Congressional leaders and Vice President Kamala Harris were on hand Tuesday evening as former President Jimmy Carter’s body arrived at the Capitol, where he will lie in state until his state funeral Thursday morning.
Mr. Carter, who died last week at age 100, is the 12th president to lie in state at the Capitol, an honor reserved for top government officials and military officers. He had the longest life of any former president who has died despite having health issues, including liver cancer, late in life.
“Jimmy Carter was a forward-looking president with a vision for the future,” Ms. Harris said, noting his work “will echo for generations to come.”
She spoke about the 39th president’s environmental policy work, expansion of national parks, elevation of humanitarian rights and much more.
Mr. Carter was a Democrat but because Congress is currently controlled by Republicans, GOP leaders Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana delivered eulogies along with Ms. Harris at the arrival ceremony.
Both men focused their remarks on Mr. Carter’s decades of post-presidential humanitarian work. Much of that was conducted through the Carter Center, which he established in 1992.
He was also a peace envoy, often dispatched by his White House successors to global hot spots including North Korea, as an advocate for democratic elections. The Navy veteran also volunteered in his post-political career as a carpenter with Habitat for Humanity.
At the Capitol on Tuesday, GOP leaders highlighted Mr. Carter’s tradition of donating a week per year building and restoring homes with Habitat for Humanity.
“It’s remarkable to think that one of the 45 men who has served as president and one of the only 13 who held the role in the nuclear age, would humble himself to such service,” Mr. Johnson said. “We all know that his care for humanity didn’t stop at building homes.”
Mr. Thune said “simply lending his name or maybe attending a gala or two wasn’t Jimmy Carter’s style,” noting he would literally get down in the weeds and dirt on numerous Habitat builds.
Democratic leaders Charles E. Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff joined Ms. Harris, Mr. Thune and Mr. Johnson in presenting three wreaths to display near the casket — one each for the Senate, House and White House.
The casket sits atop the Lincoln catafalque, a platform constructed in 1865 for President Abraham Lincoln’s lying in state that has been used in most such ceremonies since.
Carter family members attended the arrival ceremony, along with dozens of members of the House and Senate, Supreme Court justices and Biden administration officials.
The public access to view Mr. Carter lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, ending at midnight, before resuming again Wednesday at 7 a.m. and running for 24 hours through Thursday at 7 a.m.
Around 9 a.m. on Thursday there will be a departure ceremony to transfer Mr. Carter’s body to the Washington National Cathedral for his official state funeral.
Mr. Carter worked as a Georgia peanut farmer and naval officer before entering politics. He served one term as Georgia’s governor before running for president in 1976, narrowly beating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford.
He served a single term in the White House after losing reelection to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.