When Washington died at his Mount Vernon plantation on December 14, 1799, Congress, then meeting in Philadelphia, selected Henry Lee III to give a eulogy. Mock funerals were held all over the United States. An elaborate mock funeral was held in Philadelphia on December 26. At dawn, sixteen cannons were fired and volleys were shot on a half-hour basis. An empty casket was carried in a procession which consisted of two marines wearing black scarves escorting a riderless horse festooned with black and white feathers, and a bald eagle depicted on the horse's breast. A religious service was held at the German Lutheran Church officiated by the Reverend William White, an Episcopal Church in the United States bishop.[6] Washington's death was mourned not just in his own country; the news of his death had a profound effect in Europe. In France, Napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul, asked Louis-Marcelin de Fontanes to give a eulogy and ordered a ten-day requiem.[citation needed] In Britain, the Royal Navy was ordered to lower flags at half-mast on its entire fleet.[7]
Washington's actual funeral was a simple ceremony, organized by the local Masonic lodge and held on December 18. In his will, Washington stated, "[I]t is my express desire that my Corpse may be Interred in a private manner, without parade, or funeral Oration." The funeral procession consisted of the president's casket mounted on and using a caisson, foot soldiers, clergy, and a caparisoned, riderless horse. Upon arrival at a red brick tomb on a hillside in the environs of Mount Vernon, the casket was placed on a wood bier for grieving mourners to gather around for a final viewing and clergy to conduct funeral rites. Reverend Thomas Davis, rector of Christ Church, Alexandria, read the Episcopal Order of Burial. Next, the Reverend James Muir, minister of the Alexandria Presbyterian Church, and Dr. Elisha Dick, conducted the traditional Masonic funeral rites.[8]
Two former presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, died within hours of each other on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson's funeral, held in Charlottesville, Virginia, was simple. No invitations were sent out for the religious service officiated by Reverend Frederick Hatch at the Episcopal Church in Charlottesville. Only friends and family members gathered at his gravesite on the grounds of Monticello. It is likely that Jefferson's casket was wooden, built by Monticello slave John Hemings.[9] The funeral of John Adams at the First Congregational Church (now known as the United First Parish Church) in Quincy, Massachusetts, was held on July 7 and was attended by an estimated crowd of 4,000 people. Pastor Peter Whitney officiated the service. Although many people in Boston wanted Adams's funeral to be held at the State House using taxpayer money, this idea was rejected by the Adams family. Nevertheless, cannons were fired from Mount Wollaston, bells were rung, and the procession that took the president's casket from the Adams' home to the church was followed by Massachusetts Governor Levi Lincoln Jr., Harvard University President John Thornton Kirkland, members of the state legislature, and United States Congressman Daniel Webster.[10]
History of presidential state funerals in Washington
Early Days
The first state funeral was for William Henry Harrison, who died on April 4, 1841, after only one month in office. As he was the first U.S. president to die in office, there was no established way of mourning a deceased incumbent president. Alexander Hunter, a Washington merchant, was commissioned to plan the ceremony. Hunter had the White House draped in black ribbon and ordered a curtained, upholstered black and white carriage to carry Harrison's casket.[11] An invitation-only religious service was held in the East Room. Dirges were played by the United States Marine Band during the funeral procession to the Congressional Cemetery where interment occurred.[12]
When Zachary Taylor died on July 9, 1850, 1year, 4months into his term of office, he was given a state funeral similar in its details to Harrison's. Behind Taylor's black-and-white caisson, his horse "Old Whitey" followed riderless, with a pair of riding boots reversed in the stirrups.[12]
It was not until the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, that the United States experienced a period of true national mourning, made possible by innovations like the railroad and telegraph. Inconsolable, Mary Todd Lincoln did not attend Lincoln's religious service in the East Room, which was conducted by Reverend Phineas D. Gurley.[12] On the Easter Sunday after Lincoln's death, clergymen around the nation praised the president in their sermons.[13] Millions of people witnessed Lincoln's funeral procession from Washington, D.C., on April 19, 1865,[14] as his casket was transported 1,700 miles (2,700km) through New York City to Springfield, Illinois.[15] Lincoln was the first president to lie in state in the United States Capitol Rotunda.[16]
The remains of James A. Garfield arrived in the nation's capital on September 21, two days after his death. A floral arrangement was mounted on his casket, complemented with ornate "stuffed doves of peace". A large crowd of mourners numbering over 100,000 people viewed his casket as he lay in state in the Capitol rotunda.[12]
A guard of honor carrying the casket of William McKinley up the center steps of the Capitol for the lying in state on September 17, 1901.
