NEW YORK (Reuters) – Family, friends and former political colleagues of U.S. President Jimmy Carter, including current President Joe Biden, spoke on Thursday at his state funeral in Washington.
Carter was remembered for his public service, his integrity and for rising above partisan politics.
U.S. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
Carter’s life was “the story of a man who never let the tides of politics divert him from his mission to serve and shape the world. The man had character.”
“We have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor.”
“Today, many think he was from a bygone era, but in reality, he saw well into the future.”
JASON CARTER, GRANDSON OF JIMMY CARTER
“Yes, they spent four years in the governor’s mansion and four years in the White House but the other 92 years, they spent at home in Plains, Georgia.”
“I never perceived a difference between his public face and his private one. He was the same person no matter who he was with or where he was, and for me, that’s the definition of integrity. That honesty was matched by love. It was matched by faith.”
JOSHUA CARTER, GRANDSON OF JIMMY CARTER
“My grandfather spent the entire time I’ve known him helping those in need. He built houses for people who needed homes. He eliminated diseases in forgotten places, he waged peace anywhere in the world, wherever he saw a chance. He loved people.”
STEVEN FORD, SON OF PRESIDENT GERALD FORD
“For Jimmy Carter, honesty was not an aspirational goal, it was part of his very soul.”
TED MONDALE, SON OF CARTER’S FORMER VICE PRESIDENT WALTER MONDALE
“Carter was far-sighted. He put aside his short term political interests to tackle challenges that demanded sacrifice to protect our kids and grandkids from future harm.”
(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly; editing by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell)
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