US to hold national day of mourning on 9 January
A state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter will be held on January 9 at the Washington National Cathedral as part of a national day of mourning for America’s oldest president.
Walter Mondale, who served as Carter’s vice president, was scheduled to deliver the eulogy for his former boss, but he died in 2021. According to the New York Times, Mondale’s son plans to read a eulogy at the funeral.
Additional details are emerging about how the country will honor the world-renowned humanitarian. The world-renowned humanitarian died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100.
There will also be a public ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia before Carter is buried in Plains, according to the Carter Center.
President Joe Biden ordered American flags on federal property to be flown at half-staff for 30 days as the country commemorates the deaths of important figures and leaders. That time span will include the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The Carter family said they “respectfully and gratefully” accepted the U.S. Congress’ invitation to bury Carter in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Traditionally, this is a public viewing, with people lining up to pay their respects, including lawmakers, celebrities and ordinary Americans.
Carter will later be buried on his family’s property next to his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023 at the age of 96.
Biden requested that January 9 be used to pay tribute to James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th President of the United States.
“He embodied the best of America: a humble servant of God and his people,” he said in a statement.
Trump wrote in “Truth Social” that despite his and Carter’s philosophical differences, Carter was “a truly good man” and had his “highest respect.”
Other U.S. leaders also issued statements praising Carter’s life and work, including former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Former President Barack Obama said Carter “taught us all how to live a life of grace, dignity, justice and service.”
Carter was a peanut farmer from Georgia who became a naval officer and eventually the president of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981.
While serving in the White House, he championed global peace, environmental and human rights causes and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
One of his most notable achievements in office was brokering a Middle East peace agreement between Egypt and Israel.
However, Carter’s achievements as president were overshadowed by the collapse of the American economy and what he called a “crisis of confidence.”
He served only one term in the White House, losing to Ronald Reagan in 1980.
Much of Carter’s legacy was built during his post-presidential life.
He continued to work for global peace and meet with international leaders; he established the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization aimed at helping eradicate disease; and in his 90s, he worked with Habitat for Humanity to help build and restore homes.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of President Carter and our prayers are with the Carter family,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International.
