Jimmy Carter’s six-day farewell to the nation will culminate on Thursday with a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral, before his remains are returned to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, for burial beside his wife, Rosalynn.
The service marks the conclusion of Carter’s lying in state at the US Capitol, where Vice President Kamala Harris led tributes to the 39th president. Harris praised Carter for his legacy of humanitarian work and diplomatic achievements that extended well beyond his single term in office.
“He lived his faith, he served the people and he left the world better than he found it,” Harris said in a eulogy that celebrated Carter’s establishment of key federal agencies and diplomatic initiatives, including the Camp David accords.
The procession for America’s longest-lived president will be attended by all five living presidents, including President-elect Donald Trump. After the cathedral service, Carter’s remains will make their final journey back to Plains, the small Georgia town where his century-long life began and ended. An invitation-only funeral will take place at Maranatha Baptist Church, where Carter taught Sunday school well into his 90s, followed by his burial alongside Rosalynn, his wife of 77 years.
In his lifetime, Carter rejected the traditional elder statesman role in favor of direct humanitarian work, including through Habitat for Humanity and his campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease. He authored over 30 books on politics, faith, and poetry, helped negotiate a nuclear standoff with North Korea in 1994 through H4H, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Praise for Carter’s character and service came from both sides of the aisle. On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson described Carter as having “modeled the virtues of service and citizenship as well as any other American.”
Carter will return to Plains on Thursday, where former Secret Service agents will serve as pallbearers. The National Park Service plans to ring the old farm bell 39 times in tribute.
The former president passed away at his home on 29 December at the age of 100, after spending his final months in hospice care surrounded by family. His passing came just over a year after that of Rosalynn, who died in November 2023 at the age of 96.
