On December 29, 2024, former President of the United States, James Earl Carter Jr. passed away at the age of 100. The President of the United States has issued a proclamation ordering the flag of the United States to be displayed at half-staff from now until sunset on January 28, 2025. Furthermore, the President of the United States has appointed January 9, 2025 as a day of mourning.
All American flags should be flown at half staff until sunset on January 28, 2025 (except for the Capitol Building and White House on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025, as requested by the inauguration committee for incoming President, Donald J. Trump).
It is an uncommon occurrence for American flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the death of a former president, as the U.S. Flag Code calls for, at the same time as a new president is set to be inaugurated (in 1973, Richard Nixon's inauguration took place with the American flag at half-staff in honor of the memory of President Harry Truman). As such, here are a few key points that may help some people to navigate these complexities more easily.
- The U.S. Flag Code is not enforced in the same way that other laws are. It is a set of guidelines that unite us all in the manner by which we display and care for the U.S. flag.
- Presidential orders about the status of the American flag technically apply to federally operated locations and facilities (usually listed within the body of each proclamation).
- Similarly, orders about the status of the American flag that are given by state governors apply to locations and facilities that are operated by the state in which that order is made.
- Federal and state proclamations are made public so that citizens know why the flag is being flown at half-staff and, as such, are invited to join in solidarity.
Proclamation Announcing the Death of
James Earl Carter, Jr.
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES:
It is my solemn duty to announce officially the death of James Earl Carter, Jr., the thirty-ninth President of the United States, on December 29, 2024.
President Carter was a man of character, courage, and compassion, whose lifetime of service defined him as one of the most influential statesmen in our history. He embodied the very best of America: A humble servant of God and the people. A heroic champion of global peace and human rights, and an honorable leader whose moral clarity and hopeful vision lifted our Nation and changed our world.
The son of a farmer and a nurse, President Carter’s remarkable career in public service began in 1943 as a cadet at the United States Naval Academy. He later served in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets before becoming a decorated lieutenant and being selected to join the elite nuclear submarine program.
After his father died, he shifted from active duty to the Navy Reserve and returned home to Plains, Georgia, to help manage his family’s peanut farm. He worked hard stewarding the land while leading his community as a church deacon, Sunday school teacher, and board member of a hospital and library. His deep faith inspired a passion for public service that led him to be elected State Senator, Georgia’s 76th Governor, and ultimately President of the United States.
As President, he understood that Government must be as good as its people — and his faith in the people was boundless just as his belief in America was limitless and his hope for our common future was perennial.
With President Carter’s leadership, the modern Department of Education and the Department of Energy were created. He championed conservation, and his commitment to a more just world was at the heart of his foreign policy, leading on nuclear nonproliferation, signing the Panama Canal treaties, and mediating the historic 1978 Camp David Accords. His partnership with Vice President Walter Mondale is one that future administrations strived to achieve.
Following his Presidency, President Carter advanced an agenda that elevated the least among us. Guided by an unwavering belief in the power of human goodness and the God‑given dignity of every human being, he worked tirelessly around the globe to broker peace; eradicate disease; house the homeless; and protect human rights, freedom, and democracy.
Through his extraordinary moral leadership, President Carter lived a noble life full of meaning and purpose. And as a trusted spiritual leader, he shepherded people through seasons of pain and joy, inspiring them through the power of his example and healing them through the power of his guidance.
As we mourn the loss of President Carter, we hold the memory of his beloved Rosalynn, his wife of over 77 years, close in our hearts. Exemplifying hope, warmth, and service, she and her husband inspired the Nation. The love Rosalynn and President Carter shared is the definition of partnership, and their devotion to public service is the definition of patriotism.
May President Carter’s memory continue to be a light pointing us forward. May we continue to be guided by his spirit in our Nation and in our world.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, in honor and tribute to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr., and as an expression of public sorrow, do hereby direct that the flag of the United States be displayed at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions for a period of 30 days from the day of his death. I also direct that, for the same length of time, the representatives of the United States in foreign countries shall make similar arrangements for the display of the flag at half‑staff over their embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
I hereby order that suitable honors be rendered by units of the Armed Forces under orders of the Secretary of Defense.
I do further appoint January 9, 2025, as a National Day of Mourning throughout the United States. 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. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
The proclamation can also be read on the White House website here.
The President's first statement can also be read on the White House website here.
For information about flying your flag at half-staff, read here.
The details of Jimmy Carter's funeral services and interment are as follows:
- January 4, 2025 — Carter received a local funeral service in his hometown before traveling to Atlanta, Georgia where he was laid in repose at The Carter Presidential Center until Tuesday, January 7, 2025.
- January 7, 2025 — Carter travelled to Washington early on this date. A military ceremonial funeral procession began at the United States Navy Memorial, and a horse-drawn caisson carriage carried the late president to the United States Capitol Building.
Carter was laid in state at the Capitol Rotunda until Thursday, January 9. 2025. - January 9, 2025 — Carter received a National Funeral Service at the Washington National Cathedral just after 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. He was then transported back to Plains, Georgia where a final Navy flyover was performed before he was interred in his final resting place.
