Jimmy Carter funeral: Former president's viewing arrangements, planning underway

WASHINGTON – Citizens across the globe praised former President Jimmy Carter as family members prepared for a memorial journey from Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta and Washington, D.C., before returning for burial at his home in south Georgia.

According to the Carter Center, public memorial observances will take place in Atlanta and Washington for the 39th president of the United States, who died Sunday at 100. In a statement honoring Carter, President Joe Biden said he'd order an official state funeral in the nation's capital for the longest-living former president and the only one to reach the century milestone. The president also declared Jan. 9 a national day of mourning.

Final arrangements for the state funeral are pending, the Carter Center said, adding that a formal schedule would come from the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region. Members of the public were encouraged to visit the official Jimmy Carter tribute website, which includes an online condolence book and other materials commemorating the former president's life.

Jimmy Carter dies at 100: Trump, Biden, Obama all honor the 39th president's legacy

Carter has long said he would be buried in Plains, Georgia. Former first lady Rosalynn Carter was buried in their shared hometown after her death in 2023. The burial site will be part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park.

The veteran has requested that the Navy hymn be played at his funeral, which is also expected to include his favorite hymns, including "Amazing Grace" and "Blest Be the Tie That Binds."

Plans for presidential funerals are drawn up years in advance, with the cooperation of military officials in Washington.

Carter himself approved plans for a public viewing at the Carter Center, the headquarters for his post-presidential work across the world, from promoting economic projects to election observing. Carter also served a term as Georgia's governor in the early 1970s. He was elected president in 1976.

A state funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington is expected. Twelve presidents have also lain in state in the U.S. Capitol: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, Warren Harding, William Howard Taft, John Kennedy, Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush.

The cathedral has hosted four state funerals – for Eisenhower, Reagan, Ford and Bush – and one official burial service for President Woodrow Wilson.

Carter served only one term in the White House, four years beset with economic problems like inflation at home and multiple challenges abroad. Ronald Reagan defeated Carter in the 1980 election, a year after Islamic radicals in Iran seized American hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

Some historians said time has proven the worth of many of Carter's achievements, including the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, programs to develop alternative energy sources, the Panama Canal treaties, and the promotion of human rights on foreign policy.

Carter's legacy includes his work after his presidency, from helping build homes as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity project to acting as an election observer in numerous countries.

Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jimmy Carter funeral: Former president's viewing arrangements, plans