Jimmy Carter, a U.S. president who served only one term but was widely admired for his humanitarian work after leaving the White House, was remembered during his state funeral on Thursday as a man who put honesty and kindness above partisan politics.

Jimmy Carter redefined his legacy after his presidency. Other presidents, especially Hoover and Nixon, tried but failed to outrun or outwork their unhappy presidential legacies. Like John Quincy Adams before him, Carter will mostly be remembered for what came after his time in the White House rather than those four years in it—as he should be.

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