When the funeral train of William McKinley arrived in Washington, D.C., on September 16, 1901, two days after his death, the casket was taken to the East Room in the White House where a lavish display of palms, fruit trees, and floral arrangements transversed into the Cross Hall. The following day, McKinley's casket was transported to the Capitol rotunda to lie in state.[12]
Warren G. Harding died unexpectedly in San Francisco on August 2, 1923. When Harding's funeral train arrived at Washington Union Station on August 7, the casket was taken to the East Room in the White House. The following morning, the casket was mounted on a caisson and taken to the Capitol to lie in state. A funeral service was held in the presence of members of Congress, the Cabinet, and dignitaries inside the Capitol rotunda. The silver casket was covered with a flag, a spread eagle, and topped off with red, white, and blue flowers personally designed by Harding's widow Florence.[12]
Former president William Howard Taft, who at the time of his death was the sitting Chief Justice of the United States, was given a state funeral in Washington, D.C., on March 11, 1930, three days after his death. He lay in state in the Capitol rotunda and a funeral service was held at All Souls' Unitarian Church. Herbert Hoover had offered the East Room in the White House for the service. However, the president's widow, Helen Taft, decided that it would be more appropriate at the church of which the president was a member. Justices of the United States Supreme Court acted as honorary pallbearers.[17]
Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, in Warm Springs, Georgia, early into his fourth term. Due to ongoing participation of the United States in World War II, it was decided that he would not be accorded a state funeral, as any public display of ceremonial pomp during a time of war was deemed inappropriate while American G.I.'s were dying overseas. His body lay in repose in the East Room of the White House. A private funeral service was conducted there; only family members, close friends, high government officials, members of both chambers of the Congress, and heads of foreign missions attended. Though there was no lying in state in the Capitol rotunda, flags were lowered to half-staff at the White House and the Capitol.[18] After private funeral services were held in Washington, D.C., Roosevelt's remains were transported on a funeral train to his Hyde Park, New York residence, Springwood Estate, for interment.[12]
John F. Kennedy
President John F. Kennedy lying in state in the United States Capitol Rotunda on November 24, 1963
John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Kennedy's body was brought back to Washington after his assassination. Early on November23, six military pallbearers carried the flag-draped coffin into the East Room of the White House, where he lay in repose for 24hours.[19][20] Then, the coffin was carried on a horse-drawn caisson to the Capitol to lie in state. Throughout the day and night, hundreds of thousands lined up to view the guarded casket,[21][22] with a quarter million passing through the rotunda during the 18 hours of lying in state.[21]
Dying in his suite at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on October 20, 1964, Herbert Hoover had made plans in 1958 for a state funeral. Accorded with full military honors, over 70 soldiers from the First Army at Fort Jay on Governors Island in the city as guards of honor during the funeral service held at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church on October 22. When Hoover's casket arrived in Washington, D.C., on October 23, his remains lay in state in the Capitol rotunda for two days before they were flown to West Branch, Iowa, for interment.[26]
A guard of honor carrying the remains of Dwight D. Eisenhower down the center steps on the east front of the Capitol on March 31, 1969.
