Massachusetts Could Host the Five Living U.S. Presidents in April

We recently marked the sad occasion of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's passing. There have only been 47 presidential administrations in our nation's history. Carter's was the 39th.

A president's funeral is a rare opportunity to see the current and former presidents in the same room.

At the time of Carter's death, Joe Biden was still president. He attended the funeral, as did former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump.

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Several weeks later, the group gathered again for Trump's inauguration.

There may be another gathering of the nation's chief executives this spring in Massachusetts.

The Commonwealth has invited the remaining Commanders in Chief to participate in the re-enactment of the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 2025, the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution.

President Gerald Ford attended the bicentennial re-enactment in April of 1975.

The Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and Massachusetts and the nation are planning a massive celebration to mark next year's semiquincentennial.

READ MORE: President Jimmy Carter's Ties to New Bedford

Massachusetts Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao disclosed the presidential invitations during a recent appearance on WCVB's On the Record but could not say if any of the presidents would attend.

State House News Service quotes Hao as saying, "We've invited all living presidents, and so we don't know the answer to that yet. But we're very hopeful that the national co-chairs, President [Barack] Obama and President George W. Bush, will hopefully join us."

The semiquincentennial celebration is already underway in Massachusetts. Check out the MA20 website for details.