President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to participate in a tribute service honoring the life of the late former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who passed away on Nov. 19 at the age of 96.
Former President Bill Clinton, as well as former First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, traveled to Georgia on Air Force One to attend the tribute alongside the Bidens.
Former President Jimmy Carter, despite his own health challenges, also attended the memorial event on Tuesday at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta.
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” President Carter said in a statement on Nov. 19. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
The former president, who is now 99 years old, was married to Ms. Carter for 77 years.
Former First Ladies Melania Trump and Laura Bush were also in attendance at the tribute service on Tuesday.
The Carter Center earlier announced that the former first lady had entered hospice care, having been diagnosed with dementia in May. The former president started home hospice care in February.
Ms. Carter was unique among first ladies in that she attended her husband’s Cabinet meetings and voiced her opinions on contentious matters, which led the White House staff to occasionally refer to her as “co-president.”
President Carter served a single term that ended in 1980 before losing to Republican candidate Ronald Reagan in a landslide. He is positively remembered for his role in the historic 1978 Camp David Accords, which were signed in September 1978 by Israel and Egypt and led to a peace treaty between the two countries the following year, the first such treaty between Israel and any of its Arab neighbors.
Nevertheless, the Iran hostage crisis and high inflation marred the Carter administration.
“First Lady Rosalynn Carter walked her own path, inspiring a nation and the world along the way. Throughout her incredible life as First Lady of Georgia and the First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn did so much to address many of society’s greatest needs,” President Biden said in a statement on Nov. 19.
“Above all, the deep love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership, and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism. She lived her life by her faith.”
Following the memorial service, the president will travel to Denver, Colorado, where he will attend a campaign reception in the evening.
