TheU.S. President Joe Biden on Monday (December 30) declared January 9 a national day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter, and all federal government offices will be closed on that day to pay tribute to the 39th president of the United States, who died on Sunday at the age of 100.

“I call on the American people to gather in their respective places of worship on that day to pay tribute to President James Earl Carter Jr.,” Biden said in an official statement issued on Sunday evening. “I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn commemoration.”

Last March, Biden accidentally revealed at a national Democratic event that Carter, also a Democrat, had asked him to deliver a eulogy.

Biden described Carter in a statement released Sunday evening as “a man of character, courage and compassion whose lifetime of service made him one of the most influential statesmen in our history.”

“He embodied the best of American qualities: a humble servant of God and his people. A heroic defender of peace and human rights around the world, and a noble leader whose distinctive moral and hopeful vision lifted our nation and transformed our world.”

All living U.S. presidents and numerous dignitaries are likely to attend the solemn ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 9. Biden also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at public buildings, military posts and U.S. government buildings overseas for 30 days from the date of Carter’s death.

Biden also ordered a state funeral for Carter, a three-phase, multi-day event coordinated by the U.S. military, including a memorial in the nation’s capital, as well as a ceremony in the deceased’s hometown. Carter had repeatedly expressed his wish to be buried in the front yard of his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, alongside his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn. She died in 2023. Carter spent two years in hospice care before his death at age 100, making him the oldest former president in U.S. history.

In Washington, the funeral will likely take place at the majestic Washington National Cathedral, which has hosted several state funerals, including those of former presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush.

Four living U.S. presidents — Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, former president and president-elect Donald Trump and current president Joe Biden — are likely to attend. Biden, 82, is now the oldest state activist of the group.