects.
“They’re the ones who would see Carter walking or riding his bike through town, and they’re the ones who…would call him ‘Mr. Jimmy,’ not ‘Mr. President,” he said.
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The motorcade then headed to Atlanta to pause at the Georgia State Capitol for a moment of silence led by Gov. Brian Kemp and other state and local officials. From there, Carter’s casket was carried into the Carter Presidential Center, where a service took place, allowing Carter’s family and loved ones to pay tribute.
Carter’s son, James Earl “Chip” Carter III, and his grandson, former Georgia State Senator Jason Carter, spoke at the service, honoring their patriarch.
Chip spoke about the work ethic his father instilled in the family, his dedication to helping him in school, and the love he shared with his wife, Rosalynn Carter, who died on Nov. 19, 2023.
“He was an amazing man,” Chip said. “And he was held up and propped up and soothed by an amazing woman. And the two of them together changed the world. And it was an amazing thing to watch from so close and to be able to be involved.”
Jason paid tribute to his grandfather, as well as the legacy of The Carter Center.
“While we mourn my grandfather's passing, I know in my heart, and you all do, that his legacy will live on not only because of the millions of people that he touched across the globe but very specifically because of your spirit and your knowledge and the work and the track record that you do every day,” Jason said.
Since the service, the former President has been lying in repose at The Carter Center, and members of the public have been arriving to pay their respects. They can continue to do so until 6 a.m. local time, on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Atlanta’s public transit system, MARTA, is offering free bus shuttle services to The Carter Center.
What happens when Carter lies in state?
In the afternoon of Jan. 7, Carter will be taken to the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. A horse-drawn caisson will then take him to the U.S. Capitol. There, members of Congress will be able to pay their respects during a service held in the Rotunda. Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune “are scheduled to deliver brief eulogies and lay wreaths near Carter’s casket,” according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The former President will then lie in state, which will open to the public in the evening. Carter will lie in state until the morning of Jan. 9.
What will happen on the day of the funeral?
The morning of Jan. 9, a motorcade will take Carter from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington National Cathedral, where the national funeral service will run from 10-11 a.m. ET. The schedule released by the U.S. military task force didn’t include details about the state service, but Biden previously said that Carter had asked him to deliver a eulogy at his funeral.
After the service, Carter will be flown back to Georgia, and a private funeral service will take place in Plains at Maranatha Baptist Church, where Carter taught Sunday school and where a funeral service was held for his wife, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in November 2023.
A motorcade will then take the former President and his family through downtown Plains for Carter’s final journey through his hometown. The motorcade will take Carter to his family’s residence for a private interment next to his wife, according to the New York Times. Before the interment, the U.S. Navy will honor the former President with a missing man formation flyover.
Who will attend the funeral?
Biden will attend the state funeral, and is expected to speak at the funeral. President-elect Donald Trump has said that he plans to attend. Meanwhile, former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama are also reportedly expected to be in attendance.
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