Jimmy Carter’s State Funeral Is Underway: Key Information to Know

ATLANTA— The six-day funeral observances for former President Jimmy Carter commenced on Saturday in Georgia, following his passing on December 29 at the age of 100.

The initial events highlighted Carter’s journey from the small town of Plains, Georgia, to his significant role on the global stage as a humanitarian and advocate for democracy.

Here’s what you need to know about the first ceremonies and the upcoming events:

The Beginning Celebrates Carter’s Deep Roots in Rural South Georgia

The ceremonies began at 10:15 a.m. EST on Saturday with the arrival of the Carter family at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus.

Former Secret Service agents who provided protection for Carter acted as pallbearers, accompanying the hearse as it departed the campus en route to Plains.

James Earl Carter Jr. spent over 80 years of his life in and around the small town, which has a population of under 700, only slightly more than when he was born on October 1, 1924. Although other modern presidents—such as Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton—also grew up in small towns, Carter is distinguished for choosing to return and remain in his birthplace throughout his extensive post-presidential life.

The motorcade traveled through downtown Plains, which covers only a few blocks, passing near the childhood home of first lady Rosalynn Smith Carter, who passed away in November 2023 at the age of 96, and close to where the couple ran their family peanut warehouses. The route also included the old train depot that served as the headquarters for Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign and the gas station once operated by his younger brother Billy.

The motorcade also passed by the Methodist church where the Carters wed in 1946 and the home where they both lived and passed away. The former president will be interred there alongside Rosalynn.

The couple built the one-story house, currently surrounded by Secret Service fencing, prior to Carter’s first state Senate campaign in 1962, and lived there for the majority of their lives, aside from four years in the Governor’s Mansion and another four in the White House.

A Visit to Carter’s Boyhood Home—A Fusion of Privilege and Hard Work

After departing Plains, the procession paused in front of Carter’s family farm and childhood home in Archery, just outside town, after passing the cemetery where his parents, James Earl Carter Sr. and Lillian Carter, are laid to rest.

The farm is now part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park. To honor the 39th president, the National Park Service rang the old farm bell 39 times.

Carter was notably the first president born in a hospital; however, his home lacked electricity and running water at the time of his birth, and he worked his father’s land during the Great Depression. Nevertheless, the Carters enjoyed a degree of privilege and status. Earl employed tenant farming families and owned a store in Plains, while Lillian was a nurse and delivered Rosalynn. The property still features a tennis court that Earl had constructed for the family.

It was Earl’s death in 1953 that redirected Jimmy towards his eventual path to the Oval Office. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, the younger Carters moved away from Plains. However, Jimmy left a promising career as a submarine officer and an early participant in the Pentagon’s nuclear program to take over the family peanut business following his father’s passing. Within a decade, he was elected to the Georgia state Senate.

Lying in Repose in Atlanta, A Place Where Carter Was a Politician and Global Leader

Following Archery, the motorcade proceeded north towards Atlanta. The military-run motorcade stopped at the Georgia Capitol, where Carter served as a state senator from 1963 to 1967 and as governor from 1971 to 1975. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens led a moment of silence. Although former governors typically receive state-run funerals, presidents—even those who formerly served as governors—are honored through national rites organized by the federal government.

The motorcade then made its way to the Carter Presidential Center, which houses Carter’s presidential library and The Carter Center, established by the former president and first lady in 1982. Carter’s son, James Earl “Chip” Carter III, and grandson Jason Carter addressed an assembly that included many employees of The Carter Center, whose ongoing efforts focus on international diplomacy, election monitoring, and combating disease in developing nations, establishing a high standard for what former presidents can achieve.

Jimmy Carter, who continued to deliver the center’s annual reports until 2019, was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize in part for his work after leaving the presidency.

Carter was set to lie in repose from 7 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Tuesday, allowing the public to pay their respects around the clock.

What’s Next: A Return to Washington

Next, Carter’s remains will be transferred to Washington, D.C., where he will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda until his funeral at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral. All living presidents have been invited to attend, and President Joe Biden, a close ally of Carter, will deliver a eulogy. Biden also signed a bill to name a U.S. Postal Service facility in Plains in honor of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.

Afterward, the Carter family will return to bury their patriarch in Plains following a private funeral service at 3:45 p.m. at Maranatha Baptist Church, where Carter taught Sunday School for decades, as a devout evangelical.

Following this, Carter will be laid to rest during a private graveside service, in a plot that is visible from the front porch of his home.