former President Jimmy Carter The body was transported to the District of Columbia on Tuesday afternoon and will be buried at the U.S. Capitol before a state funeral scheduled for Thursday at Washington National Cathedral.
Carter died on Sunday, December 29, at the age of 100. His death came just over a year after the death of his wife, Rosalynn Carter, at the age of 77.
Carter's ceremonial arrival at the US Capitol came after the start of a six-day funeral service that began Saturday morning in the 39th president's hometown of Plains, Georgia.
Carter's casket was greeted at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, D.C., on Tuesday by a US Air Force band that played “Abide with Me.” From Andrews, a hearse transported Carter's casket to the U.S. Navy Memorial for a short ceremony. Carter, a Naval Academy graduate, served as a submarine officer before leaving the Navy to take over his family's farm.
At the Navy Memorial, the casket was transferred to a horse-drawn submarine for a procession up Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S. Capitol.
Vice President Harris delivered a memorial address at the Capitol lie-in and was joined by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff in presenting a memorial wreath on behalf of the executive branch of government.
The US Capitol ceremony on Tuesday included statements from House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Los Angeles, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, representing both houses of Congress.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a memorial service for former President Jimmy Carter in the Rotunda of the US Capitol. (Jack Gruber/USA Today)
Johnson praised Carter in his speech as an “extraordinary man” and praised his service in the military and his work for charitable causes such as Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center, which the first couple founded in 1982.
“I remember his admonition to quote: 'We live our lives as if.' Christ was coming “This afternoon,” Johnson commented on Tuesday. Of his astonishing personal reflection, “If I had one life and one chance I would make it count for something.”
“We all agree that he certainly did,” he concluded. “So today, in these hallowed halls of our republic, we honor President Carter, his family, and the lasting legacy he leaves not only for this nation but for the world,” he added.
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Former President Jimmy Carter (Emma Woodhead/Fox News Digital)
Johnson announced last month that Carter would be laid to rest in a letter to Carter's second eldest son, James Carter III.
“In recognition of President Carter's long and distinguished service to the nation, we intend to ask U.S House of Representatives “And the US Senate to allow his remains to remain in the rotunda of the US Capitol,” the leaders wrote.
Besides Carter, only 12 presidents rest in the Capitol Rotunda, the use of which requires approval by the House and Senate. The last president to lie in state in the state was George H.W. Bush in December 2018. Since 1865, nearly all services held in the Capitol Rotunda have used the casket, which was constructed in 1865 to display President Lincoln's casket.
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Members of the public can view Carter's coffin from early Wednesday until early Thursday, when his state funeral will be held at the Washington National Cathedral.
The former president will be honored and remembered during several days of funeral services before returning to his hometown for a private funeral service and burial. He will be buried by his wife.
