Jimmy Carter’s funeral procession: Where and when
Memorial services for Jimmy Carter are unfolding over several days after a funeral procession set out Saturday from southwest Georgia and traveled to Atlanta.
They culminate Thursday, when a state funeral will be held at Washington National Cathedral in the morning before Carter is interred late that afternoon in his hometown Plains.
President Joe Biden last week declared Jan. 9 a National Day of Mourning, calling on Americans to assemble in their respective places of worship that day to pay homage to Carter. He also ordered executive departments and agencies of the federal government to be closed Jan. 9, although some can remain partially open for national security, defense or other public need.
Jimmy Carter: The life and legacy of the 39th president
Read: The life story of the man from Plains
Where it all started: Plains, Georgia. The South Georgia hometown of Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, located in Sumter County along US 280, became a world fascination when Jimmy Carter became the first and only Georgian ever elected to the White House.
Carter’s legacy: Jimmy Carter’s greatest accomplishment wasn’t being president of the United States. It was what he did afterward. A curious late-night dream sparked the idea of the Carter Center, where he and his team, continued his mission toward world peace and global health.
Read this list of some of Carter’s biggest accomplishments and reflections from a former aide.
Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter: Rosalynn Carter said she thinks she fell in love first with a photograph. Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter went on to be the longest married couple in presidential history — married for more than 77 years until her death in November 2023.
Condolences: Read and sign the online guestbook at the Carter Center
Here are the main stops in the six-day funeral procession. They include updated times for Tuesday’s events, after organizers late Monday pushed them back by 90 minutes because of winter storms sweeping across the U.S., including nearly a foot of snow in Washington, D.C.
Saturday, Jan. 4:
The motorcade carrying Jimmy Carter’s remains departs Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus around 10:30 a.m., stopping at Carter’s boyhood farm in Plains, before arriving in Atlanta around 3 p.m. After a pause at the state Capitol, the procession proceeds to the Carter Presidential Center, where Carter lies in repose. Public visitation begins 7 p.m. and lasts until 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Tuesday:
The motorcade departs from the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta around 11:30 a.m. for Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta. The plane carrying Carter’s remains arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland around 2:15 p.m. The motorcade departs for the U.S. Navy Memorial, arriving around 3:30 p.m., when Carter’s remains are transferred from a hearse to a horse-drawn caisson. The procession arrives at the U.S. Capitol around 4:10 p.m., when members of Congress pay their respects. Carter lies in state, with public visitation from 7 p.m. to midnight.
Wednesday:
The public is invited to pay their respects from 7 a.m. Wednesday until 7 a.m. Thursday as Carter continues to lie in state and the military maintains a guard of honor.
Thursday:
The motorcade departs 9:15 a.m. for the Washington National Cathedral, where a national funeral service will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The motorcade then departs for Joint Base Andrews and Carter’s remains are flown to Fort Moore. The procession heads by motorcade to Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains for a private funeral service at 3:45 p.m., before arriving at the Carter residence for a private burial shortly after 5 p.m.
