The nation paused to honor Jimmy Carter for his service as a naval officer, governor and president, and his four decades of humanitarian work after leaving the White House.

At a pomp-filled state funeral, mourners paid tribute to Mr. Carter and argued that he was a more successful leader than many remember. “It’s time to redeem his presidency,” a former aide said.

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, will be honored Thursday with the pageantry of a state funeral in the nation's capital, followed by a second service and burial in his tiny Georgia hometown that launched a Depression-era farm boy to the world stage.