President Joe Biden will also be present at the ceremony on Tuesday to honor Rosalynn Carter, the 99-year-old former president whose unwavering love for her led to her becoming a political icon in the US.
Jimmy Carter, who has been receiving hospice care for the majority of this year, will travel to Atlanta from the humble Plains, Georgia, home he and Rosalynn shared for a large portion of their life.
“The current plan is for President Carter to attend the national tribute service for Mrs Carter at Glenn Memorial Church,” the former first couple’s charity organization, The Carter Center, said.
Two days after joining her husband in hospice care at the Plains home, Rosalynn Carter, at ninety-six, passed away on November 19.
Admired as a very involved first lady who supported mental health concerns that were not widely publicized at the time, Rosalynn Carter’s and her husband’s fame only increased after they departed the White House.
Jimmy Carter was mostly written off when Republican Ronald Reagan defeated him in his 1980 reelection campaign. Nevertheless, the couple went on to create a worldwide network of charitable endeavors and garnered praise for leading a modest life.
Rosalynn Carter’s memorial began Monday when past and present agents from the US Secret Service, which guards presidential families, escorted her coffin to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta. The public was invited to pay last respects.
On Tuesday, ceremonies will take place at Glenn Memorial Church, with grandchildren carrying the coffin and Biden, along with all living first ladies, in attendance.
According to the Carter Center, guests will include First Lady Jill Biden, Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush.
Vice President Kamala Harris, her husband Doug Emhoff and former president Bill Clinton will also be there, according to the published list.
The more private funeral on Wednesday in Plains will inevitably shift attention to Jimmy Carter, who is the oldest living US ex-president in history.
All of the current presidents usually attend presidential funerals; in 2018, Carter went to the George W. Bush memorial in Washington, DC, offering a unique opportunity for cross-generational and party harmony.
But even the solemn occasion of a Carter burial would be watched for indications of strain, since Biden and Trump are poised to square off in a 2024 replay of their nasty 2020 election contest.
Jimmy Carter, himself in hospice care through most of this year, will make the journey from the modest home in Plains, Georgia, that he shared with Rosalynn much of their lives to the city of Atlanta.
Rosalynn Carter died Nov 19, aged 96, just two days after joining her husband in hospice care at the house in Plains.
Celebrated as a highly active first lady who championed then little-discussed issues of mental health, Rosalynn Carter’s reputation only grew, along with her husband’s, once they left the White House.
Losing his 1980 reelection bid to Republican Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter was widely dismissed as a failure. However, the couple went on to build a global network of charity activities and earned plaudits for their humble lifestyle.
Presidential funeral services typically are attended by all living presidents — Carter attended the Washington memorial for George W. Bush in 2018 — providing a rare moment for unity across parties and generations.
With Biden and Trump increasingly likely to face each other in a 2024 rematch of their bitter 2020 election battle, however, even the solemn occasion of a Carter funeral would be scrutinized for signs of tension.
