ATLANTA – Former President Jimmy Carter was remembered Thursday as a man ahead of his time who leaves his country and the world better off for his service.
Georgia’s only president thus far, who died Dec. 29 at the age of 100, was eulogized at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., at a service attended by President Joe Biden and all four living ex-presidents.
“Today, many people think he was from a bygone era,” said Biden, whom Carter had asked to give his eulogy. “In reality, he saw the future, a white Southern Baptist who led on human rights, a decorated veteran who brokered peace … a hardworking farmer who championed conservation, a clean-energy president who redefined the relationship for the vice president.”
Thursday’s service culminated three days of commemorations in the nation’s capital in honor of Carter, who lay in state inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday and Wednesday. Before that, Carter’s casket lay in repose at the Carter Center in Atlanta for several days.
The national funeral service began with a scripture reading by Andrew Young, a Georgian appointed by Carter as the first African American to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Steve Ford, the son of former President Gerald Ford, who lost to Carter in 1976 but later developed a strong friendship with him, and Ted Mondale, the son of Carter Vice President Walter Mondale, delivered eulogies their late fathers wrote for Carter.
Stuart Eizenstat, who served as a domestic advisor inside the Carter White House, described Carter as a Renaissance Man with an array of skills who brought a sense of honesty and decency to the presidency after the Watergate years.
“He was the first president to make honesty a priority for U.S. foreign policy,” Eizenstat said. “He uniquely combined the soft power of human rights with the hard power of rebuilding America’s military. … He may not be a candidate for Mount Rushmore, but he belongs in the foothills of making the U.S. stronger and the world safer.”
Grandson Jason Carter talked about Carter’s four-decade post-presidency as the founder of the Carter Center and its mission promoting human rights and the eradication of diseases across the globe. He mentioned Guinea worm disease as an example of his grandfather’s far-reaching contributions.
“That disease existed from the dawn of humanity until Jimmy Carter,” he said.
After the service, Carter’s remains were flown back to Georgia for a private funeral service at Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains. He was to be buried beside Rosalynn Carter, his wife of 77 years who died in November 2023 at the age of 96.