Former President Jimmy Carter was “deeply saddened” by the death of former President George H.W. Bush, Carter said in a statement Saturday.
“Rosalynn and I are deeply saddened by the death of former President George H.W. Bush. His administration was marked by grace, civility, and social conscience,” the statement from Carter’s office reads. “Through his Points of Light inititative and other projects, he espoused a uniquely American volunteer spirit, fostering bipartisan support for citizen service and inspiring millions to embrace community volunteerism as a cherished responsibility. We again extend our heartfelt condolences to the Bush family.”
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Carter, 94, was born just five months after Bush and is now the oldest-living president. The former Georgia governor served as president from 1977 to 1981. The other living former presidents are Bill Clinton, 72; Bush’s son, George W. Bush, 72; and Barack Obama, 57.
Bush died on Friday at age 94, eight months after the death of his wife, former First Lady Barbara Bush, who died in April at age 91. President Donald Trump declared Wednesday a national day of mourning.
Ceremonies honoring Bush will begin on Monday when members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate gather in the U.S. Capitol for an arrival ceremony at 4:45 p.m. ET. The 41st president will lie in state in the rotunda until Wednesday morning, and members of the public will be welcomed to pay their respects.
A ceremony will be held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. at 11 a.m. ET. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are both expected to attend.
Afterwards, Bush’s body will be flown back to Houston and he will lie in repose at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. There will also be another memorial service at the church that morning.
Bush will then be taken to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, where he will be buried alongside Barbara Bush and their daughter, Robin Bush, who died of leukemia at age 3 in 1953.
The Bush family established the George Bush Memorial Fund to support The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.
Bush served in World War II, and build his wealth in the oil business in Texas. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1967 and remained active in politics for the rest of his life. Bush served in the Nixon and Ford administrations before becoming President Ronald Reagan’s Vice President for two terms. He served a term as president from 1989 to 1993. His eldest son, President George W. Bush, served two terms from 2001 to 2009.
Photo credit: JIM CHAPIN/AFP/Getty Images
