US Politics
Post office in Plains, Georgia, to be renamed to honor Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter
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A small-town post office is about to see a big change.
The post office in Plains, Georgia — home to just over 500 people — is set to be renamed in honor of the town’s most famous residents: the late former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
The Plains Post Office will be renamed the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Post Office on Wednesday after Congress passed a bill last year implementing the change. The post office’s new name will be celebrated with a ceremony at the Plains Community Center.
“This dedication ceremony will celebrate the Carters’ significant contributions to society, and the building will serve as a lasting symbol of their legacy and inspire future generations to engage in service and advocacy for those in need,” the Post Office said in a statement, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
The former president grew up in Plains and returned there after losing his reelection bid in 1980. The Carters are buried on the grounds of the former president’s childhood home and farm, which has since been preserved as a national historical park.
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The couple’s son, James “Chip” Carter III, is expected to attend the Wednesday celebration. Rosalynn Carter’s sister, Lillian Allethea Smith Wall, is also set to make an appearance, according to local outlet 11Alive.
Georgia Representative Sanford Bishop introduced a bill to rename the post office in September. Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock seconded the bill.
“Renaming the post office in Plains, Georgia, in honor of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter is a tribute to their lifelong service,” Ossoff said at the time. “The Carters have left an indelible mark on our nation and the world. A post office named in their honor in Plains is a small but fitting tribute to their legacy.”
The former president died at 100 in December 2024, one month before the bill was signed into law. The former first lady died at 96 in November 2023.
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Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, served in the White House from 1977 to 1981. He is known for both his political career, and humanitarian service after leaving Washington, including building homes for Habitat for Humanity.
Former President Joe Biden hailed Jimmy Carter’s “strength of character” as he delivered his eulogy in January.
“A white southern Baptist who led us on civil rights, a decorated Navy veteran who brokered peace, a brilliant nuclear engineer who led on nuclear nonproliferation, a hard-working farmer who championed conservation and clean energy … through it all, he showed us how character and faith start with ourselves and then flows to others,” Biden said of the former president.