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The Georgia Democrat and 39th president died Dec. 29 at the age
of 100.
Carter served as president from 1977-81, winning office as an
outsider in the wake of the Vietnam War and Watergate. He
endured a rocky four years of economic unrest and international
crises that ended with his defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan.
But he also lived long enough to see historians reassess his
presidency more charitably than voters did in 1980.
He was remembered Tuesday at the Capitol for his deep religious
faith, long public service and decades of humanitarian work
beyond what he accomplished in politics.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker Mike Johnson were among
those who offered bipartisan tributes to Carter in the Capitol
Rotunda, where his flag-draped casket remains atop the Lincoln
catafalque for members of the public to pay their respects.
Carter will remain at the Capitol until Thursday morning, when
he is transported to Washington National Cathedral for a state
funeral. President Joe Biden, a longtime Carter ally, will
deliver a eulogy. Other living former presidents, including
President-elect Donald Trump, are expected to attend.
After the funeral, the Boeing 747 that is Air Force One when a
sitting president is aboard will carry Carter and his family
back to Georgia. An invitation-only funeral will be held at
Maranatha Baptist Church in tiny Plains, where Carter taught
Sunday School for decades after leaving office.
Carter will be buried next to his wife, former first lady
Rosalynn Carter, in a plot near the home they built before his
first state Senate campaign in 1962 and where they lived out
their lives with the exception of four years in the Georgia
Governor's Mansion and four years in the White House.
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