National Day of Mourning for Jimmy Carter: What It Means, and What’s Closed

A national day of mourning will be observed on Thursday for Jimmy Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at 100 years old.

In a proclamation after Mr. Carter’s death, President Biden called him “a man of character, courage, and compassion.”

In announcing the day of mourning, he said: “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.”

What’s happening

The day of mourning will be held on the same day as Mr. Carter’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral. President Biden will deliver a eulogy at the funeral, and a eulogy written by Gerald Ford, who died in 2006, will be read by his son Steven Ford.

American flags at the White House, public buildings, military bases, naval ships and U.S. embassies around the world have been ordered to be flown at half-staff to honor Mr. Carter for the 30 days following his death.

What’s closed

On Dec. 30, President Biden ordered that “all executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed on Jan. 9,” except those necessary for “national security, defense, or other public need.” Federal employees will still be paid for the day.

The Postal Service will suspend mail deliveries and close post offices, but there will still be limited package delivery service, a spokesman said.

The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will also be closed, as will the United States Supreme Court and other federal courts, along with the Library of Congress.

Presidents past

The most recent national day of mourning for a president came in December 2018, after the death of George H.W. Bush.

The history is long. The government shut down on June 1, 1865, for a day of “humiliation and mourning,” six weeks after Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed. Citizens were asked to assemble in “their respective places of worship” to remember the fallen president. Banks and insurance companies also closed, though the post office shut for only a half day.

Presidents who died in office following Lincoln were also honored, including James Garfield, William McKinley, Warren G. Harding and Franklin Roosevelt.

Lyndon Johnson’s first presidential proclamation announced a day of mourning for John F. Kennedy, three days after he was assassinated in 1963.

In more recent times, comparatively routine deaths of presidents after their terms in office have also been marked by a day of mourning, including for Dwight Eisenhower in 1969, Harry S. Truman in 1972; Lyndon Johnson in 1973 and Richard Nixon in 1994.

Ronald Reagan was honored in 2004 and Gerald Ford in 2007.

Not only presidents have been commemorated with a day of mourning. Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy were each honored after being assassinated in 1968.