Return to Washington
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 44 years after Jimmy Carter left the nation’s capital in humbling defeat, the 39th president returns to Washington for three days of state funeral rites starting on Tuesday.
Funeral Rites
Carter’s remains, which have been lying in repose at the Carter Presidential Center since Saturday, will leave the Atlanta campus Tuesday morning, accompanied by his children and extended family. Special Air Mission 39 will depart Dobbins Air Reserve Base north of Atlanta and arrive at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, with a motorcade into Washington and the Capitol, where members of Congress will pay their respects at an afternoon service.
State Funeral
Carter, who died Dec. 29 at the age of 100, will then lie in state Tuesday night and again Wednesday. He then receives a state funeral Thursday at Washington National Cathedral. President Joe Biden will deliver a eulogy.
Unique Symbolism
There will be the familiar rituals that follow a president’s death — the Air Force ride back to the Beltway, a military honor guard carrying a flag-draped casket up the Capitol steps, the Lincoln catafalque in the Rotunda. There also will be symbolism unique to Carter: His hearse will stop at the U.S. Navy Memorial, where his remains will be transferred to a horse-drawn caisson for rest of his trip to the Capitol. The location nods to Carter’s place as the lone U.S. Naval Academy graduate to become commander in chief.
Carter's Legacy
All of the pomp will carry some irony for the Democrat who went from his family peanut warehouse to the Governor’s Mansion and eventually the White House. Carter won the presidency as the smiling Baptist and technocratic engineer who promised to change the ways of Washington. He struggled with the unwritten rules of the town and the elite circles within it.
Legacy of Simplicity
Carter was known for his simplicity and humility. He never used his full name, James Earl Carter Jr., even during his inauguration. He often flouted ceremonial trappings and wanted to keep the Marine Band from playing “Hail to the Chief.”
Memorial
Carter's legacy lives on through his work at The Carter Center, where he and his wife focused on advocacy for democracy, public health, and human rights in the developing world. Despite the challenges he faced during his presidency, Carter's post-presidential work has been widely recognized and appreciated.
Jimmy Carter, State Funeral, Washington, President, Legacy, Funeral Rites
