Governor Mills Directs Flags Lowered in Honor of Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter

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A factual summary is pending editorial review. The complete official release is reproduced below with issuer attribution and a direct link to the original publication.

Official release

Source material from Maine Governor’s Office. The wording below is the issuer’s statement.

November 22, 2023

Flags should be lowered beginning on Saturday, November 25

In accordance with a directive of the President, Governor Janet Mills has ordered that the United States and State of Maine flags be lowered to half-staff statewide in honor of the late former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 96. Consistent with the President’s directive, flags should be lowered this Saturday, November 25, and remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of Mrs. Carter’s interment, Wednesday, November 29.

Governor Mills previously issued the following statement honoring Mrs. Carter’s life and legacy:

“Few people have impacted as many lives as Rosalynn Carter. Rising from humble roots in Plains, Georgia, Mrs. Carter redefined the role of First Lady and used her platform to champion mental health and the performing arts. After leaving the White House, Mrs. Carter co-founded the Carter Center with her husband. Together, as full partners, they improved public health, eradicated disease, and strengthened freedom and democracy across the globe. Mrs. Carter’s extraordinary legacy will live on through the millions of lives she touched and all who will grow up in a safer, healthier, and freer world. On behalf of the people of Maine, I extend my deepest sympathies to President Carter and the Carter family.”

The full text of the President’s proclamation is as follows:

Throughout her life as First Lady of Georgia and First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn Carter exemplified hope, warmth, and a steadfast commitment to doing all she could to address many of our society’s greatest needs. She was a champion for equal rights and opportunities for women and girls; an advocate for mental health and wellness for all; and a supporter of the often unseen and uncompensated caregivers of our children, aging loved ones, and people with disabilities. Above all, the deep love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership, and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism.

As a mark of respect for the memory of Rosalynn Carter, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions from November 25, 2023, until sunset, on the day of interment. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Release text attributed to Maine Governor’s Office. Consult the official publication for any subsequent corrections or updates.