It is common for US presidents to plan their own funerals. Former presidents generally have years after leaving the White House to reflect on how they want to be remembered.
Jimmy Carter's funeral procession will conclude at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he grew up on a peanut farm. That's where his wife, Rosalynn, was buried last year in a plot they chose years ago.
But before Carter reaches his humble final destination, there will be an interstate choreography of mourning, ceremony and logistics that is characteristic of state funerals. Since the nation's founding, the United States has bid farewell to former presidents with an intricate series of events that weave together old traditions and personal touches.
Funerals are often planned by presidents themselves, who typically have years after leaving the White House to reflect on how they wish to be remembered.
“They are very involved in the planning process, and the decisions they make tell us a lot about who they are, how they view the presidency and how they want to be remembered by the American people,” said Matthew Costello, senior historian at the House Historical Association. Blanca, who co-wrote a book “Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture.”
Carter had more time to plan than most. He lived 43 years after his presidency ended, the longest post-presidency in American history, before die on Sunday at 100 years old.
Many details of his funeral remain confidential, at the discretion of the family and the military units responsible for carrying out the plans. Most presidents are veiled at the Capitol and there is usually a service at the Washington National Cathedral.
President Joe Biden revealed last year that Carter had asked him to deliver the eulogy. (“Sorry, I shouldn’t say that,” Biden admitted.)
Biden said Sunday that his team is working with Carter's family and others “to make sure he is properly remembered, here in the United States and around the world.” Carter's son Chip is his main point of contact, although Biden said he has spoken to all of Carter's children.
He described a process underway “that will take a little time” but will result in “important service in Washington, D.C.” for Carter, who Biden scheduled for January 9either.
Sometimes former presidents help with even the smallest details.
Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, recalled meeting with George HW Bush shortly after the former president reviewed the seating plan for his funeral.
“And I said, 'Is that strange? You know, it's your own death,'” Engel recalled. “And he said, 'You know, you do it every three months. You get used to it.'”
President Dwight Eisenhower, who commanded Allied troops during World War II before becoming a politician, wanted to be buried in an $80 government-issued casket. Aside from a glass seal that was added to the design, it was indistinguishable from any other soldier's coffin.
Details of processions can also reflect aspects of a president's life. Ronald Reagan's casket was carried up the west steps of the Capitol overlooking his home state of California. When Gerald Ford died, his casket passed through the House of Representatives, a tribute to his years as a legislator.
The task of carrying out presidential funerals falls to the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, which includes 4,000 military and civilian personnel. The unit said in a statement that “it is a privilege to provide this support on behalf of the nation.”
Presidential funerals can leave lasting marks on the American conscience. One of the most memorable descriptions of George Washington — “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen” — came from a eulogy that was widely reprinted when the country's first leader died.
After John F. Kennedy was assassinated, his son John Jr. was photographed saluting the casket. Kennedy's casket was carried down Pennsylvania Avenue in the same carriage that carried Abraham Lincoln after he was assassinated a century earlier, and a riderless horse was included in the procession.
Kennedy's was the first widely televised presidential funeral.
“Technology has made mourning in some ways more accessible, more democratic. More people have the opportunity to take a moment and reflect on what this person meant,” Costello said. “And I think it also opens the door for more people to participate in the grieving process.”
In many democratic countries, the head of state and the head of government are two different people. The United States combines both roles, ceremonial and executive, in the office of the presidency.
“Since we don't have any national figure besides the president, we have basically put all the traditional weight and civic emotion that is put on the death or birth or a wedding of a sovereign or a king on the heads of the presidents,” he said. Engel. “And there aren't that many, to be honest. So every time one of them passes away, it is unusual and a big event.”
He described the funerals as a time to remember “that we are all in this together” and “this man was the president for all of us, whether you are a Republican or a Democrat.”
However, in today's divided politics, state funerals can produce awkward, even tense, moments.
During George HW Bush's funeral in 2018, the audience included President Donald Trump. He shook hands with former President Barack Obama, his predecessor, but did not interact with Hillary Clinton, whom he defeated in the 2016 election, or her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
“These funerals are always political,” Engel said. “What happens at Carter's funeral is going to be political, frankly, whether the people around the Carter family want it or not.”