When Dwight D. Eisenhower died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on March 28, 1969, plans for his state funeral had already been drawn up earlier, in 1966, although they were somewhat altered by the Eisenhower family. With a strong emphasis on military rites in honor of Eisenhower's contribution as Supreme Allied Commander during World War II, ceremonial and religious aspects also called for flags to be lowered to half-staff for 30 days, a lying in state in the Capitol rotunda, as well as a religious service held at Washington National Cathedral.[27]
Ronald Reagandied on June 5, 2004, in Los Angeles, California, from complications of Alzheimer's disease. A state funeral occurred in Washington, D.C., and Simi Valley, California, where Reagan was interred at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. 200,000 mourners (5,000 per hour) filed past Reagan's casket in the Capitol rotunda June 9–11, 2004.[29] Over two dozen world leaders listened to eulogies given by President George W. Bush, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during a national funeral service held at Washington National Cathedral.[30][31]
A guard of honor carries the remains of Gerald Ford down the east steps of the Capitol to an awaiting hearse on January 2, 2007.
George H. W. Bushdied on November 30, 2018, in Houston, Texas, from complications of Parkinson’s Disease.[33] Departing from Ellington Airport on December 3, Bush’s remains were transported on a Boeing VC-25 dubbed “Special Air Mission 41” to Washington for a state funeral. After an arrival at Joint Base Andrews and a brief ceremony in the Capitol rotunda where members of Congress, the Supreme Court and the Bush family paid tribute to the life of the president, Bush’s remains lay in state for public viewing until the morning of December 5.[34] On December 5, a funeral service was held at Washington National Cathedral with eulogies delivered by Bush’s son and former president, George W. Bush, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, former Senator Alan Simpson, and historian and author Jon Meacham. President Donald Trump declared a national day of mourning on the day of the state funeral. In addition to Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, guests included former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter. Several world leaders including Polish President Andrzej Duda, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan, and Charles, Prince of Wales representing Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II attended the funeral service.[35] After the funeral service at the Cathedral, Bush’s remains were flown back to Texas where his remains lay in repose and a private funeral service was conducted at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston on December 6. Bush’s remains then traveled for two hours and twenty-five minutes via a Union Pacific 4141 funeral train from Spring to College Station, Texas. Interment and burial occurred at the George Bush Presidential Library.[36]
Presidential funerals not taking place in Washington
Ulysses S. Grant died on July 23, 1885, after a battle with throat cancer that had been extensively covered by the press. His funeral was held August 8, 1885, in New York, featuring a funeral procession of 60,000 men as well as a 30-day, nationwide period of mourning. People who eulogized him likened him to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, then the nation's two greatest heroes.[37]
On April 18, 1994, Richard Nixonsuffered a stroke in his Park Ridge, New Jersey home and died four days later at New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. Despite being a former president eligible for the honor of a full state funeral, and in keeping with Nixon’s expressed personal wishes prior to his death, his family opted for a subdued funeral service on the grounds of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California.[38][39] Consensus was held by members of the Nixon family that had any events occurred at the Capitol, visitors might not be respectful towards the memory of Nixon.[40] After his death, Nixon’s remains were flown to California in an Air Force jet where his body lay in repose at his presidential library from the morning of April 26 until his funeral service the following day. An estimated 42,000 people passed by Nixon’s casket in order to pay their respects. Eulogies were delivered by President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Senator Bob Dole, California Governor Pete Wilson, and Reverend Billy Graham. Also in attendance were former Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and their wives. After the funeral service concluded, Nixon was buried beside his wife Pat.[41][42][29][43]
History of non-presidential state funerals
The casket bearing the remains of George Dewey, the only person to attain the rank of Admiral of the Navy in recognition of his 1898 naval victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, was carried by honor guards down the center steps at the Capitol on January 20, 1917.
The funeral procession on Pennsylvania Avenue for the unknown soldier of World War I in Washington, D.C., on November 11, 1921.
Two unknown soldiers who gave their lives serving overseas in the Armed Forces during World War II and the Korean War lay in state in the Capitol rotunda, May 28–30, 1958.
