Gov. Janet Mills has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff across Maine through late January, honoring the nation’s 39th president, Jimmy Carter, in the wake of his death.
United States and Maine state flags will be lowered through Jan. 28, Mills’ office said in a statement Monday.
Carter died Sunday at his home in Georgia after a lengthy stay in hospice care. At 100, Carter was the oldest-ever former U.S. president.
In an earlier statement issued shortly after Carter’s death was announced, Mills said he “led a remarkable life centered around service to others.”
“He was the moral conscience of a nation whose words and deeds demonstrated that the human capacity for kindness and goodness is limitless,” Mills said. “America has lost a true model of servant leadership. On behalf of the people of Maine, I extend my deepest sympathies to the Carter family.”
Mills’ order follows U.S. flag code, which stipulates that flags be flown at half-staff for a period of 30 days following the death of a former president.
President Joe Biden declared Jan. 9 a national day of mourning. In a statement, Biden noted Carter’s postpresidential history as a human rights icon.
“Following his Presidency, President Carter advanced an agenda that elevated the least among us,” Biden said. “Guided by an unwavering belief in the power of human goodness and the God‑given dignity of every human being, he worked tirelessly around the globe to broker peace; eradicate disease; house the homeless; and protect human rights, freedom, and democracy.”
Many in Maine celebrated when Carter turned 100 in October, recalling visits during the campaign and after he landed in the White House.
Carter visited Maine several times during his presidency, including staying with a family in Bangor in 1978 to campaign for U.S. Sen. Bill Hathaway. Years earlier, during the 1976 campaign, Carter hosted a luncheon at a motel in Portland.
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