Preview: Exploring the Detailed Plans for Jimmy Carter’s State Funeral and the Aftermath

Jimmy Carter is set to have an official state funeral at the United States Capitol, making him the sixth American president to receive this honor as the nation prepares to pay tribute to its late leader.

Carter has died at the age of 100, almost two years after announcing he would spend his final days in hospice care. 

His son Chip Carter, 74, confirmed the former president had died in his Georgia home on Sunday around 3.40 pm ET.  

In an announcement from the Oval Office on Sunday night, President Biden confirmed that a formal ‘day of mourning’ would take place on January 9, coinciding with Carter’s state funeral.

Is there a state funeral for Jimmy Carter’s death? 

President Biden, in a statement issued Sunday afternoon, revealed that January 9 has been designated as a national day of mourning, with Carter’s state funeral scheduled to be held on the same day.

‘To honor a great American, I will be ordering an official state funeral to be held in Washington D.C. for James Earl Carter, Jr., 39th President of the United States, 76th Governor of Georgia, Lieutenant of the United States Navy, graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and favorite son of Plains, Georgia, who gave his full life in service to God and country,’ Biden said.

Jimmy Carter will become the sixth American president to be given an official state funeral at the United States Capitol as part of the nation’s mourning of its late Commander-in-Chief

Carter’s body will likely lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda starting on or about January 6

A total of 12 presidents and 34 people have lied in state at the Rotunda, the last being late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2022. 

Will there be a day of mourning after Jimmy Carter’s death?

Biden announced on Sunday night that there will be a national day of mourning for Carter on January 9, the same day as the funeral. The day is typically held several days after the president’s death.

Richard Nixon’s took place five days after his death, Gerald Ford’s was a week following his to coincide with his funeral, George H.W. Bush’s was four days after he died and Reagan was six days.  

Carter follows Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush as having such events.

Nixon’s was unique in that, in accordance with the former president’s wishes, none of the elements of the state ceremonies occurred in the nation’s capital but rather at his presidential library in California. 

The sitting president will also command all flags to be at half-mast for 30 days, meaning they will be flying low upon Donald Trump’s inauguration in mid-January. 

Where will Jimmy Carter be buried?  

Presidential funerals traditionally last five days and come in three different stages, with ceremonies held in the president’s home state and then Washington, before concluding where the deceased has chosen to be buried.

Carter has long planned to be buried next to his late wife of 77 years, Rosalyn Carter, at the Plains, Georgia home they shared, according to People News. 

Mourners leave flowers at The Carter Memorial Center in Atlanta

Carter has long planned to be buried next to his late wife of 77 years, Rosalyn Carter, at the Plains, Georgia home they shared

The sitting president and his family are considered in charge of planning the funeral ceremonies. 

The Washington portion of the state funeral occurs at the Washington National Cathedral. 

The funeral usually ends in a procession down Pennsylvania Avenue, where the White House is located. 

Honor guards form a rifle party and fire a three-volley salute over the gravesite, according to Reader’s Digest. 

Then, the body will be sent back to Georgia for the burial. The families of some presidents, including George H.W. Bush in 2018, chose to do so by train so that the people across the country can pay respects. 

When did Jimmy Carter die?

Carter died at the age of 100 on Sunday afternoon at around 3:40pm, his family announced. 

The Democrat former peanut farmer, who served one term in the White House from 1977 to 1981 and dedicated the rest of his life to charity, decided against more medical treatment and entered hospice in February 2023 after a string of hospital stays.

At 100 years old, he was the longest-lived former president in America’s history. 

Carter’s four years as president were blighted by an oil crisis that forced Americans to line up for gas and the Iran hostage situation that stretched into the final moments of his administration before Ronald Reagan took over.

The sitting president will also command all flags to be at half-mast for 30 days, meaning they will be flying low upon Donald Trump’s inauguration in mid-January

The Washington portion of the state funeral occurs at the Washington National Cathedral. Presidents Trump, Obama, Clinton, Carter and Biden are all pictured at George H.W. Bush’s 2018 funeral

But the Navy veteran’s dedication to philanthropy meant he quickly became one of the most beloved figures in American politics.

One of his final public appearances was to celebrate his 100th birthday on October 1, surrounded by family and friends at his Georgia home.

With Carter’s death, there are now only five living presidents – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, now President-elect Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden.

Carter was born on October 1, 1924, with the rarely-used full name James Earl Carter, Jr. and was raised during the Great Depression.

The son of a Georgia peanut farmer, he said that farming, talk of politics, and devotion to the Baptist faith were pillars of his upbringing.

Carter graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1946 and married Rosalynn Smith shortly afterward.

The couple had three sons – John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff) – and a daughter, Amy Lynn. They also had 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Their grandson Jeremy Davis Carter died of a heart attack at the age of 28 in 2015.

Rosalynn passed away Sunday, November 19 at 2:10pm at her home in Plains, Georgia. The former first lady was a passionate champion of mental health, caregiving and women’s rights. 

Carter graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1946 and married Rosalynn Smith shortly afterward. The couple had three sons – John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff) – and a daughter, Amy Lynn

The son of a Georgia peanut farmer, he said that farming, talk of politics, and devotion to the Baptist faith were pillars of his upbringing

A statement from the Carter Center on her death noted: ‘She died peacefully, with family by her side.’

She was honored with a wreath-laying at her namesake medical center in Americus, Georgia, followed by her casket lying in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta.

The next day on November 28, 2023, U.S. leaders and politicians gathered with Jimmy Carter for her funeral at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta, Georgia.

In attendance were President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden and former President and first lady Bill and Hillary Clinton – as well as past first ladies Melania Trump, Michelle Obama and Laura Bush.

On November 29, the Carter family held a more personal funeral service for Rosalynn at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia where former President Carter attended in a wheelchair.

Jimmy Carter served seven years as a Naval Officer before returning to Georgia, where he entered state politics in 1962.

Eight years later, he was elected governor of Georgia.

He launched a bid for the White House in 1974 and built momentum over the next two years.

While president, he established two new cabinet-level departments: the Department of Energy and the Department of Education.

He installed solar panels on the roof of the White House – only for Reagan to take them down.

Both during and after his presidency, he became known as an international human rights champion.