The first non-presidential state funeral was for Thaddeus Stevens in 1868. When Stevens died on August 11, mourners came to his home in Washington, D.C., to pay their respects, including U.S. Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts. Stevens's remains were transported by a cavalry regiment to the Capitol where he lay in state in the rotunda on August 13, 1868, until the morning of August 14. After a short funeral service, Stevens's remains were taken to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for interment.[44]
In 1921, a state funeral was conducted for the Unknown Soldier of World War I. The idea of honoring the unknown dead of World War I originated in Europe, the first being the United Kingdom and France on November 11, 1920. Other nations such as Italy soon followed this custom. At first, the idea of honoring a fallen and unknown soldier from World War I was met with resistance in the United States since there was no established place for burial of a fallen soldier similar to Westminster Abbey in London or the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. In addition, all American servicemen who fought in the war were in the process of being identified and accounted for by the Army Graves Registration, unlike the British and French who had many unknown dead. By 1920, a resolution in Congress was proposed for such an honor and by March 4, 1921, Public Resolution 67 was approved by the 66th United States Congress for the construction of the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Congress on October 20, 1921, declared November 11, 1921, the third anniversary of Armistice Day, a legal holiday. The War Department then began a selection process of an unknown soldier. Four bodies were exhumed from four cemeteries; Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, Somme American Cemetery and Memorial, and St. Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial in France. During the selection ceremony at Châlons-sur-Marne, it was Edward F. Younger of Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 50th Infantry, American Forces in Germany who selected the third casket from left that contained an unknown soldier to be honored with a state funeral in Washington D C. and for burial at Arlington. In Washington, D.C., the unknown soldier was escorted to the Capitol in a funeral procession on November 9. With lying in state occurring in the rotunda, some 90,000 people on November 9–10 filed past the casket that rested on the Lincoln Catafalque. A funeral service was conducted at the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater in the presence of President Warren G. Harding. Interment and burial of the unknown soldier with military rites took place at the newly constructed tomb.[45]
On July 15, 1948, General of the ArmiesJohn J. Pershing died at Walter Reed Army Hospital. Initially, plans for a state funeral were drawn up ten years earlier when it seemed that the general was near death. The plan was kept a closely guarded secret and during those ten years, Pershing's funeral was revised. As a military man and as one of the highest ranking commissioned officers in the United States Army, Pershing insisted that his state funeral be a military one. His remains lay in repose in the chapel at Walter Reed Army Hospital. During the state funeral scheduled for July 17–19, 1948, the public would be admitted to view Pershing lying in state in the Capitol rotunda and a funeral procession from the Capitol to Arlington National Cemetery would occur. A funeral service was held at the Memorial Amphitheatre and interment was given with military rites at the gravesite in Arlington National Cemetery. A proposal to posthumously award Pershing a six-star rank was swiftly dropped in favor of the four-star rank that the general attained in his military career.[46]
Like the Unknown Soldier of World War I, it was decided in June 1946 by the 79th United States Congress that a state funeral and burial in Arlington National Cemetery would be given to an unknown soldier after the end of World War II. However, the selection process would be simplified—an unidentified serviceman was to be chosen from each of the following: the European area, the Far East area, the Mediterranean zone, the Pacific area, the former Africa-Middle East zone now part of the Mediterranean zone, and the Alaskan Command chosen by one of five representatives of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, each of whom had received the highest award of his service during World War II. Plans for a state funeral was to occur between May 27–30, 1950, but this was shelved because of the outbreak of the Korean War. Interest though was revived in August 1955 long after the war concluded and on August 2, 1956, the 84th United States Congress enacted Public Law 975 that authorized the burial of an unknown soldier of the Korean War in addition to the unknown soldier of World War II. The two caskets bearing the remains of the two unknown soldiers rested atop two catafalques in the Capitol rotunda. Lying in state occurred from May 28–30, 1958. A funeral procession of two horse-drawn caissons traveled from the Capitol on Constitution Avenue, 23rd Street, Arlington Memorial Bridge, and Memorial Drive to Arlington National Cemetery. As the funeral cortege reached the Memorial Gate, twenty jet fighters and bombers passed overhead with one plane missing from each formation. A funeral service was held at the Memorial Amphitheatre attended by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Vice President Richard Nixon, and members of Congress. A burial service conducted with military rites included a three-volley salute, the playing of Taps, and the folding of flags. It is estimated that over 4,800 members of the Armed Forces participated in the state funeral of the unknown soldiers of World War II and the Korean War.[47]
