LIVE: Jimmy Carter lies in state at US Capitol
ATLANTA - After days of tributes in Georgia, the body of former President Jimmy Carter has landed in Washington, D.C., for the next part of his funeral.
The 39th president of the United States died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100 after spending almost two years in at-home hospice care. He was the longest-lived president in U.S. history.
Carter’s funeral procession began Saturday near where he grew up in southwest Georgia. From then until Tuesday, more than 20,000 visitors have paid their respects to the former president at the Carter Presidential Center.
PHOTOS: Former President Jimmy Carter's final journey | 1924-2024
On Tuesday, Carter's remains began their final trip to Washington, D.C., to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol. Hundreds of people from all walks of life lined up in the cold and snow to say goodbye.
Among those who offered bipartisan tributes to Carter were Vice President Kamala Harris, Speaker Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
"To be sure, his presidency was not without its challenges and international crises," said Harris, for whom Carter cast his final presidential ballot this fall. But she described him nonetheless as "that all-too-rare example of a gifted man who also walks with humility, modesty and grace."
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who was just four years old when Carter was inaugurated, recalled his fellow Southerner as a man "willing to roll up his own sleeves to get the work done."
The former President will lie in state on Wednesday before his remains are moved to the National Cathedral for the National Funeral Service. There, President Joe Biden will eulogize his longtime ally and friend.
Following the service, Carter will travel back to Georgia, where he will be buried in his hometown of Plains next to his beloved wife, Rosalynn.
Here is what you need to know about the upcoming funeral events.
Live timeline of Carter funeral services
7 p.m. Democratic and Republican members of Capitol Hill and White House staff during the Carter Administration can pay their respects between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
6 p.m. The Rotunda opens to the public. Visitors can pay their respects until midnight.
5:50 p.m. The ceremony ends.
Former President Jimmy Carter begins lying in state in the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol.
5 p.m. The ceremony for former President Jimmy Carter begins in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
4:20 p.m. Carter's funeral procession arrives at U.S. Capitol for the Rotunda service where members of Congress will pay their respects.
3:30 p.m. The Carter family and Carter's casket arrive at U.S. Navy Memorial for a transfer ceremony and procession.
Carter's casket is loaded onto a horse-drawn caisson, a type of carriage. The Carter family walks with the caisson for a procession, mirroring Carter's inaugural parade on Jan. 20, 1977.
2:45 p.m. The Carter family, Carter's casket depart Joint Base Andrews for U.S. Navy Memorial.
2 p.m. Special Air Mission 39 arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
12:43 p.m. Special Air Mission 39 is taking off on its way to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, from there Carter's remains will be taken to the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. by hearse.
12:31 p.m.: The plane's doors have shut, and the journey continues to the next stage of Carter's state funeral.
12:20 p.m.: The body bearers placed the casket on the airport loader, moving it into the plane out of sight. Now, the family will board Special Air Mission 39 to begin their flight to the nation's capital.
12:18 p.m.: The sounds of cannon fire and drums fill the air as the body bearers slowly start their march toward the plane.
12:15 p.m.: For the ceremony, Carter requested the hymn "Nearer My God, to Thee," which is being performed by the U.S. Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence Band.
12:13 p.m.: With the family and special guests in place, the ceremony began with traditional honors - the performance of "Hail to the Chief" and a 21-gun salute. The family has asked for the ceremony to be quiet and respectful, with no overt sound other than the cannons and band.
12:10 p.m.: The Carter motorcade has arrived at Dobbins Air Reserve Base and is moving into position to begin the departure ceremony.
11:36 a.m.: Waiting at Dobbin Air Reserve Base is Special Air Mission 39, the Air Force Boing VC-25A jet also known as Air Force One. The call sign is a reference to Carter's service as the 39th president of the United States.
11:28 a.m.: Carter's motorcade is on its way to Dobbins Air Reserve Base. The estimated time of arrival will be around 12:10 p.m. The family has invited friends of the Carters, The Carter Center Board of Councilors, Gov. Brian Kemp, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and local elected officials to take part in a silent ceremony before the flight.
11:20 a.m.: FOX 5's Katelyn Pratt said the busy area around the Carter Center became still when the band began to play the first hymn and the ceremony began. Cyclists nearby got off their bikes to stand and wait to see a glimpse of Carter's hearse pass by.
11:13 a.m.: All the flags that line that Circle of Flags at the Carter Center are at half-mast as the family of Jimmy Carter prepare to leave to join the motorcade and drive to Dobbins Air Reserve Base. The crowd is silent as Carter leaves the Carter Center in Atlanta for the last time.
11:07 a.m.: Among those at the ceremony are Carter Center and Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum staff, volunteers, interns, graduate assistants, library docents, catering and Goodwill staff who are paying their respects and observing Carter's final departure from the center he founded more than 40 years ago with his wife, Rosalynn.
