Death of Jimmy Carter: The remains of the former American president arrived in Washington

The remains of former US President Jimmy Carter arrived at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, where they will remain until his state funeral scheduled for Thursday.

Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29 at the age of 100, was President of the United States from 1977 to 1981.

He leaves, internationally, the image of a peacemaker whose humanitarian commitment after his only mandate was crowned by a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. When his death was announced, tributes poured in from around the world. entire.

A funeral procession to the Capitol

The body of the former president, a native of Georgia (south), was transported Tuesday from Atlanta to Andrews Air Force Base, located near the American capital.

In honor of Jimmy Carter’s military service aboard submarines, his remains were then transported to the United States Navy Memorial, where they were transferred to a horse-drawn cart for a funeral procession to the Capitol, the seat of Congress.

Pennsylvania Avenue, the road leading to the Capitol, had previously been cleared of snow that fell during a winter storm, which closed federal offices and schools.

The 13th former US president to be laid to rest at the Capitol

Soldiers then carried the coffin draped in an American flag to the Capitol rotunda where the remains will rest, surrounded by an honor guard, until 7:00 a.m. local time on Thursday.

Jimmy Carter will be the 13th former US president to be buried at the Capitol. Abraham Lincoln, assassinated in 1865, was the first.

The state funeral will take place Thursday at the National Cathedral, an Episcopal church in Washington that also hosted those of former presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George HW Bush.

A day of national mourning

Current President Joe Biden will deliver the eulogy for the former Democratic head of state. The four living former U.S. presidents – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump – are all expected to attend.

Joe Biden decreed that Thursday would be a day of national mourning and that federal administrations would be closed.

He also ordered flags to be flown at half-mast for 30 days, as is customary, meaning they will still be at half-mast for Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, something the Republican criticized.

The first president to pass the age of 100, Carter died in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. He will be buried alongside his late wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

“Latest news”

Want to stay on top of the news? “Tribune de Genève” offers you two meetings per day, directly in your email box. So you don’t miss anything that’s happening in your canton, in Switzerland or around the world.

Other newsletters

Log in

Did you find an error? Please report it to us.

0 comments