Jimmy Carter, the late U.S. president who served only one term in office and 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.

President Joe Biden spoke of his friendship with Jimmy Carter that started in 1974 when Biden was the first sitting Democratic senator to endorse the late president.

As the 39th president is eulogized in Washington National Cathedral, Biden tells mourners his long-ago predecessor “taught me ... the strength of character.”