Jimmy Carter’s coffin arrives in Washington for his last goodbye

Jimmy Carter’s casket was brought to Washington on Tuesday for officials to pay their final respects before his burial in Georgia.

The 39th president passed away at his home in Plains on December 29 at the age of 100. 

The flag-draped casket arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and was transferred to a hearse during a military cordon ceremony.

Next, the casket was moved to a horse-drawn caisson in a procession at the U.S. Navy Memorial, with Carter’s family members accompanying his body on the journey to the U.S. Capitol.

People stood along the snow-lined streets to watch the emotional procession as the casket made its way through Washington. Some mourners held signs expressing their love for the late president. 

Carter’s body will lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda until a state funeral at the National Cathedral on Thursday, January 9. 

Members of Congress, Cabinet secretaries, Supreme Court justices and other U.S. officials were all in attendance to pay their respects to Carter and greet members of his family at the U.S. Capitol. 

Vice President Kamala Harris and the Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff presented a wreath on behalf of the Executive Branch during the state ceremony where the vice president also delivered remarks. 

Harris said Carter’s works will echo for generations to come and said he lived every day of his long life in service to the people. 

She recalled being in middle school when Carter was elected president and how her own mother admired him for his strength of character, honest, integrity and work ethic. 

Harris noted Carter’s work as president to protect the environment and appoint black Americans and women to the federal bench. She said his legacy of global leadership is ‘well-established’ despite the crisis he faced.

‘Jimmy Carter was a forward looking president with a vision for the future,’ Harris said. She mentioned the creation of the Energy Department, Education Department and FEMA during his time in office.

‘Jimmy Carter was that all too rare example of a gifted man who also walks with humility, modesty and grace,’ she said. 

The vice president also praised his work post-presidency as a ‘new model for what it means to be a former president’ and said he leaves ‘an extraordinary post-presidential legacy’ with the creation of the Carter Center, his work in public health and his ongoing advocacy in the more than forty years he lived after he left office. 

She praised the former president for retaining a ‘fundamental decency’ throughout his life, loving his country and leaving the world better than he found it. 

‘Jimmy Carter’s work and those works speak for him louder than any tribute we can offer. May his life be a lesson for the ages and a beacon for the future,’ Harris said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as well as Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also presented wreaths during the ceremony. 

Johnson (R-La.) called Carter an ‘extraordinary man, a man who modeled the virtues of service and citizenship as well as any other American.’

‘President Carter’s life, his selfless service, his fight against cancer, and his lasting contributions to his fellow man are all truly remarkable,’ Johnson said. 

‘Whether he was in the White House or in his post presidential years as was discussed, President Carter was willing to roll up his own sleeves to serve and get the job done,’ he added. 

Johnson said Carter leaves an enduring legacy not just in the U.S. but the world. 

Thune (R-S.D.) praised Carter for his long post-presidency where he focusing on making the lives of Americans better including his work for Habitat for Humanity.

‘Jimmy Carter did his very best to live according to the calling of his lord and savior,’ he said.  

Members of the public will be able to pay their respects at the Capitol Rotunda before Carter’s casket is transferred to the National Cathedral on Thursday. 

The state funeral will take place on January 9 where President Biden will deliver the eulogy along with others. 

President-elect Donald Trump said he would be in attendance as is custom for former presidents to attend the state funerals of other U.S. presidents. 

Before the final trip to Washington, Carter had been lying in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta where visitors could stop by to give their final farewells.

More than 23,000 mourners paid their respects to the former president in Georgia, according to the Carter Center. 

After the state funeral on Thursday, Carter’s body will be flown back to Georgia for a final private service. 

Carter will be buried next to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter at the family’s peanut farm in Plains. 

President and Rosalynn Carter were married for 77 years until the former first lady passed away in November 2023.