A state funeral was held for General of the ArmyDouglas MacArthur in 1964. President John F. Kennedy had authorized a state funeral for MacArthur and President Lyndon B. Johnson confirmed Kennedy's directive. Funeral plans drawn up in 1958 called for seven days rather than four days of ceremonial events. When MacArthur died on April 5, 1964, at Walter Reed Army Hospital, his remains were transported to New York City, where he lay in repose at the Seventh Regiment Armory. Mounted city police from the New York City Police Department, soldiers from the First Army, and cadets from the United States Military Academy participated in the funeral procession on Park Avenue, 66th Street, 57th Street, Fifth Avenue, Broadway and Seventh Avenue en route to Pennsylvania Station. A funeral train transported MacArthur's remains from New York to Washington Union Station in Washington, D.C. A funeral procession on both Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues using a horse-drawn caisson took the General's remains to the Capitol for lying in state. Over the course of two days, April 8–9, over 150,000 people filed past MacArthur's casket in the Capitol rotunda. A third funeral procession occurred on Constitution Avenue that included a flyover of fifty Air Force planes over the column in salute as the horse-drawn caisson neared the site of the casket transfer to a hearse. MacArthur's remains were then transported to Washington National Airport and flown to Naval Station Norfolk on a Lockheed C-130 Hercules. A fourth funeral procession occurred in the streets of Norfolk, stopping at the MacArthur Memorial where lying in repose occurred in the rotunda from April 9–11. After a religious service was held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on April 11 in Norfolk for an invited 400 guests, a fifth and final horse-drawn procession back to the MacArthur Memorial occurred. A three-volley salute, the folding of the flag, and a 19-gun salute accorded to a five-star rank of general, which MacArthur possessed, was fired before burial in a crypt.[48]
On August 25, 2012, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon, died after complications from coronary artery bypass surgery. Congressman Bill Johnson from Armstrong's home state of Ohio, led calls for President Barack Obama to authorize a state funeral in Washington, D.C. Throughout his lifetime, Armstrong shunned publicity and rarely gave interviews. Mindful that Armstrong would have objected to a state funeral, his family opted to have a private funeral in Cincinnati.[49] His remains were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean during a burial-at-sea ceremony on September 14, 2012, aboard the USS Philippine Sea.[50]
Many presidents have been interred in cemeteries, tombs, crypts, vaults, in the grounds at a place of residence, and inside cathedrals. Some examples include the following. The remains of George Washington were interred in a tomb at his Virginia plantation, Mount Vernon, in 1799. After falling into disrepair as well as grave robbers attempting to steal the remains of Washington, a new and more secure vault was constructed at Mount Vernon in 1831.[53]Thomas Jefferson was interred at the Monticello Graveyard in the grounds of his Virginia plantation, Monticello, in 1826.[9] The remains of Abraham Lincoln were exhumed and moved a total of seventeen times, the first exhumation occurring in 1865, before the ornate and lavish Lincoln Tomb was finally built for final interment in 1901 at Oak Ridge Cemetery located in Springfield, Illinois.[54]Ulysses S. Grant, who died in 1885, was interred in Riverside Park in New York City where eventually, the construction of Grant's Tomb housing the former president's remains was finally completed and dedicated in 1897.[55] The remains of Woodrow Wilson were interred in a sarcophagus inside Washington National Cathedral in 1924.[56][57] In 1933 Calvin Coolidge was interred with minimal ceremony in the village cemetery in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, becoming the last president to be buried in a public cemetery.[58]William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy were interred at Arlington National Cemetery in the years 1930 and 1963 respectively.[59][60]
In the United States, a sitting president while in office will immediately issue a presidential proclamation allowing for the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures in the federal government, such as a former president, and others, as a mark of respect to their memory.[64] When such a proclamation is issued, all government buildings, offices, public schools and military bases are to fly their flags at half-staff. Under federal law (4 U.S.C. §7(f)), the flags of states, cities, localities, and pennants of societies, shall never be placed above the flag of the United States. Thus, all other flags also fly at half-staff when the flag of the United States has been ordered to fly at half-staff. Protocol dictates that flags will be flown at half-staff for a period of thirty days for a former president, beginning at the time a presidential proclamation is made effective. At the discretion of the sitting president, he will also issue an executive order which authorizes the closure of all federal departments, agencies, and buildings on a national day of mourning during a state funeral.
