Jimmy Carter receives state funeral in Washington DC before burial in Georgia | Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter’s six-day farewell to the nation culminates Thursday when the 39th president receives a state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral before returning to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to be buried next to his wife, Rosalynn.

The service marks the end of Carter’s lie in state at the US Capitol, where Vice President Kamala Harris yesterday led tributes to a president whose legacy of humanitarian work and diplomatic achievements extended far beyond his single term in office.

“He lived his faith, he served the people, and he left the world better than he found it,” Harris said in a eulogy that highlighted Carter’s establishment of key federal agencies and diplomatic initiatives, including the Camp David accords.

The procession for America’s longest-living president will be attended by all five living presidents, including President-elect Donald Trump.

After the cathedral service, Carter’s remains will make their final journey back to Plains, the small Georgia town where his century-long life began and ended. An invitational funeral at Maranatha Baptist Church, where Carter taught Sunday school well into his 90s, will precede his burial with Rosalynn, his wife of 77 years.

In life, Carter eschewed the traditional elder statesman role in favor of practical humanitarian work, including through Habitat for Humanity and his campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease. He authored over 30 books on politics, faith and poetry, helped negotiate a nuclear standoff with North Korea in 1994 through H4H, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Praise for Carter’s character and service came from both sides of the aisle. House Speaker Mike Johnson described him Wednesday as having “modeled the virtues of service and citizenship as well as any other American.”

Carter will return to Plains, his hometown, on Thursday, where former Secret Service agents will serve as pallbearers and the National Park Service plans to ring the old farm bell 39 times in tribute.

The former president died at his home on December 29, aged 100, after spending his final months in hospice surrounded by family. His passing came just over a year after Rosalynn’s, who died in November 2023 at the age of 96.