Former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at 100, is expected to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in January, Fox News has learned.
Though the specific dates have not yet been released, President Biden said in a White House statement Sunday night that Carter’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral is scheduled for Jan. 9, deeming the day a National Day of Mourning.
“I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance,” the president said.
Biden also ordered that all American flags fly at half-staff for the next 30 days.
JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100
Former President Jimmy Carter discusses his cancer diagnosis during a press conference at the Carter Center on Aug. 20, 2015, in Atlanta. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
The 39th president is expected to lie in state in both the Georgia State Capitol and the U.S. Capitol before the state funeral in Washington, D.C., The New York Times reported.
Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was the most recent statesman to lie in state in January 2022. Twelve U.S. presidents have lain in state, beginning with former President Abraham Lincoln and most recently with former President George H.W. Bush, who died in November 2018.
LIVING US PRESIDENTS REACT TO DEATH OF FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER
Multiple observances of Carter’s death are expected in coming days in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C., the Carter Center said.
“The final arrangements for President Carter’s state funeral, including all public events and motorcade routes, are still pending,” the center noted.
The former president will be interred privately in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to which he returned after serving as president from 1977 to 1981. His death came after years of health problems, including cancer that spread to his liver and brain. He entered hospice care in February 2023.
Carter outlived his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, who died in November 2023 at the age of 96. His death inspired an outpouring of sympathy from both sides of the political aisle, with President-elect Trump writing that Americans “owe [Carter] a debt of gratitude.”
JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER’S HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LEGACY WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS
Carter served two terms as a Georgia state senator from 1963 to 1967, one term as governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975 and one term as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. (Archive Photos)
“Those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans.”
In a statement released on Sunday, the late president’s son, Chip Carter, called his father a “hero.”
“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” the statement read. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs.”
“The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”
Former President Jimmy Carter speaks to the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church before teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Ga., on April 28, 2019. (Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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More information about the funeral and ceremony plans for Carter is expected to emerge in the coming days.