By Andy Sullivan and Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. leaders on Tuesday paid tribute to former President Jimmy Carter — who had the longest and most admired post-presidency in history — as he laid in state at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday ahead of his funeral on Thursday.
Members of Congress and several Supreme Court justices gathered around Carter’s (NYSE:) flag-draped coffin under the Capitol dome. Several praised Carter’s actions as the 39th president and the humanitarian work he pursued for decades after leaving office in 1981.
“Jimmy Carter was an all too rare example of a gifted man who also walked with humility, modesty and grace,” said Vice President Kamala Harris, who belongs to the Democratic Party as Carter did.
Republicans John Thune, Senate leader, and Mike Johnson, House of Representatives speaker, also spoke as Carter family members and other lawmakers observed. Among them were Democratic senators…
