What is open, closed on January 9?

On January 9, 2025By Littum

New York Connect Team
| The USA Today Network

Following the death of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, on December 29, President Joe Biden declared Thursday, January 9, a national day of mourning to honor his legacy.

While January 9 will serve as a holiday for most federal employees, it is not considered a national holiday. Businesses and non-federal workplaces are not required to close.

Here’s what you need to know.

Are banks open on 9 January 2025?

Yes, banks will remain open as the National Day of Mourning is not classified as a federal holiday for private institutions.

Are post offices open on 9 January 2025?

No, the post offices will be closed and there will be no mail delivery on January 9.

What else is closed on 9 January 2025?

Stock markets: US stock exchanges will be closed.
Federal Courts and Archives: These institutions will not be operational.

Jimmy Carter died at 100 years old

Jimmy Carterthe serious peanut farmer from Georgia, who as US president struggled with a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis but brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday, December 29 2024. He was 100.

“My father was a hero, not only to me, but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and selfless love,” said Chip Carter, the former president’s son. “My brothers, sister and I shared him with the rest of the world through these shared beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live by these shared beliefs.”

Carter, a Democrat, served as president from January 1977 to January 1981 after defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford in the 1976 US election. Carter was swept from office four years later in a landslide when voters embraced Republican challenger Ronald Reagan, the former actor and governor of California. Carter lived longer in office than any other US president. Along the way, he built up a reputation as a better former president than he was president – a status he readily acknowledged.

His one term as president was marked by the highlights of the 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, which brought some stability to the Middle East. But it was dogged by an economy in recession, lingering unpopularity and the embarrassment of the Iran hostage crisis that consumed his last 444 days in office.

In recent years, Carter had experienced several health problems, including melanoma that spread to his liver and brain. Carter decided to receive hospice care in February 2023 rather than undergo further medical intervention. His wife, Rosalynn Carterdied on 19 November 2023 at the age of 96. He looked fragile when he attended her memorial service and funeral in a wheelchair.

Carter left office deeply unpopular, but worked energetically for decades on humanitarian causes. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 in recognition of his “tireless efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to promote democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

Carter had been a centrist as governor of Georgia with populist leanings when he moved into the White House as the 39th US president. He was an outsider in Washington at a time when America was still reeling from the Watergate scandal that forced Republican Richard Nixon to resign as president in 1974 and elevated Ford from vice president.

“I’m Jimmy Carter and I’m running for president. I’ll never lie to you,” Carter promised with an ear-to-ear smile.

Asked to assess his presidency, Carter said in a 1991 documentary: “The biggest failure we had was a political failure. I was never able to convince the American people that I was a forceful and strong leader.”

Despite his difficulties in office, Carter had few rivals for achievements as a former president. He achieved global recognition as a tireless champion of human rights, a voice for the disenfranchised and a leader in the fight against hunger and poverty, winning the respect that eluded him in the White House.

Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts to promote human rights and resolve conflicts around the world, from Ethiopia and Eritrea to Bosnia and Haiti. His Carter Center in Atlanta sent international election monitoring delegations to polls around the world.

A Southern Baptist Sunday school teacher since his teens, Carter brought a strong sense of morality to the presidency, speaking openly about his religious beliefs. He also sought to take some pomp out of an increasingly imperial presidency – walking rather than riding in a limousine in his 1977 inauguration parade.

The Middle East was at the center of Carter’s foreign policy. The 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, based on the 1978 Camp David Accords, ended a state of war between the two neighbors.

Carter brought Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland for talks. Later, when the deals appeared to be unraveling, Carter saved the day by flying to Cairo and Jerusalem for personal shuttle diplomacy.

The treaty included Israeli withdrawal from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and the establishment of diplomatic relations. Begin and Sadat each won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.

In the 1980 election, the overriding issues were double-digit inflation, interest rates exceeding 20% and skyrocketing gas prices, as well as the Iran hostage crisis that brought humiliation to America. These issues marred Carter’s presidency and undermined his chances of winning a second term.

Contributor: USA Today Network, Reuters