President Biden marks Jan. 9 as national day of mourning after Jimmy Carter's death

President Joe Biden announced that Thursday, Jan. 9 will be a national day of mourning in honor of former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday in his hometown of Plains, Georgia at the age of 100.

Biden also said that flags will be at 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 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," Biden said in a statement Sunday.

Jimmy Carter funeral: Former president's viewing arrangements, planning underway

What is a national day of mourning?

Biden called on the American people to assemble on Jan. 9 "in their respective places of worship" to pay homage to Carter.

"I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance," Biden said in a statement Sunday.

On previous national days of mourning, like after the deaths of former Presidents George H. W. Bush in 2018 and Gerald Ford in 2006, federal offices and stock markets were closed in the U.S.

Jimmy Carter remembered

After serving one term in the White House, Carter became one of the most durable figures in modern American politics, wrote USA TODAY's Susan Page. Gone from the White House at age 56, he would hold the status of former president longer than anyone in U.S. history, and in 2019 he surpassed George H. W. Bush as the nation's oldest living ex-president.

“My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” said Chip Carter, the former president’s son. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

The Carter Center announced public memorial observances will take place in both Atlanta and Washington, D.C. to honor the former president, and Biden said he'd order an official state funeral. However, final funeral details are pending and an official schedule will come from the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, the Carter Center said.

Carter has long said he would be buried in Plains, Georgia, where former first lady Rosalynn Carter was buried after her death in 2023.

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Contributing: Susan Page, David Jackson

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National day of mourning set for January after Jimmy Carter's death