Thursday marks a national day of mourning for Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29 at the age of 100.

In a proclamation after Mr. Carter’s death, President Biden called him “a man of character, courage and compassion.”

In announcing the day of mourning, he said: “I call on the American people to gather at their respective places of worship on this day to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter Jr. I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us on this solemn day of remembrance.”

What happens

The day of mourning will take place on the same day as Mr. Carter’s funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. President Biden will deliver a eulogy at the funeral, and a eulogy from Gerald R. Ford, who died in 2006, will be read by his son Steven Ford.

American flags at the White House, public buildings, military bases, naval ships and U.S. embassies around the world were arranged to honor Mr. Carter for the 30 days after his death.

What is closed

On December 30, President Biden ordered “all executive departments and agencies of the federal government to close on January 9,” except those necessary for “national security, defense, or other public needs.” Federal employees will continue to be paid for this day.

The Postal Service will stop mail delivery and close post offices, but there will still be limited package delivery service, a spokesman said.

National parks generally remain open, but their administrative offices remain closed.

The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will also close, as will the United States Supreme Court and other federal courts, as well as the Library of Congress.

Past Presidents

The last national day of mourning for a president was in December 2018 after the death of George HW Bush.

The story is long. The government closed for a day of “humiliation and mourning” on June 1, 1865, six weeks after Abraham Lincoln was shot. Citizens were urged to gather at “their respective places of worship” to remember the fallen president. Banks and insurance companies also closed, but the post office only remained closed for half a day.

Presidents who died in office after Lincoln were also honored, including James Garfield, William McKinley, Warren G. Harding and Franklin Roosevelt.

Lyndon Johnson’s first presidential statement announced a day of mourning for John F. Kennedy, three days after his assassination in 1963.

More recently, comparatively routine deaths of presidents after their terms in office have also been marked with a day of mourning, including for Dwight Eisenhower in 1969 and Harry S. Truman in 1972; Lyndon Johnson in 1973 and Richard Nixon in 1994.

Ronald Reagan was honored in 2004 and Gerald Ford in 2007.

It wasn’t just presidents who were celebrated with a day of mourning. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were each honored after their assassinations in 1968.