A six-day ceremony marking the state funeral of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter begins today in Georgia, where he passed away on December 29 at the age of 101.
Ceremony Highlights and Dates
The ceremonies will conclude on January 9, which has been declared a national day of mourning in the U.S. following Carter’s death.
The Democratic president (1977-1981) is remembered internationally as a peacemaker, with his humanitarian efforts earning him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. World leaders paid tribute to him upon hearing of his passing.
The ceremonial events start today at 10:15 a.m. (16:15 CET), with U.S. Secret Service agents guarding his casket. The procession will first pass through Plains, Georgia, a town to which Carter was deeply attached, before continuing through parts of Georgia. The culmination will take place in Washington, D.C., on January 9.
A Final Tribute in Plains
Near Carter’s childhood home, a bell will toll 39 times in honor of the 39th U.S. president. The casket will then be transported to Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, and later to the Carter Center, a foundation established by Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, in 1982. Rosalynn Carter passed away in 2023 at the age of 97.
Carter’s work through the foundation, focused on conflict prevention, democracy defense, and global public health, earned him a special tribute from the Director-General of the World Health Organization.
Public and Private Ceremonies
From 7:00 p.m. Saturday until 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, Americans are invited to pay their respects. On Tuesday morning, the casket will be flown with the family’s accompaniment to Washington, D.C., where it will be escorted to the U.S. Navy Memorial. Carter graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946.
The casket will then be taken in procession to the Capitol, where it will be displayed in the Rotunda for a public viewing from 7:00 p.m. Tuesday until midnight, and again from 7:00 a.m. Wednesday to 7:00 a.m. Thursday. Carter will be the 13th U.S. president to have his body laid in the Capitol; Abraham Lincoln was the first in 1865.
Funeral Service at the National Cathedral
On Thursday, the casket will be moved to the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., for a formal funeral service, with U.S. President Joe Biden delivering the eulogy. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has also confirmed his attendance.
Tributes and Final Burial
Flags across the nation will be flown at half-staff for 30 days in honor of Carter, including on January 20, when Trump’s inauguration is set to take place. Trump expressed his dismay at the flag being at half-staff on this day, stating that “no one wants to see that during the inauguration ceremony.”
Other former presidents—Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama—are expected to attend the official memorial service in Washington.
Afterward, Carter’s casket will be flown back to Georgia for a private ceremony at the Baptist church in Plains at 3:45 p.m. The former president will then be buried next to his wife, with whom he shared 77 years of marriage.
Having lived more than 80 of his 101 years in or around Plains, a town with a population of fewer than 700, Carter leaves behind a legacy as a beloved, respected figure.
