This is a list of people who have received a state funeral.
In the United States, state funerals are held in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., and involve military spectacle, ceremonial pomp, and religious observance. As the highest possible honor bestowed upon a person posthumously, state funerals are an entitlement offered to a sitting or former President of the United States, a President-elect, as well as other people designated by the President. [22] [23] Administered by the Military District of Washington (MDW), state funerals are greatly influenced by protocol, steeped in tradition, and rich in history. However, the overall planning as well as the decision to hold a state funeral, is largely determined by the President before his death and the First Family. [24]
State funerals have been held in Washington D.C. for:
.Australian bushman and entrepreneur R.M Williams 2003
Victoria has held the most state funerals in Australia, including:
State funerals are generally offered to former Governors, Premiers, Deputy Premiers, Speakers of the House of Assembly, Chief Justices and other senior public officials.
The offer of a state funeral is a decision of the Cabinet.
State funerals are generally offered to former Governors, Premiers, Deputy Premiers, Speakers of the House of Assembly, Chief Justices and other senior public officials.
The offer of a state funeral is at the discretion of the Chief Minister. People who have received state funerals include:
Cambodia held state funerals for the following people:
Other personalities who received a state funeral:
State funerals has been arranged on the respective dates:
State funerals are infrequent in North Korea. [95] Funerals, and who appears on official funeral committees, are considered important cues on power hierarchies of North Korean politics. [96] According to a tradition inherited from the Soviet Union, the chairperson of the funeral committee of a deceased leader of North Korea is beyond all doubt the next leader. This held true when Kim Il Sung died in 1994 and was succeeded by Kim Jong Il, who in turn was succeeded by Kim Jong Un in 2011. [97]
Pakistan held the state funerals for the following people:
The Philippines held the state funerals for the following people:
A state funeral was arranged for the following people on their deathbed on the respective date:
Another type of funeral in Singapore is a state-assisted funeral. Similar to a state funeral, the deceased may or may not be entitled to a ceremonial gun carriage, though he/she does not lie in state in the Istana. Such funerals are accorded to:
Previously, there were national funerals (국민장) and state funerals (국장). However, in 2009, the funeral of Roh Moo-hyun was held as a national funeral and that of Kim Dae-jung as a state funeral. This sparked controversy over the formality of the funeral, and the revision of the law in 2011 merged the two types of funerals into the state funeral (국가장).
State funerals in South Korea are a mix of the Western and Korean funeral traditions, which are modern adaptations of the rites held in the funerals of Emperors of Korea.
The following individuals have received state or national funerals in South Korea;
In Thailand, state funerals are mostly analogous to the royal funerals held for the monarch and members of the Royal Family. Royal ceremonies are also held for the cremation of the supreme patriarch and senior members of the Buddhist clergy.
A state funeral was arranged for the following people on their deathbed on the respective date:
In Cyprus state funerals are made for former Presidents.
82 people have been awarded the honour of state funeral, among them:
The state funerals (obsèques nationales) are awarded by decree of the President of the French Republic to especially eminent Frenchmen and women. It was held for:
State Funerals have been held for presidents, prime ministers and archbishops.
A state funeral in Portugal is regulated by a Government decree, later promulgated by the President of the Republic.
In Russia, during the time of the Soviet Union (1917–1991), the state funerals of the most senior political and military leaders were staged as massive events with millions of mourners all over the USSR. The ceremonies held after the deaths as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko all followed the same basic outline. They took place in Moscow, began with a public lying in state of the deceased in the House of the Unions and ended with an interment at the Red Square. The most notable examples of such state funerals during the Soviet period of Russian history are the ceremonies that were held for Lenin and Stalin, and for the death and funeral of Leonid Brezhnev.
In the second half of the 20th century, whenever a General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union died, the event would first be officially acknowledged by Soviet radio and television. After several days of national mourning, the deceased would be given a state funeral and then buried. Soviet state funerals were often attended by foreign heads of state, heads of government, foreign ministers and other dignitaries from abroad. Following the death of General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev in 1982, there were five days of national mourning. Following the death of General Secretary Yuri Andropov in 1984, a four-day period of national mourning was announced.
