Politics
How long and where will President Jimmy Carter lie in state?
Former presidents are entitled to a state funeral involving a procession down Pennsylvania Avenue and a service at Washington National Cathedral.
President Jimmy Carter, whose tenure in the White House lasted from 1977 to 1981, passed away on Sunday, December 29 at one hundred years old, making him the longest-living US president. The previous record had been set by George HW Bush, who passed away at ninety-four in December 2018.
The country mourns the loss of the Georgia Democrat, who, since leaving Washington, continued his public service through the Carter Center.
As a former President of the United States, Carter is entitled to a state funeral. Historically, that has tended to last five days, involving a procession down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., lying in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda and a service at Washington National Cathedral.
At present, however, there hasn’t been any confirmation as to whether that will actually take place.
Who will attend the funeral of President Carter?
Aside from friends and family, it is customary that all living presidents attend the state funeral for a former Commander in Chief.
President Biden was serving in the US Senate during the Carter administration, and the two have shared a close relationship since their shared time in Washington. When the Carter Center announced that President Carter would begin to receive palliative care, the president and the first lady sent a message of support. Shortly after President Biden confirmed that Carter had asked him to deliver his eulogy.
When George HW Bush passed away in 2018, his funeral was attended by then-President Trump, as well as Barack and Michelle Obama, George and Laura Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
Due to President Carter’s incredible longevity, he has outlived many members of his cabinet and political allies. However, as was the case for the funeral of George HW Bush, many of these pillars of US political history will be represented through their children and grandchildren.
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