Jimmy Carter: Back to the peanut farm at the end

He was considered down-to-earth, biblical and peace-loving: On December 29, 2024, former US President Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100 in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. , honoring Carter. His last journey takes him from Georgia to Washington and back. Numerous successors pay their last respects to him – including Donald Trump.

On January 9th, Carter will find his final resting place in Plains next to his wife Rosalynn, who died in 2023 at the age of 96. A multi-day mourning protocol is previously planned, the most important stages of which have now been announced. Funeral ceremonies and events for Carter will begin on January 4th and conclude with his burial on January 9th. The starting and ending point of mourning for the man who led the USA as president from 1977 to 1981 is his home town of Plains, which has a population of around 500.

On January 4th, a motorcade rolled through Carter’s home community of Plains to stop at his parents’ house. The doorbell is said to ring 39 times as a sign that Carter was the 39th President of the USA. The mourning convoy then continues to Atlanta and stops for a minute’s silence at the magnificent State Capitol, the seat of government in Georgia. Carter’s casket will be laid in state at Carter’s memorial, the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, until the morning of January 7th. A public service takes place there. Mourners can sign a condolence list.

On the morning of January 7th, Carter made his final flight to Washington. From the US Navy Memorial there is a horse-drawn procession to his former place of government, the Capitol. From there, Carter once negotiated the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, which was sealed with the Camp David Accords in 1978. For this he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter’s remains lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. Mourners will have until the morning of January 9th to say goodbye to Carter.

Numerous successors and companions of Carter have announced themselves at the official funeral service on January 9th (9:15 a.m. local time). The current US President Joe Biden (82) gives the funeral speech in the National Cathedral in Washington. Carter asked Biden to do this in March. In addition to First Lady Jill Biden (73), Barack Obama (63), Hillary (77) and Bill Clinton (78) are expected. And President-elect Donald Trump (78), who is still absent from Rosalynn Carter’s funeral in 2023, has also confirmed his participation.

On January 9th, US federal authorities will be closed for a day of mourning, as will financial markets, including the New York Stock Exchange. U.S. flags will fly at half-mast on all federal buildings for 30 days. After the service in Washington, the coffin will be transported back to Georgia. Jimmy Carter’s 100-year, eventful journey ends in the late afternoon of January 9th. He will then be buried with his family at the local cemetery.