WASHINGTON — Lawmakers, military officials and other dignitaries honored the life and achievements of the overdue President Jimmy Carter before, during and after his tenure in the White House during a service in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday, where he will serve until Thursday.
James Earl Carter Jr., who was the country’s 39th president from 1977 to 1981, died at the age of 100 on December 29 at his home in Plains, Georgia.
The cavernous rotunda was filled with dozens of Carter’s relatives and former cabinet members, who sat near current U.S. Supreme Court justices, the joint chiefs of staff, Biden administration officials and congressional leaders.
The voices of members of the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club filled the dome with the Navy anthem and “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” In a nod to Carter’s love for his home state, the U.S. Army Band Brass Quintet performed a rendition of “Georgia On My Mind” as senators, including Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of the state, filed past the overdue president’s casket.
A coffin decorated with a flag was placed on the same pine tree catafalque who supported the casket of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
Camp David and Habitat for Humanity
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a eulogy in which he reflected on Carter’s career in office and humanitarian work in the decades that followed.
“Jimmy Carter set a new model for what it means to be a former president,” Harris said, highlighting his work with Habitat for Humanity and leadership in combating the sea worm.
Harris, a California Democrat, praised the former president’s environmental work during his time in the White House, including signing a 1978 law that greatly expanded protections for redwoods.
She also highlighted Carter as a “forward-looking president with a vision for the future” for his creation of the Department of Energy, the Department of Education and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as his legacy appointment a record number of women and black judges on the federal bench.
Harris said Carter deserves to be remembered internationally for his role in steering the Camp David Accords, a peace treaty signed in September 1978 by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
“Jimmy Carter was an all-too-rare example of a talented man who conducted himself with humility, modesty and grace,” she said.
Harris continued: “Throughout his life and career, Jimmy Carter maintained basic decency and humility. James Earl Carter Jr. he loved our country. He lived his faith, served people and left the world better than he found it.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson also delivered praise.
Johnson recalled that when Carter was inaugurated, he was only 4 years elderly.
“He’s the first president I remember. When I look back, it’s obvious now to me as an adult why he caught everyone’s attention,” the Louisiana Republican said. “Jimmy Carter was a member of the Greatest Generation.”
Johnson talked about Carter’s upbringing in rural Georgia during the Great Depression and his decision to attend the Naval Academy during World War II. Shortly after the war, Carter served on one of the first nuclear submarines.
“It is telling that today the USS Jimmy Carter, a top-secret attack submarine, now roams the oceans bearing the name of the only president to serve in such close proximity,” Johnson said.
Carter will be honored Thursday during a memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral. President Joe Biden declared Thursday a day of national mourning, closing all federal offices in the nation’s capital.
Ceremonial arrival
On Tuesday morning, U.S. service members carried Carter’s flag-draped casket from The Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, where the overdue 39th president was in residence. lying at rest. The 282nd Army Band from Fort Jackson, South Carolina, played “Amazing Grace” as Carter’s four surviving children and their families followed the procession.
Carter’s remains were flown from Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia, and arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, Maryland, just after 2 p.m., Eastern Tuesday.
The funeral procession stopped for a low ceremony at the U.S. Naval Memorial, where midshipmen formed a formation and the U.S. Navy band performed “Four Ruffles and Flourishes” and “Hail to the Chief.” Carter, the sailor veteranHe attended the United States Naval Academy from 1943 to 1946.
Carter’s casket was placed on a caisson, or horse-drawn carriage, and a military procession reminiscent of Carter’s 1977 inaugural parade led the overdue president’s remains to the east side of the Capitol.
Honorary pallbearers included Carter’s 11 surviving grandchildren.
Carter’s wife, Rosalynn, has died died in November 2023
Carter will remain in state in the Capitol Rotunda until Thursday morning. The public will be able to pay their respects on January 7 from 8:30 p.m. to midnight ET and from 7 a.m. January 8 to 7 a.m. January 9.
Last updated: 20:31, January 7, 2025
