Following his passing on December 29, 2024, the funeral arrangements for former President Jimmy Carter went into effect. Carter passed away at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he will ultimately be buried next to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, his wife of 77 years. In recognition of his service to Georgia and the United States, public viewings will be held in Georgia and Washington, D.C.
On January 4, 2025, the former president’s remains will be carried to a hearse by current and former Special Agents in Charge from the United States Secret Service – Carter Protective Division. Along with the Carter family, the full motorcade will proceed from the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Georgia to Plains, Georgia. During a brief pause at the Carter Family Farm, the National Park Service will honor the late 39th president with a salute and ringing of the historic farm bell 39 times.
Continuing to Atlanta, Georgia, the motorcade will pause at the State Capitol for a moment of silence by Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Mayor of Atlanta Andre Dickens, members of the Georgia Legislature, and Georgia State Patrol Troopers. Afterward, the motorcade will proceed to the Carter Presidential Center, where the former state senator and governor’s remains will lie in repose. Following a private service at 4 PM, the public is invited to pay their respects at 7 PM until January 7, 202,5 at 6 AM.
A departure ceremony will send Carter’s remains off to Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, where Special Air Mission 39 will be waiting to fly the former president’s remains and his family to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Upon arrival, Carter’s remains will be transferred to a hearse and taken to the U.S. Navy Memorial. There, the former Naval officer’s remains will be transferred to a horse-drawn caisson. At 2:15 PM, the funeral procession will begin down Pennsylvania Avenue, turn into Constitution Avenue, and arrive at the U.S. Capitol, where the late president will be carried by a military detail into the Rotunda.
At 3 PM, Members of Congress will pay their respects during a service in the Rotunda before lying in state opens to the public from 7 PM-midnight. The former president will continue to lie in state with a military honor guard until January 9, 2025; the public is invited to pay their respects from 7 AM on January 8, 2025, until 7 AM on January 9, 2025. That morning, Carter’s remains will be transported to the Washington National Cathedral via motorcade for the National Funeral Service. Following the service and a departure ceremony, the motorcade will return to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. From there, SAM 39 will fly the late president and his family to Lawson Army Airfield, Fort Moore, Georgia.
At Lawson, Carter’s remains will be transferred to a hearse, and a motorcade will depart for Maranatha Baptist Church, Plains, Georgia. There, a private funeral service will be held before the motorcade travels through downtown Plains at 4:45 PM. The public is invited to line the motorcade route as Carter makes his final journey through his beloved hometown. At 5:20 PM, the motorcade will arrive at the Carter residence for a private internment. The Navy will conduct a missing man formation flyover in honor of former President Carter’s naval service and time as commander-in-chief shortly after the motorcade’s arrival at the residence.