Before President Jimmy Carter is laid to rest, his colleagues and loved ones are honoring his life.
And that includes the late President Gerald Ford, who had made an agreement with President Carter during their lifetimes to write and read the other’s eulogy at their funeral. But, given that Ford—who died in 2006—was 11 years older than Carter, he previously tapped his son Steven Ford to read the eulogy on his behalf—a promise Steven fulfilled during the Jan. 9 funeral at the National Cathedral.
“By fate of a brief season, Jimmy Carter and I were rivals,” the youngest Ford son read. “But for many of the wonderful years that followed, friendship bonded us as no two presidents since John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.”
He continued, reading his father’s words, “According to a map, it’s a long way between Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Plains, Georgia. But distances have a way of vanishing when measured in values, rather than miles. And it was because of our shared values, that Jimmy and I respected each other as adversaries, even before we cherished one another as dear friends.”
And while the late president admitted in his remembrance that Carter could “get under [his] skin,” Ford added of the showdown that saw the democratic Carter narrowly defeat him as the republican incumbent, “Little could I know that the outcome of that 1976 election would bring about one of my deepest and most enduring friendships.”
Ford also reminisced on his and Carter’s trip to Egypt for President Anwar El-Sadat’s funeral in 1981, admitting he feared the long flight aboard Air Force One to be an awkward one, joking, “There’s an old line to the effect that two presidents in a room is one too many.”
Yet, the opposite happened. “The return trip was not nearly long enough,” Ford wrote. “For it was somewhere over the Atlantic that Jimmy and I forged a friendship that transcends politics. Forgetting that either one of us ever said any harsh words about the other one in the heat of battle, we got on to much more enjoyable subjects discussing our families, our faith, and sharing our experiences in discovering that there is indeed life after the White House.”
After all, he wrote, “Honesty and truth telling were synonymous with the name Jimmy Carter.”
And after writing of his late friend that “the American people and the people of the world will be forever blessed by his decades of good works,” the now-deceased Ford preemptively wrote a welcome to Carter.
“As for myself, Jimmy, I’m looking forward to our reunion,” Ford wrote. “We have much to catch up on.”
“Thank you, Mr. President,” he concluded. “Welcome home old friend.”
For more from President Carter’s funeral, keep reading.
Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, Doug Emhoff, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump & Melania Trump
The leaders formed a united front to pay their respects to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who died in late December at the age of 100.
Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, Doug Emhoff, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump & Melania Trump
Carter’s service marked the first time that all five living presidents—Biden, Trump, Obama, Clinton and Bush—gathered together since George H. W. Bush‘s funeral in Dec. 2018.
Barack Obama & Donald Trump
Obama, who was without wife Michelle Obama, sat alongside Trump ahead of the president-elect’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
JD Vance
The vice-president elect, who will formally step into his new leadership role later this month, was also among the attendees.
Justin Trudeau & Prince Edward
Canada’s prime minister, who recently announced his plan to resign, was seated alongside King Charles III‘s brother.
Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, Doug Emhoff, Barack Obama, Donald Trump & Melania Trump
The political leaders stood in honor of Carter at the Washington National Cathedral.
Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kamala Harris & Doug Emhoff
Kamala Harris, George W. Bush & Laura Bush
The vice president shared a moment with the former president and former first lady.
Al Gore
Bill Clinton & Hillary Clinton
The former president and former secretary of state, who’ve been married since 1975, were among the attendees.
Kamala Harris & Doug Emhoff
Donald Trump & Melania Trump
Source: www.eonline.com