Former president Jimmy Carter remembered humility, righteousness at the state funeral
Jimmy Carter, the tumultuous US president of the late 1970s, was remembered during his state funeral on Thursday as a man who put honesty and kindness above politics.
Fellow Democratic President Joe Biden delivered a eulogy for the 39th president, who died on December 29 at the age of 100. 1976 campaign
Hundreds of mourners, including all five living current and former US presidents, packed the Washington National Cathedral. As the sombre ceremony began again in a bitterly cold wind, Carter’s flag-draped coffin was carried up the steps of the cathedral by a military guard after its journey from the Capitol, where his body had lain for two days.
Other world leaders and foreign dignitaries were in attendance, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The late president Gerald Ford, in a memorial written for Jimmy Carter’s funeral, said ‘we both got married in a way that was more than us.’ These words were read by Ford’s son, Steven.
‘He shares the world with me’
Tens of thousands of Americans over the past two days have lined the Rotunda of the US Capitol to honor Carter, who served from 1977 to 1981, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his humanitarian work.
The funeral began as Joshua Carter remembered his grandfather as inspired by his Christian faith.
Later, grandson Jason Carter praised his grandfather’s achievements in office and in his presidency, paying particular attention to the Carter Center’s efforts that almost eradicated the guinea worm disease worldwide, which affected millions.
But he also shared more personal memories.
“He shared the world with me: The power of the atom. The beauty and complexity of the south Georgia forest,” said the former Georgia state attorney. “When we fished, he celebrated the majesty of everything from the smallest stone to the water. And he shared this love with my boys.”
Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young, who was a pastor at Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, remembered Carter for his “strong mind and soft heart” who grew up in Little Plains, Ga., in the racially mixed Sumter County.
Young was among the speakers who recalled the diversity of Carter’s life — in addition to the president being a peanut farmer and a trained nuclear scientist — and his dedication to upholding minority rights.
“I don’t stop being surprised, I don’t stop being enlightened, I don’t stop being inspired by the small acts of love and mercy that he shared with us every day of his life.”
Carter lived longer than any other US president and had been in hospice care for nearly two years before his death. His last public appearance was at the funeral of his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023. At that service, Carter used a wheelchair and appeared frail.
After the state funeral, Carter’s remains will be returned to his hometown of Plains, Ga., where he lived for his 44 years after the White House and formed the base for his diplomatic work and philanthropic efforts, including Habitat for Humanity.
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