Mourning a president and citizen

As the nation’s capital prepares for former President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral, this historical moment offers the unique opportunity to reflect on the evolution of these public ceremonies and how Americans have mourned their leaders. The first former president to pass away, George Washington, specifically requested a private funeral without orations or parades. Citizens largely ignored these wishes, besieging Washington’s family at Mount Vernon and mourning him across the country with countless processions, commemorations and mock funerals. It was an outpouring of national, collective grief without precedent.

The traditions and rituals associated with presidential state funerals first began with William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor. The White House was used for a funeral service for both, followed by a procession and temporary entombment at Congressional Cemetery before burial in their home states. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral arrangements included one significant addition —  he was the first president to lay in state inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, a tradition that continues today for government officials and military officers.

Subsequent presidents who died while in office — James A. Garfield, William McKinley, Warren G. Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy — mostly followed Lincoln’s example but with some exceptions and changes. Garfield, who passed away two months after he was shot, did not have a funeral service at the White House. Roosevelt, who died in Warm Springs, Ga., had a White House East Room service but did not lay in state at the U.S. Capitol. Kennedy’s funeral service was held at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, and he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery instead of his home state of Massachusetts.

These examples demonstrate the fluidity of these traditions, and how factors such as the manner of death, timing with contemporary events, and the influence of the first lady and family members can shape a state funeral. After the assassination of President Kennedy, a more concerted effort was made to ensure the last wishes of the president were known and documented during their time in office.

Beginning with Herbert Hoover in 1964, state funeral honors have been extended to many former presidents. This has provided them with one last chance on the national stage to influence how they are remembered through public ceremonies, services and eulogies. After leaving the White House, former presidents frequently review their funeral plans. They are guided by tradition but certainly not bound by it, and their personal choices can reveal more about how they view themselves and their legacy.

Like many former presidents, Jimmy Carter selected a multi-stage plan, beginning in Plains with a visit to his boyhood home, then on to Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and back to Plains. This journey largely represents the arc of Carter’s political career and life. There will be opportunities for citizens to pay their respects at the Carter Presidential Center and the U.S. Capitol, as well as funeral services held at National Cathedral and Maranatha Baptist Church.

One interesting element worth noting is Carter’s choice to pause at the U.S. Navy Memorial, where his casket will be transferred from a hearse to a caisson (military wagon). Some might infer that Carter is simply highlighting his own naval service, but the memorial was specifically designed to honor the men and women of the U.S. Navy — past, present and future. In fact, President Carter signed the legislation to create the memorial, and its inclusion is a tribute to those sailors and the bond he shares with them as both a veteran and commander-in-chief.

Carter’s journey to Washington includes extensive time at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and The Carter Center in Atlanta. For more than four decades, the Carter Center has pursued international peacekeeping, the advancement of human rights and public health efforts that led to Carter’s 2002 Nobel Peace Prize. Some recent presidents have selected their presidential libraries or museums for their final resting place, but Carter will forgo this trend. He will be laid to rest beside his wife Rosalynn in a family plot at Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains — their home for more than 60 years. 

As the nation begins to mourn Jimmy Carter, commentators and pundits will highlight his remarkable political ascent and his unique style of moral leadership. Some will undoubtably overemphasize Carter’s post-presidential life and diminish his presidency, despite recent scholarship that has provided fascinating reassessments of the Carter White House.

While he leaves behind an extraordinary legacy as a private citizen, many of those contributions and achievements were directly shaped by his presidency. His state funeral echoes that sentiment — we should remember Jimmy Carter the president and the citizen as one in the same, and that his lifelong dedication to peace, justice and serving others was unshakeable, regardless of his status, title or power.

Matthew R. Costello is chief education officer and director for the David Rubenstein National Center for the White House Historical Association.