President Carter to lie in state at US Capitol ahead of National Cathedral funeral

Former President Jimmy Carter’s body will be brought to the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday afternoon where he will lie in state for three days before a state funeral in Washington, D.C. Carter, who passed away last week at the age of 100, will be the only former president to reach the century mark. His death came just over a year after the passing of his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other congressional leaders announced last month that Carter would lie in state, writing a letter to his son, James Carter III. The leaders expressed their intention to ask the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate to permit Carter’s remains to lie in state in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol, allowing the American people to pay their respects before he is laid to rest.

Carter’s ceremonial arrival to the Capitol Rotunda is expected on Tuesday afternoon, with remarks from Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Members of the public will be able to view Carter’s casket from early Wednesday through early morning Thursday.

The former president’s body arrived in Washington, D.C., lying in repose at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, Georgia. A week-long memorial began in Carter’s hometown of Plains, Georgia, on Saturday morning, where former U.S. Secret Service agents who protected Carter carried his casket as pallbearers.

Carter’s state funeral service will be held at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday morning. The former president will then have a private funeral service in Plains before being interred in a private ceremony at the Carter family residence.

The hearse containing Carter’s casket moved towards Plains, Georgia, on Saturday, with every overpass filled with people paying their respects. The outpouring of support from the people of Georgia was described as amazing and gave a sense of pride to those attending the funeral in Atlanta.

Overall, the nation mourns the loss of a remarkable leader, and the upcoming days will be filled with remembrance and honor for the life and legacy of President Jimmy Carter.