Jimmy Carter, the former US president who died at age 100 on Sunday, will be honored with a state funeral before being laid to rest in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, next to his wife, Rosalynn.
The state funeral for Carter will be held in Washington DC on Thursday, 9 January. The date has also been declared a national day of mourning in the United States.
In addition to the state funeral, there will be a public service in Atlanta, the capital of Carter’s home state, following which the former president will be buried in a private service in Plains, where he died.
The longest-lived president, Carter died on Sunday, two years after entering hospice care. Most of the nation saw the former president for the last time at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral last year.
On Monday, the Carter family also accepted an invitation by Congress for Carter to lie in state in the US Capitol.
Congress extended the invitation to the late former president’s family “in recognition of his long and distinguished service to the nation”, the Carter Center said in a statement posted on X.
The invitation was “respectfully and gratefully accepted”, the statement said.
Flags were flying at half-staff on federal buildings and grounds across the US in tribute to Carter on Monday, and they will continue to do so for the next 30 days.
It’s tradition after deaths of acting presidents or former presidents for the US government to order American flags to fly at half-staff, or half-mast, on all federal buildings, grounds and naval vessels, across the US and its territories worldwide.
The tradition is carried out for 30 days, which means flags will be at half-staff when Donald Trump is inaugurated in Washington DC on 20 January.
Joe Biden gave a short public address paying tribute to Carter, with both official praise and personal anecdotes.
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“It’s a sad day but it brings back an incredible amount of good memories”, Biden said.
“Today, America – and the world, in my view – lost a remarkable leader. He was a statesman and a humanitarian and Jill [first lady Jill Biden] and I have lost a dear friend.”
Biden said that Carter told him in the past that he was the first official figure to endorse Carter for the presidency in 1976. Biden was the Democratic US senator for Delaware at the time.
Biden said it “dawned on him” that he and Carter “have been hanging out for 50 years” and he recalled that Carter used to tease him affectionately.
Biden has issued an executive order directing the closure of US government agencies and executive departments on 9 January. US stock exchanges will be closed as well.
