The gestures of remembrance have all been selected to reflect the 39th president’s rural roots and political career in Georgia and Washington, and his legacy of global advocacy.

© Audra Melton for The New York Times

Nicholas Kristof on what the former president’s legacy meant to him — and the world.

We in the media and chattering class jeered at a man who probably improved more lives over a longer period than any other recent president.

What the 39th president did before he got to the White House is as interesting as what came after.