It was in his native state of Georgia that Americans began Saturday to pay tribute to former Democratic President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29 at the age of 100. The tribute will culminate on January 9 in Washington.
Carried by agents of the Secret Service, responsible for the protection of political figures, the coffin with the remains of the man who led the United States from 1977 to 1981, first crisscrossed Plains, his small hometown where he was if attached.
Many of them gathered along the streets, waving small American flags, to pay a final tribute to the country’s child.
In front of the family farm where he grew up, the bell rang 39 times, in tribute to the 39th President of the United States. Then head to Atlanta, capital of Georgia, with a moment of contemplation in front of the capitol of this southeastern state, where he was a local senator before becoming governor.
Then the hearse stopped at the Carter Center, the foundation created in 1982 by the former president and his wife Rosalynn Carter, who died in 2023 at age 96. His commitment to this foundation, specializing in conflict prevention, the defense of democracy and public health issues around the world, earned him a warm tribute from the head of the World Health Organization.
From 7 p.m. Saturday (3 a.m. Sunday in Paris) to Tuesday, Americans are invited to pay their respects before the remains of the former president.
