Politics
How many people are expected to attend Jimmy Carter’s funeral in Washington DC?
Carter’s remains will lie in state until Thursday, when he will be taken to the National Cathedral for a funeral ceremony to be attended by thousands.
People from across the nation have been making the journey to Washington DC to pay their respects to former President Jimmy Carter who passed away on December 29 at age 100. His remains will lie in state at the US Capitol Rotunda until Thursday, January 9, when he will be taken to the Washington National Cathedral for a state funeral ceremony.
The memorial service is not open to the general public “due to security concerns and the large number of expected guests and dignitaries” but can be watched via livestream. The state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral is scheduled to get under way at 10 am ET.
Carter’s funeral to be attended by thousands
An estimated 3,000 people will attend Carter’s funeral on Thursday including foreign dignitaries, politicians from both sides of the aisle and all five living US presidents. The Washington National Cathedral is no stranger to large events having hosted state funerals for Presidents Dwight D Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George HW Bush as well as seven presidential memorial services.
Twice a year, state funeral rehearsals are performed at the cathedral according to Kevin Eckstrom, the chief public affairs officer for the institution, who says that it is fully equipped to host such large services. “All of our energy is working towards getting, making sure that this comes together and giving President Carter the sendoff that he deserves,” he said.
After the ceremony at the Washington National Cathedral, Carter’s remains will be flown back to Carter’s home state of Georgia. A private funeral service will be held at Maranatha Baptist Church where the Carter family attended services regularly and the former president taught Sunday school lessons. Finally, the 39th US president will be buried at the Carter residence in Plains next to his wife Rosalynn who passed away in 2023.
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