11:05 a.m. With the sounds of "Hail to the Chief," "Amazing Grace," and "Blessed Assurances," playing in the air by the 282d Army Band, the body bearers carried Carter's casket silently through the honor cordon to the hearse, passing by men and women standing at attention to honor the former president.
11 a.m.: The hearse has arrived and is waiting for the motorcade to arrive and the former President's body to be placed inside for his final trip to Washington, D.C.
10 a.m.: All is quiet at the Carter Center while preparations are being made to take Jimmy Carter to the nation's capital. In just an hour, the ceremony is set to begin at the Circle of Flags at the Carter Presidential Library. From there, a motorcade will head to Dobbins Air Reserve Base.
7 a.m.: Following one last solemn changing of the guard, the visitation of former President Jimmy Carter at the Carter Center in Atlanta is nearly over. The last remaining guests are paying their respects before officials begin preparing the former president's coffin to be taken to Washington, D.C.
Jimmy Carter Funeral Schedule: Upcoming Events
Tuesday, Jan. 7:
- At 11:30 a.m., Carter will depart The Carter Center. He and his family will travel to Dobbins Air Reserve Base and board Special Air Mission 39, scheduled to depart at 12:45 p.m.
- Upon arrival in Washington, D.C., a motorcade will take the Carter family and the former President's casket to the U.S. Navy Memorial at 2:45 p.m.
- A horse-drawn caisson will lead a funeral procession "designed to mirror Carter's inaugural parade."
- The procession is scheduled to reach the Capitol Plaza at 4:10 p.m.
- Carter will then be carried by the military to the Rotunda, where members of Congress will pay their respects during a service at 4:30 p.m.
- He will then lie in state at the U.S. Capitol, with the public allowed to visit from 6 p.m. to midnight.
- The Democratic and Republican members of Capitol Hill and White House staff who served during the Carter Administration are invited to pay their respects between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. as a special request of the Carter family.
Wednesday, Jan. 8:
- Carter will continue to lie in state, with a military guard of honor present. The public may pay their respects from 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Jan. 9.
Thursday, Jan. 9:
- Carter will depart the U.S. Capitol at 9 a.m. and travel by motorcade to Washington National Cathedral for a brief arrival ceremony at 9:30 a.m., followed by the National Funeral Service at 10 a.m.
- Following the service, Carter and his family will return to Joint Base Andrews and board Special Air Mission 39 at 11:45 a.m.
- Special Air Mission 39 will arrive at Lawson Army Airfield in Fort Moore, Georgia, at 2 p.m. Carter and his family will then travel by motorcade to Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains for a private funeral service at 3:45 p.m.
After the service, the motorcade will take Carter and his family to his home for private interment next to his wife at 5:30 p.m.
The public is invited to line the motorcade route through Plains after the funeral to pay their respects.
Prior to Carter's interment, the U.S. Navy will conduct a missing man formation flyover in honor of his naval service and time as commander-in-chief.
Woman brings photo of late mother to see Jimmy Carter
Other Oscarina Leta has never met former President Jimmy Carter, she felt compelled to bring a photo of her late mother with her as she paid her respects at the Carter Center Monday. Leta said her mother thought highly of the Carter family when she was alive, making her visit extra sentimental.
Jimmy Carter Day of Mourning
President Biden has declared Thursday a National Day of Mourning as a "mark of respect" for the former president. Most federal government executive departments and agencies will be closed, except for those essential to national security, defense, or other critical needs.
MORE: National Day of Mourning on Jan. 9 for Jimmy Carter | What's open, closed
On that morning, the late former president's state funeral will be held at Washington National Cathedral.
Former U.S. presidents are expected to be present for the service, including President-elect Donald Trump, who stated on New Year's Eve he would be attending the funeral.
Where will Jimmy Carter be buried?
What Jimmy Carter was like as a father
Chip Carter explains what it was like growing up with former President Jimmy Carter as a dad. He told multiple funny stories, including working at Carter's warehouse for 10 cents, getting schooled in Latin over Christmas break, sledding into the mud and ghost stories.
Following the state funeral in Washington, President Carter's remains will then be transported from the nation's capitol, back to Georgia, where a private ceremony will take place at Maranatha Baptist Church, the church in Plains where Carter taught Sunday school for years.
After the private service, the former president will be taken via a short motorcade to the Carter Home and Garden, part of Jimmy Carter National Historic Park. The public is invited to line the motorcade route.
Carter will be buried near a willow tree on the property, the same location where Rosalynn was buried after she died in 2023.
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How you can support the Carter family
The public can share condolences on Jimmy Carter's official tribute website. The site has an online condolence book as well as print and visual biographical materials commemorating his life.
As of Monday, The Carter Center says that they have received more than 16,000 condolence messages from 133 countries and territories through the website.
The Source: The updated Carter Center visitation time was updated by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region (JTF-NCR). Additional reporting comes from FOX 5 and the Associated Press.