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Now deceased former President Jimmy Carter is expected to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, a final tribute to a man who was widely regarded as a humanitarian and a statesman.

The nation’s 39th president passed away on Sunday at the age of 100 years old and Washington mourned one of its most cherished icons with President Joe Biden announcing that January 9, 2025, the date of Carter’s funeral, has been deemed as a National Day of Mourning.

“I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance,” Biden said on Sunday.

“Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well,” the outgoing president and First Lady Jill Biden said in a statement.

“With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe,” Mr. and Mrs. Biden added.

A native Georgian, Carter is also expected to lie in state at the Georgia State Capitol, according to the New York Times. Biden has ordered all American flags to be flown at half-staff for 30 days in honor of the former president.

It’s unclear whether Biden will deliver the eulogy at Carter’s funeral. In March 2023 he said that the former president had asked him to do so.

“He asked me to do his eulogy – excuse me, I shouldn’t say that,” Biden told supporters during remarks at a fundraising event in Rancho Santa Fe, California, CNN reported at the time, citing a pool report.

“I spent time with Jimmy Carter, and it’s finally caught up with him. But they found a way to keep him going for a lot longer than they anticipated because they found a breakthrough,” Biden added, likely referring to the former president’s cancer.

Carter’s final years were marked by his deteriorating health, including the cancer which had spread to his liver and brain. The former president entered hospice in February 2023.

Twelve U.S. presidents have lain in state at the Capitol, beginning with Abraham Lincoln in 1865, with the most recent to receive the high honor being former President George H.W. Bush who passed away in November 2018.

“The final arrangements for President Carter’s state funeral, including all public events and motorcade routes, are still pending,” according to the Carter Center.

Chris Donaldson
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