National Day of Mourning for President Carter, America's 39th President
SILVER CITY, NM, January 6, 2025 – President Biden signed an executive order declaring Thursday, January 9, 2025, as a National Day of Mourning, following the death of America's 39th President, Jimmy Carter on December 29, 2024. All offices of the Gila National Forest will be closed Jan. 9 in President Carter's memory.
President Carter is the longest-lived president in U.S. history, being the first to survive to 100 years of age. Following his single term as U.S. President from January 1977 to January 1981, Carter established the Carter Center to promote and expand human rights and was a key figure with the non-profit housing organization, Habitat for Humanity. His post-political life is marked by a focus on improving human rights, advocating for healthcare and disease eradication, diplomacy, and advocating for expansion of democracy worldwide. His worldview is perhaps best encapsulated by his quote:
"The measure of a society is found in how they treat their weakest and most helpless citizens. As Americans, we are blessed with circumstances that protect our human rights and our religious freedom, but for many people around the world, deprivation and persecution have become a way of life."
All Gila National Forest offices will resume normal business hours on Friday, January 10. For more information contact Maribeth Pecotte at 575-388-8211 or
