Former President Jimmy Carter’s casket arrived in Washington on Tuesday as U.S. officials pay their final respects before he is laid to rest in Georgia.
The 39th president died at his home in Plains on December 29 at the age of 100.
Carter’s flag-draped casket arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday afternoon, where it was moved to a hearse by a military cordon during an arrival ceremony.
His casket was then carried to a horse-drawn caisson during a procession at the U.S. Navy Memorial as members of the Carter family accompanied Carter’s body on its final journey to the U.S. Capitol.
People stood along snow-covered 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 remain in the Capitol Rotunda until the state funeral at the National Cathedral on Thursday, January 9.
Former President Jimmy Carter’s flag-draped casket arrives at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7, where it will remain at the state funeral until Thursday.
Members of Congress, Cabinet secretaries, Supreme Court justices and other U.S. officials attended to pay their respects to Carter and greet members of his family at the U.S. Capitol.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff presented a wreath on behalf of the Executive Branch during the state ceremony where the vice president also delivered a speech.
Harris said Carter’s works will be echoed by generations to come and said he lived every day of his long life serving the people.
He recalled being in high school when Carter was elected president and how his own mother admired him for his strength of character, honesty, integrity and work ethic.
Harris highlighted Carter’s work as president to protect the environment and appoint black Americans and women to federal offices. He said his legacy of global leadership is “well established” despite the crisis he faced.
The US Army caisson detachment carries Carter’s casket as people watch from the snowy streets of Washington, DC, on January 7.
The flag-draped casket heads toward Capitol Hill on Constitution Avenue.
Former President Carter’s casket ascends the steps of the US Capitol
Former President Carter’s casket lies in state at a ceremony at the United States Capitol on January 7.
An overhead view of former President Carter’s casket as it is carried into the Capitol Rotunda on January 7.
Former President Jimmy Carter’s daughter, Amy Carter, at the United States Capitol as her father lies in state in the Rotunda.
Members of the Carter family, including the former president’s son, James ‘Chip’ Carter, and his wife Becky, during the memorial service at the US Capitol on January 7.
“Jimmy Carter was a forward-thinking president,” Harris said. He mentioned the creation of the Department of Energy, the Department of Education and FEMA during his tenure.
“Jimmy Carter was that rare example of a talented man who also walked with humility, modesty and grace,” he said.
The vice president also praised his post-presidential work as a ‘new model of 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 constant advocacy in the more than forty years that he lived after leaving office.
He praised the former president for maintaining “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 more about him than any tribute we can offer. May his life be a lesson for all time and a beacon for the future,” Harris said.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff pay their respects to former President Jimmy Carter in the Capitol Rotunda.
Vice President Harris praised Carter during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol as a “very rare example of a talented man who also walks with humility, modesty and grace” and recalled how her mother looked up to him when he was elected.
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 human beings are truly remarkable,” Johnson said.
“Whether he was in the White House or in his post-presidential years, as discussed, President Carter was willing to roll up his sleeves to serve and get the job done,” he added.
Johnson said Carter leaves a lasting legacy not only in the United States but in the world.
Thune (R.S.D.) praised Carter for his long post-presidency period in which he focused on improving the lives of Americans, including his work for Habitat for Humanity.
“Jimmy Carter did his best to live up to the calling of his lord and savior,” he said.
The public will be able to pay their respects in the Capitol Rotunda before Carter’s casket is moved to the National Cathedral on Thursday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke during the ceremony honoring former President Jimmy Carter in the Capitol Rotunda on January 7. Along with others, he praised Carter for his post-presidency work.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer present a wreath during the ceremony honoring former President Carter.
Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Elena Kagan, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Browser, at the ceremony honoring the Former President Carter at the United States Capitol.
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 attend, as is customary for former presidents, the state funerals of other American presidents.
Before the final trip to Washington, Carter had been resting at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, where visitors could stop by to say their final goodbyes.
More than 23,000 mourners paid their respects to the former president in Georgia, according to the Carter Center.
Former President Jimmy Carter’s casket arrives at Joint Base Andrews on January 7.
Former President Carter’s casket was carried to a horse-drawn caisson at the U.S. Navy Memorial before arriving at the U.S. Capitol.
People watch as former President Jimmy Carter’s casket passes through Washington to the US Capitol on January 7.
After Thursday’s state funeral, 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 on the family’s peanut farm in Plains.
The president and Rosalynn Carter were married for 77 years until the former first lady passed away in November 2023.