The state funeral for a deceased General Secretary would be arranged, managed and prepared by a special committee of the Communist Party that would be formed for the occasion. As the funeral committee would normally be chaired by the deceased's successor, the preparations for Soviet state funerals were usually followed with great interest by foreign political scientists trying to gauge power shuffles within the Communist Party. The allocation of responsibilities during the funeral, appointment of pallbearers and positions within the order of precedence observed during the televised funeral ceremonies in Moscow could often be interpreted as a clue for the future position of Politburo members within the Party. When, after Brezhnev's death in 1982, Yuri Andropov was elected chairman of the committee in charge of Brezhnev's funeral, this was seen as a first sign by First World commentators that Andropov might be the most likely candidate for the position of General Secretary. [200] Prior to interment, the body of the deceased General Secretary would lie in state in the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions which was decorated by numerous red flags and other communist symbols. The mourners, which usually would be brought in by the thousands, shuffled up a marble staircase beneath chandeliers draped in black gauze. On the stage at the left side of the Pillar Hall, amid a veritable garden of flowers, a full orchestra in black tailcoats would play classical music. The deceased's embalmed body, dressed in a black suit, white shirt and a tie, would be displayed in an open coffin on a catafalque banked with carnations, red roses and tulips, facing the long queue of mourners. A small guard of honour would be in attendance in the background. At the right side of the hall there would be placed seats for guests of honour, with the front row reserved for the dead leader's family.
On the day of the funeral, final ceremonies would be held at the Pillar Hall during which the lid of the coffin would be temporarily closed. The coffin would then be carried out of the House of the Unions and placed on a gun carriage drawn by a military vehicle. A funeral parade would then convey the coffin from the House of the Unions to the Red Square. Two officers led the funeral parade, carrying a large portrait of the deceased, followed by a group of numerous soldiers carrying red floral wreaths. A group of general officers would come next, carrying the late leader's decorations and medals on small red cushions. Behind them, the coffin rested atop a gun carriage. Walking immediately behind were the members of the deceased's family. The Politburo leaders, wearing red armbands, came next and led the last group of official mourners. At Brezhnev's funeral, the escort of official mourners included forty-four persons.
As the coffin reached the middle of the Red Square, it would be removed from the carriage and placed on a red-draped bier facing the Lenin Mausoleum, with its lid removed. After a series of funeral speeches, which were delivered by military and political leaders (typically including the deceased's successor as General Secretary, as well as 'ordinary' workers) from the balcony of the Lenin Mausoleum, the coffin would be carried in a procession around the mausoleum to the Kremlin Wall Necropolis just behind it. There, with the most senior mourners looking on, the coffin would be placed on a red-draped bier and the mourners would pay last respects. The coffin's lid would then be closed for the final time and the body lowered into the ground by two men, with handfuls of earth thrown onto the coffin by the senior mourners. The grave would be filled in immediately afterward, while the mourners were still present to watch. Gun salutes would be fired, sirens sounded around the Kremlin and the Soviet national anthem be played. This marked the end of the interment. The senior mourners would then return to the balcony of the Lenin Mausoleum to review a parade on Red Square while the military band would play quick marches. This concluded the state funeral.
With small deviations, the described protocol was roughly the same for the state funerals of Lenin, Stalin, Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko. Lenin and Stalin were placed inside the Lenin Mausoleum while the others were interred in individual graves in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis located behind the mausoleum along the actual Kremlin wall. Stalin's body would lie beside Lenin's in the mausoleum until being moved to the Kremlin Wall Necropolis several years after his death.
In April 2007, the Russian Federation's first President Boris Yeltsin was buried in state funeral after church ceremony at Novodevichy Cemetery. He was the first Russian leader and head of state in 113 years to be buried in a church ceremony, after Emperor Alexander III of Russia. His funeral is the template for all state funerals held in Russia today, but with the addition of prayers at the moment of burial by representatives of the Orthodox Church. In November 2010, the Russian Federation's third Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin was buried in a state funeral in a church ceremony at the Novodevichy Cemetery. He was considered the 3rd Prime Minister in the Russian Federation . In June 2015, the Russian Federation's 5th Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov was buried in a state funeral in a church ceremony at the Novodevichy Cemetery.
