PHOTOS: Former US President Carter Lies In State After Somber Washington Procession

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The body of late US President Jimmy Carter was moved to the US Capitol on Tuesday for a grand and somber military ceremony, where it will remain until a national funeral later this week.

On January 7, 2025, members of the public pay their respects in front of the former US President Jimmy Carter’s casket, which has been draped in the flag. – Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)

Carter, who died on December 29 at the age of 100, served a single term from 1977-1981 and was widely praised for his post-presidential humanitarian efforts, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

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His body arrived at the snow-covered US Capitol, where it will remain until Thursday, after a full day of ceremonious travel that began in his native Georgia.

On January 7, 2025, the public will witness the former US President Jimmy Carter’s casket, which has been draped in flags, at the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC. – Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)

Members of the public walked through the building’s rotunda for a live broadcast, with many of the viewers holding their hands in the air as they paid their respects to the late president.

During the Lying in State Ceremony at the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC on January 7, 2025, a military honor guard stands next to the casket of former US President Jimmy Carter, whose casket is draped in flags. – Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP)

“I&nbsp, paid&nbsp, my respects to President Jimmy Carter as he lies in state in the U. S. Capitol Rotunda today”, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on X. We join the Carter family and all Americans in observing this extraordinary life, legacy, and military service to our nation, in the name of the entire Department of Defense.

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Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the leader of the Senate, delivers a eulogy at the US Capitol Rotunda on January 7, 2025 during the US Capitol Rotunda. – Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / POOL / AFP)

Carter’s flag-draped casket was flown to Washington via a US Air Force jet, leading the way to Capitol Hill by following the same route he did during his inauguration parade from the US Navy Memorial, an ode to his military service on submarines.

(L-R) House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Kimberley Thune, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La. On January 7, 2025, former US President Jimmy Carter’s lying in state ceremony was held at the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, with second gentleman Doug Emhoff and vice president Kamala Harris present. – Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Tierney CROSS / AFP)

A recent winter storm that caused the closure of federal offices and schools in the area caused hundreds of US service members to accompany the procession down Pennsylvania Avenue.

The flag-draped casket of former US President Jimmy Carter travelling by a horse-drawn caisson arrives to the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC, on January 7, 2025. – Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by SHAWN THEW / POOL / AFP)

Following his funeral, Carter’s family, members of Congress, and other dignitaries, including Vice President Kamala Harris, were present at the Capitol Rotunda, where a brief service was held.

Carter is the 13th former US president to slander in the Capitol. Abraham Lincoln, assassinated in 1865, was the first.

Jimmy Carter’s horse-drawn casket is transported to the US Navy Memorial on January 7, 2025, where he will lay in state. – Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Ting Shen / AFP)

The ceremony has taken on added significance, coming a day after the anniversary of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, in which Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the building in an attempt to block certification of Joe Biden’s election victory.

On January 7, 2025, Vice President Kamala Harris addresses a ceremony honoring former US President Jimmy Carter while Carter is seated in Washington, DC, the state capitol. – Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by J. Scott Applewhite / POOL / AFP)

With the complex under heavy security and without any disruption, Congress officially certified Trump’s victory over Harris on Monday.

The National Cathedral, a Washington Episcopal church that also hosted funerals for former presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, will hold a state funeral service on Thursday.

On January 7, 2025, the riderless horse is spotted at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, at the conclusion of the former US President Jimmy Carter’s State Funeral Procession. The backward-facing boots represent the fallen leader surveying his troops for the last time, a custom associated with military funerals. Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

Biden, the current president, will deliver the eulogy to his fellow Democrat.

All four living former presidents — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Trump — are expected to attend.

Jimmy Carter, the former US president who passed away on December 29 at the age of 100, is buried in state at the US Army’s Caisson Detachment.
Capitol building in Washington, DC, on January 7, 2025. – Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by Brendan McDermid / POOL / AFP)

Federal government offices will be closed for the day due to Biden’s declaration of a national day of mourning on Thursday.

On January 7, 2025, the casket of late US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Washington, DC’s Rotunda. – Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by J. Scott Applewhite / POOL / AFP)

He has also ordered flags to half-staff for 30 days as is customary, which means that will be the case during Trump’s January 20 inauguration, something the Republican has criticized.

Amy Carter, bottom center, joined by members of the Carter family, attends a ceremony where the flag-draped casket of her father, former President Jimmy Carter, lies in state in the Capitol, Washington, DC, on January 7, 2025. – Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Photo by J. Scott Applewhite / POOL / AFP)

Carter, the first president to have triple digits, passed away in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, where he was buried next to his late wife, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in February 2023.