The White House
December 29, 2024
To the people of the United States:
It is my solemn duty to officially announce the death on December 29, 2024, of James Earl Carter, Jr., 39th President of the United States.
President Carter was a man of character, courage, and compassion, and his lifelong service defined him as one of the most influential statesmen in our history. He embodied the best of America: a humble servant of God and people. A heroic champion of world 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 began a brilliant career in public service in 1943 as a cadet at the United States Naval Academy. He later served in the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets before becoming a decorated lieutenant and being selected to join the elite nuclear submarine program.
After his father's death, he moved from active duty to the Navy Reserve and returned home to Plains, Georgia, to help manage his family's peanut farm. He worked hard managing the land while leading his community as a church deacon, Sunday school teacher, and hospital and library board member. His deep faith inspired a passion for public service that led to his election as a State Senator, the 76th Governor of Georgia, and ultimately President of the United States.
As President, he understood that a government must be only as good as its people – and his faith in the people was boundless, just as his faith in America was boundless and his hope for our shared future was ever-present.
Under President Carter's leadership, the modern Department of Education and Department of Energy were created. He has championed environmental conservation, and his commitment to a more just world has been at the heart of his foreign policy, leading nuclear nonproliferation efforts, signing the Panama Canal Treaties, and brokering the historic Camp David Accords of 1978. His partnership with Vice President Walter Mondale is one that Future administrations sought to achieve it.
After his presidency, President Carter advanced an agenda that uplifted the least among us. Guided by his firm belief in the power of human goodness and the God-given dignity of every human being, he worked tirelessly around the world to broker peace; Eliminate disease; Sheltering the homeless. And protecting human rights, freedom and democracy.
Through his exceptional moral leadership, President Carter lived a noble life full of meaning and purpose. As a trusted spiritual leader, he shepherded people through seasons of pain and joy, inspiring them with the power of his example and healing them with the power of his guidance.
As we mourn the loss of President Carter, we hold the memory of his beloved Rosalynn, his wife of more than 77 years, close to our hearts. The embodiment of hope, warmth and service, she and her husband inspired the nation. The love that Rosalynn and President Carter shared is the definition of partnership, and their dedication to public service is the definition of patriotism.
May the memory of President Carter continue to be the light that guides 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 laws of the United States, in honor and reverence to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr., and as an expression of public grief, we do hereby direct that the flag of the United States be flown at half mast in the White House and on all buildings and public lands, 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 30 days from the day of his death. I also direct that, for the same period of time, representatives of the United States in foreign countries shall make similar arrangements to display the flag at half-staff above their embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military installations, ships, and naval stations.
I hereby request that appropriate decorations be awarded by units of the Armed Forces under the orders of the Secretary of Defense.
I also designate January 9, 2025, as a National Day of Mourning throughout the United States. I call upon the American people to gather on that day in their places of worship, in memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn celebration. Consideration.
In witness whereof, I have 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 in the year two hundred and forty-nine.
joseph r. Biden Jr.
