The nation will mourn the death of former President Jimmy Carter at a full state funeral in Washington, DC on Jan. 9 — a national day of mourning — before he’s laid to rest in his tiny hometown in Georgia beside his late wife Rosalynn.
President Biden ordered all US flags to fly at half-staff for 30 days beginning Sunday, when Carter died at the age of 100 after nearly two years in hospice care.
Full details of the funeral, which is organized by the Joint Task Force National Capital Region, have not been released, but presidential state funerals are typically planned by the presidents themselves and usually last several days.
Biden said Sunday his team is working with Carter’s family “to see to it that he is remembered appropriately, here in the United States and around the world.”
He added that organizing “that will take a little time” is underway but expects a “major service in Washington, D.C.” for the 39th president.
Most presidents lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for more than a day where the public can pay its last respects followed by a final send-off at a funeral service at Washington’s National Cathedral.
President Biden accidentally let slip last year that Carter had asked him to give a eulogy.
The former president’s casket will first travel from his hometown in Plains, Georgia to Atlanta where he will first lie in repose in the Carter Center — his post-presidency charity foundation — for 36 hours, according to NBC News.
Following his state funeral in Washington DC, his body will travel back to Plains where he will be buried beside his late wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, following a private family service.
In the meantime, The Carter Center said the public can pay tribute to the late president on its website, where people can sign an official condolence book.
In lieu of flowers, Carter’s family has asked donations to be made to The Carter Center.
With Post Wires
