By Andy Sullivan and Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. leaders on Tuesday paid tribute to former President Jimmy Carter — who had the longest and most admired post-presidency in history — as he laid in state at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday ahead of his funeral on Thursday.
Members of Congress and several Supreme Court justices gathered around Carter’s flag-draped coffin under the Capitol dome. Several praised Carter’s actions as the 39th president and the humanitarian work he pursued for decades after leaving office in 1981.
“Jimmy Carter was an all too rare example of a gifted man who also walked with humility, modesty and grace,” said Vice President Kamala Harris, who belongs to the Democratic Party as Carter did.
Republicans John Thune, Senate leader, and Mike Johnson, House of Representatives speaker, also spoke as Carter family members and other lawmakers observed. Among them were Democratic senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia, where Carter served as governor
The carefully choreographed ceremony came at a time of transition in Washington as Republican President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office from Democratic President Joe Biden on Jan. 20. Security is higher than usual, with fencing surrounding the Capitol.
Carter’s flag-draped casket arrived at the Capitol on a horse-drawn caisson after a funeral procession down Pennsylvania Avenue. Family members followed on foot, in a nod to Carter’s walk down the boulevard during his 1977 inauguration. Cadets from the U.S. Naval Academy saluted the former Navy submarine officer.
Carter’s remains will lie in state in the Rotunda of the Capitol for the next three days for members of Congress and the public to pay their respects. His body will travel by motorcade on Thursday for a funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral.
Carter, who served one White House term from 1977 to 1981, died Dec. 29 at the age of 100.
BODY TO BE RETURNED TO HOMETOWN
The former Georgia peanut farmer struggled with a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis while in office and was handily defeated for re-election by Republican Ronald Reagan.
In the decades after, he earned a reputation as a committed humanitarian and was widely seen as a better former president than he was a president. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Carter lived longer than any other U.S. president and had been in hospice care for nearly two years before his death. His last public appearance was at wife Rosalynn’s funeral in November 2023, where he used a wheelchair and appeared frail.
In August, his grandson Jason Carter said Carter was looking forward to casting a ballot for Harris in the Nov. 5 election, which she lost to Trump.
Biden has ordered flags at government buildings to be flown at half-staff for 30 days as a sign of mourning. That has irked Trump, who has said they should not be lowered during his inauguration.
At a news conference, Trump reiterated his desire to take back control of the Panama Canal, which Carter signed over to Panama during his presidency.
Members of the public will be able to view the casket from 6:00 p.m. (2300 GMT) until midnight (0500 GMT).
On Wednesday, public viewing hours will resume at 7 a.m. (noon GMT), and Carter will lie in state in the Rotunda with a military guard of honor for 24 hours.
Both Biden and Trump were expected to attend Carter’s funeral service at 10 a.m. (1500 GMT) on Thursday.
Biden was expected to deliver the eulogy. After the funeral, Carter’s remains will be flown back home to Georgia. His body will be interred later that day in his hometown of Plains.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell and Cynthia Osterman)
