Jimmy Carter will lead presidents and first ladies in mourning and celebrating Rosalynn Carter

Rosalynn Carter will be honored on Tuesday with a tribute service filled with classical music, cherished hymns, passages from her beloved Bible, and a remarkable gathering of all living U.S. first ladies and several presidents, including her 99-year-old husband, Jimmy Carter.

The tribute service, taking place at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta, marks the second day of a three-day series of public events dedicated to celebrating the life of the former first lady and global humanitarian. Rosalynn Carter passed away on November 19 at her home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 96. The tributes commenced on Monday in Sumter County, where the Carters hail from, and continued in Atlanta, where Rosalynn lay in repose at The Jimmy Carter Presidential Center.

Among the distinguished dignitaries attending the event are President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, close friends of the Carters. Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as former first ladies Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, and Laura Bush, will also pay their respects. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and his wife Marty Kemp are among the attendees. Although former Presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush were invited, they have chosen not to attend.

Jimmy Carter’s participation in these events was uncertain until recently due to his health. He has been under home hospice care for ten months. The Carter Center has confirmed his plans to attend the Tuesday service, marking his first public appearance since September. Jimmy Carter did not make a public appearance during the motorcade procession and wreath-laying ceremony at Rosalynn Carter’s alma mater, Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, on Monday, where he was present privately.

The Carters, who married in 1946, hold the record for the longest-married presidential couple in U.S. history, with over 77 years of marriage. Jason Carter, a former state senator and one-time Democratic nominee for governor, described his grandmother as a significant political force in her own right. Rosalynn Carter dedicated five decades to advocating for improved mental health care in the United States and reducing the stigma associated with mental illness. She also drew attention to the millions of unpaid caregivers in American households. Her role in supporting her husband’s political career, including his terms as Georgia’s governor and the 39th president, has gained widespread recognition.

Jason Carter noted that Rosalynn was considered “the best politician in the family,” a sentiment his grandfather, Jimmy Carter, never disputed. The Carters never fully integrated into Washington power circles, even after their White House tenure. They remained somewhat on the fringes of the unofficial “Presidents Club,” a group of former White House occupants who often come together for inaugurations and funerals.

President Biden, who plans to deliver the eulogy at Jimmy Carter’s state funeral in the future, has been a close ally of the Carters since their time in the Oval Office. However, Jimmy Carter faced a cool reception from some of his Democratic successors, Clinton and Obama, possibly due to his perceived political failure. Rosalynn Carter was reportedly unhappy with this treatment.

The Carters’ relationship with former President Trump was complex. Jimmy Carter supported Trump’s willingness to engage with North Korea but suggested that Trump’s election in 2016 was illegitimate. Trump, in turn, criticized Carter as “the worst” of all U.S. presidents, a charge he later modified while campaigning for the 2024 Republican nomination.

Trump’s absence at the Tuesday event will avoid any potential awkward encounters with the Carters or President Biden, as both appear headed for a rematch in the 2020 general election. Melania Trump’s presence will be a rare public appearance, as she has mostly remained absent from her husband’s political activities.

The Carters forged a close friendship with their 1976 opponents, Gerald and Betty Ford, after the campaign. Jimmy Carter maintained a mostly strong relationship with President George H. W. Bush, another Republican. Sadly, the Carters outlived not only the Fords but also the elder Bush and Barbara Bush.

Jimmy Carter holds the distinction of being the longest-lived president, while Rosalynn Carter was the second-longest-lived first lady, surpassed only by Bess Truman.

The Tuesday service will feature music performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, as well as contributions from country music legends Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, who are friends of the Carters through their work with Habitat for Humanity. Family members will read passages from the Bible, and the service will include speeches by the Carters’ personal pastor, Tony Lowden; Kathryn Cade, a former White House adviser; and journalist Judy Woodruff.

Rosalynn Carter’s funeral will take place on Wednesday in Plains, featuring an invitation-only service at Maranatha Baptist Church, the Carters’ place of worship since their return to Georgia after Jimmy Carter’s presidency. She will be laid to rest in a private graveside service on a plot they will share, offering a view from the front porch of the home they built before Jimmy Carter’s first political campaign in 1962.

(Note: The text has been paraphrased and expanded for clarity and detail while maintaining a formal and serious tone.)

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