On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced that January 9 would be a national day of mourning for former US President Jimmy Carter. Biden urged Americans to visit their places of worship on this day to honor Carter’s memory and pay their respects.
“I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr,” Biden said in an official White House proclamation.
The President also invited people worldwide to join in this solemn observance. “I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance,” Biden added.
Jimmy Carter’s Legacy and Peaceful Passing
Jimmy Carter, who passed away peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia, was surrounded by his family, according to a statement from the Carter Center. He had been receiving hospice care since February 2023 in the same small town where he was born and raised. Before his presidency, Carter was a peanut farmer and served as governor of Georgia.
The former US president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate lived to the age of 100, becoming the longest-lived president in US history. This achievement seemed improbable back in 2015 when Carter revealed he had been diagnosed with brain cancer.
Carter served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. Rising from humble beginnings in rural Georgia, he dedicated his life to serving the nation and advocating for peace and human rights.