Roh Tae-woo was a South Korean army general and politician who served as the sixth president of South Korea from 1988 to 1993. He was the first democratically elected president of South Korea.
Half-mast or half-staff refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salute.
The premier of North Korea, officially the premier of the Cabinet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is the head of government of North Korea and leader of the North Korean Cabinet.
Pak Song-chol or Park Sung-chul was a North Korean politician who served as Premier of North Korea from 1976 to 1977. He succeeded Kim Il. He also served as foreign minister from 1959 to 1970.
The President of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, alternatively styled "President of State Affairs" in official translations, is the supreme leader and head of state of North Korea. The president chairs the State Affairs Commission (SAC), which is the highest leadership institution in North Korea, and serves as the commander-in-chief of the North Korean armed forces.
Yang Hyong-sop was a North Korean politician who served as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1983 to 1998. He subsequently served as Vice President of the Presidium of the SPA from 1998 to 2019.
Kim Il was a North Korean politician who served as Premier of North Korea from 28 December 1972 to 19 April 1976.
Choe Yong-rim is a North Korean politician who served as the Premier of North Korea from June 2010 to April 2013 and was a member of the 6th Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea. He has been described by The New York Times as a "KWP insider" and a "friend of Kim Jong-Il's family." He is honorary vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's parliament.
Vice Marshal Ri Yong-ho was a North Korean military officer who was Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army from 2009 to 2012, as well as a member of the Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea from September 2010 to July 2012.
Kim Yong-ju was a North Korean politician and the younger brother of Kim Il Sung, who ruled North Korea from 1948 to 1994. Under his brother's rule, Kim Yong-ju held key posts including Politburo member in the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) during the 1960s and early 1970s, but he fell out of favour in 1974 following a power struggle with Kim Jong Il. From 1998 until his death in 2021, he held the ceremonial position of Honorary Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), North Korea's parliament.
General Võ Nguyên Giáp, who led the Viet Minh forces during the First Indochina War and the North Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War, died on October 4, 2013, after a long stay at the 108 Hospital in Hanoi. The Vietnam News Agency did not officially confirm it until a day later, when they announced a two-day national funeral to be held the following week, on October 12 and 13, which would be presided by all top-ranking government officials. His body lay in state at the National Funeral House in Hanoi on October 12, before being buried in his home province of Quảng Bình the following day. The funeral was broadcast live nationwide by the state broadcasters VTV and VOV.
The Vice Premier of the Cabinet assists the Premier of North Korea in guiding the work of the Cabinet of North Korea. The office is also alternatively known as Deputy Prime Minister of North Korea.
Kim Jong-suk is a North Korean government official. She is the chairwoman of the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, as well as a former editor-in-chief for the newspaper Minju Choson. She has also been elected as a delegate for every Supreme People's Assembly since 1986.
Choe Son-hui is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Korea. Previously the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, she was appointed Minister on 11 June 2022, becoming the first woman to hold the position and is one of few North Korean women holding a high-level office. In December 2024, she became a member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Sir Winston Churchill, the British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War, died on 24 January 1965, aged 90. His was the first state funeral in the United Kingdom for a non-member of the royal family since Edward Carson's in 1935. It was the last state funeral until Queen Elizabeth II's on 19 September 2022. The official funeral lasted for four days. Planning for the funeral, known as Operation Hope Not, began after Churchill's stroke in 1953 while in his second term as prime minister. After several revisions due to Churchill's continued survival, the plan was issued on 26 January 1965, two days after his death.
Kim Pyong-sik was a North Korean politician who served as Vice President of North Korea and chairman of the Korean Social Democratic Party.
Ryo Chun-seok was a North Korean military officer and politician. Ryo was a general of the Korean People's Army, President of the Kim Il Sung Military University and a member of the Central Committee of the Party. He was delegate to the 12th convocation of the Supreme People's Assembly.
Kim Kwang-jin was a North Korean general and politician. He held the rank of Vice Marshal.
Kim Hwan was a North Korean politician and technocrat who served as a Vice Premier of North Korea.
Ri Thae-sop is a North Korean politician and general. He served as Minister of Social Security and from June 2022 to December as Chief of the General Staff. He is also a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. He served as Commander of the 5th Corps and Commander of the 7th Corps.