Plains Georgia is The Start of The Funeral Procession of President Jimmy Carter

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The hearse for President Carter drives through Plains, Ga.Credit...Dustin Chambers for The New York Times

 

By Alessandro Marazzi SassoonEmily Cochrane and Rick Rojas

Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon reported from Americus, Ga., and Emily Cochrane from Atlanta.

 The New York Times

In a few days, Jimmy Carter will be celebrated in a towering cathedral in Washington by fellow American presidents, noted humanitarians and other world leaders. There, dignitaries will reflect on his rise to the heights of political influence and his globe-trotting mission to eradicate disease and protect democracy.

But before all of that, a hearse carrying the remains of Mr. Carter, the nation’s 39th president, ventured on Saturday to where a seemingly improbable journey began and ended — a patch of rural Georgia where he was born and, on Dec. 29, died at 100.

The hearse crossed through Plains, his tiny hometown, and then paused outside the farmhouse he moved into when he was 4 years old, where he raised chickens, helped his father tend peanut crops and lived years without running water.

ImageA long black hearse rolls down a street lined with people under clear skies.

The hearse for President Carter drives through Plains, Ga.Credit...Dustin Chambers for The New York Times

 

People signed a condolence book in Plains.Credit...Dustin Chambers for The New York Times

These were places that Mr. Carter had always said made an indelible impression on him, and where he, in turn, left an enduring mark.

The motorcade then continued on to Atlanta. It paused in front of the golden-domed State Capitol where Mr. Carter served as governor. From there, it moved on to the Carter Center, the nonprofit he and his wife, Rosalynn, founded, and that became the vehicle for efforts that defined his post-presidential legacy.

At many points along the route, standing on sidewalks and looking over the edges of highway overpasses, crowds assembled to pay their respects. Their reasons for coming were different. Some praised Mr. Carter as the greatest president in the nation’s history. Others said they admired his devotion to his faith and what they regarded as his strength of character. 

Craig Long, a 66-year-old former Marine and retired roofer who came from Terre Haute, Ind., called his own politics “hard right.” But he said he felt a kinship with Mr. Carter because they shared humble roots. He said Mr. Carter also offered an example worth following. Just as Mr. Carter volunteered for Habitat for Humanity building houses, Mr. Long said he pitched in at a soup kitchen.

 

A line of people on an overpass as a hearse drives by.

People watched the motorcade from an overpass along Interstate 75 through Forsyth, Ga.Credit...Pool photo by Alex Brandon

 A crowd of people as a hearse drove by.

The motorcade carrying the remains of President Carter made a stop at the Georgia State Capitol.Credit...Audra Melton for The New York Times

“I admire how much he loved people in general,” Mr. Long said.

The trip began at about 10 a.m. in Americus, Ga., after his remains were carried to the hearse by current and former special agents in charge of the Secret Service unit that protected Mr. Carter.

As the hearse and motorcade stopped at the sliver of country road running alongside the farmhouse outside Plains, bells were rung 39 times, a nod to his position in the lineup of American presidents.

What matters to you in the South?After four years writing about Congress, Emily Cochrane is now covering the South for The Times. She is eager to learn about what makes life in this changing region distinct, and to talk to people whose lives have been directly affected by laws passed in Washington. Share your thoughts | More about Emily Cochrane

Mr. Carter wrote books that lovingly recounted an upbringing at the house where he lived until he left for college. He milked cows, learned to cook possums (the taste: “unique”) and drew water from a well. He also described the fraught racial dynamics of the segregated South and the enduring strains from the Civil War. 

The morning was crisp but cold. People had come from near and far to witness the former president pass by.

Men in dark suits carry a coffin with an American flag on it.

Former and current U.S. Secret Service agents assigned to the Carter detail moved the coffin at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Ga.Credit...Pool photo by Alex Brandon

A woman holding small American flags outside. Several people are gathered in the background.

The National Park Service handing out flags on Saturday morning in Plains.Credit...Dustin Chambers for The New York Times

Some who had known him in life described the humility that seemed somewhat surprising for a man who had reached high perches. “People didn’t think of him as a president,” said Dylan Joiner, 15, who worked at the Buffalo Cafe, one of few spots to buy a meal in Plains.

“Sometimes you have to be reminded of what a big deal he is,” Mary Moncus, Dylan’s grandmother and the manager of the cafe, added. 

Heather Baade, 54, had never met him. Still, she was certain: “I love Jimmy Carter.”

She admired his ability to balance his Christian faith with secular leadership. She also said she believed that he “tried winning the heart of the whole country,” adding, “which we’re not seeing much of these days.”

Robert Garland, a retired Miami-Dade County sheriff’s deputy, was assigned to Mr. Carter’s security detail in 1991 when the former president visited Miami for his home-building work with Habitat for Humanity. “He led with dignity, honor and respect,” said Mr. Garland, 64, who traveled from Florida with his wife to watch the procession.

Once in Atlanta, the motorcade stopped at the Capitol and was greeted by city and state leaders, including Brian Kemp, Georgia’s Republican governor, and Andre Dickens, the Democratic mayor of Atlanta. Those gathered paused for a moment of silence. 

 

Members of the military carry a coffin draped with an American flag.

The coffin of President Carter at the Carter Center.Credit...Nicole Craine for The New York Times

People gather before a coffin.

A private service was held at the Carter Center.Credit...Pool photo by Alex Brandon 

After leaving the Capitol, the procession began a slow-motion tour through a slice of Atlanta, a place that wasn’t Mr. Carter’s hometown but where he nevertheless developed deep roots.

He cheered at Braves games. He would pop by Manuel’s Tavern, a bar that was a regular hangout for Georgia Democrats. And he worked countless hours at the Carter Center.

The day’s travels concluded there. A private service was held in the afternoon, and the former president was to be in repose at the center from Saturday evening until early Tuesday.

Denise Billingsley, 55, made a five-hour trip from Kentucky and said she planned to immediately turn around and head back to beat an expected ice storm. The repose would be the closest she has ever been to a president, she said, much less one she saw as “a great example of what our country should strive for.”

“He’s worth making the trip for,” added Eddie Turner, who accompanied Ms. Billingsley.

On Tuesday morning, the journey will continue toward Washington, where Mr. Carter will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol for a day and a half. A funeral is scheduled for Thursday morning at Washington National Cathedral, where President Biden is expected to deliver a eulogy. President-elect Donald J. Trump has indicated that he will attend.

But until then, Mr. Carter belonged to Georgia.

Along the route, there were messages of love, collections of flowers and American flags, even offerings of jars of peanuts. In one of the crowds, someone held up a sign: “Thank you sir, you were one of us.”

Emily Cochrane is a national reporter for The Times covering the American South, based in Nashville. More about Emily Cochrane

Rick Rojas is the Atlanta bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of the South. More about Rick Rojas