Former President Jimmy was not just a man. He was so much more, according to President Joe Biden, who provided his old friend’s eulogy Thursday.
The 39th president of the United States was a “great American, and a dear friend and a good man,” Biden told the audience of former presidents and dignitaries, The Hill reported.
The funeral was held at Washington National Cathedral. Carter died Dec. 29 at 100.
Biden was a first-term senator when he became the was the first politician in Washington to endorse Carter for presidential.
Biden said he was drawn to endorse Carter because of his character.
“Jimmy Carter’s friendship taught me, and through his life taught me, the strength of character is more than title or the power we hold,” Biden said Thursday. “It’s the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect. That everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves an even shot.”
Biden described Carter as a man driven by his faith, “who never let the tides of politics divert him from his mission.”
Carter’s desire to serve lived far beyond his four years in the Oval Office, Biden said.
“Many think he was from a bygone era. But in reality, he saw well into the future,” Biden said. “A white, southern Baptist who led on civil rights. A decorated navy veteran who brokered peace. A brilliant nuclear engineer who led on nuclear non-proliferation. A hard working farmer who championed conservation and clean energy. And a president who redefined the relationship with the vice president.”
Carter asked Biden to deliver his eulogy when Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, visited the former president and his wife, Rosalyn Carter, in 2021.
After the funeral, Jimmy Carter will return to Plains, Georgia, where he will be buried next to his wife.
