WASHINGTON. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 100, will be honored with a state funeral on January 9 at the Washington National Cathedral, the U.S. Army announced on Saturday.
President Joe Biden, who revealed last year that Carter had personally asked him to deliver the eulogy at his funeral, has declared January 9 as a national day of mourning in Carter’s honor across the United States.
The six-day state funeral proceedings will begin on January 6, with Carter’s remains traveling by motorcade through his hometown of Plains, Georgia. During this procession, the motorcade will pause at the farm where Carter grew up. In a symbolic tribute, the National Park Service will ring the historic farm bell 39 times, reflecting Carter’s tenure as the 39th U.S. President.
Following the motorcade, Carter’s remains will be taken to Atlanta, where he will lie in repose at the Carter Presidential Center until the morning of January 7. His body will then be flown to Washington, D.C., to lie in state in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol before the national funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral.
After the ceremony, Carter’s family will hold a private funeral and burial later that day in Plains, Georgia. He will be laid to rest beside his wife, Rosalynn Carter, on the grounds of their longtime home.
Carter, a Democrat, served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 after defeating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford in the 1976 election. His presidency is widely remembered for his efforts to broker peace in the Middle East, including the historic 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt.
Following his presidency, Carter dedicated his life to humanitarian efforts, advocating for global peace and development. His work earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
After his passing, world leaders, former U.S. presidents, and public figures have paid tribute to Carter’s legacy, describing him as a man of “compassion, humility, and unwavering dedication to peace.”
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