On the day after the death of a president, a former president, or a president-elect unless the day falls on a Sunday or holiday, in which case the honor will be rendered the following day, the commanders of Army installations with the necessary personnel and material traditionally order that one gun be fired every half hour, beginning at reveille and ending at retreat. On the day of interment for a president, a 21-gun salute traditionally is fired starting at noon at all military installations with the necessary personnel and material. Guns will be fired at one-minute intervals. Also on the day of interment, those installations will fire a 50-gun salute with one round for each of the 50 U.S. states and at five-second intervals immediately following a lowering of the flag. 19-gun salutes are reserved for deputy heads of state, chiefs of staff, cabinet members, and 5-star generals. For each flag rank junior to a five-star officer, two guns are subtracted.
Most state funerals include a nine-person honor guard acting as pallbearers (also known as body bearers) from all six branches of the Armed Forces, a series of gun salutes using cannons from the Presidential Salute Battery of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment "The Old Guard", flyovers in missing man formation, various musical selections performed by military bands and choirs, a military chaplain for the immediate family, and a flag-draped casket or pall.[65]
A horse-drawn caisson transporting the casket of Warren G. Harding in front of the North Portico entrance of the White House, August 1923.
A horse-drawn caisson transporting the casket of Ronald Reagan on Constitution Avenue en route to the Capitol on June 9, 2004.
A funeral procession occurs during a state funeral on Pennsylvania or Constitution Avenue en route to the United States Capitol. Every funeral procession is led by a civilian police escort, usually by the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.[69] Next, the formal, ceremonial aspects of a procession are organized. A funeral procession uses a four-wheeled caisson to transport the flag-draped casket, which was originally intended to carry a 75mm cannon when it was built in 1918. The caisson is drawn by a draft-mix of 6 same-colored horses with three riders and a section chief mounted on a separate horse from the United States Army Caisson Platoon of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment "The Old Guard". In addition, 2 sets of four body bearers (8 total) will march on foot alongside both sides of the caisson transporting the flag-draped casket. The entire funeral procession is composed of three march units consisting of National Guard, reserve, active-duty, and academy personnel that represent the six branches of the United States Armed Forces.[65] Moving at 3 miles per hour,[70] the funeral procession begins in sight of the White House and travels to the United States Capitol. For former presidents, the casket is unloaded from a hearse and transferred to a caisson at 16th Street and Constitution Avenue in view of the South Lawn.[2] The funeral procession then proceeds down Constitution Avenue. For sitting presidents, the casket is transferred at the North Portico entrance of the White House. Thereafter, the funeral procession proceeds down Pennsylvania Avenue. Two exceptions for this funeral procession were made during the state funerals of Gerald Ford on December 30, 2006, and George H. W. Bush on December 3, 2018. Respecting Ford's and Bush’s personal wishes of not having a funeral procession using a horse-drawn caisson, their caskets were transported in hearses to the United States Capitol. For Ford, the procession stopped at the National World War II Memorial in order to pay tribute to his service in the United States Navy during World War II.[71][72]
The riderless horse named "Sergeant York", during the funeral procession on June 9, 2004, for Ronald Reagan, with a ceremonial sword attached to the saddle and a pair of the president's boots reversed in the stirrups.
Next, a single honor guard will march on foot holding the reins of a caparisoned, riderless horse with a set of boots reversed in the stirrups, symbolizing a fallen warrior who will never ride again which also betokens the commander's parting look on his troops, who march behind.[65] The equipment mounted on the caparisoned, riderless horse varies according to color of the horse. If black, a saddle blanket, saddle, and bridle are mounted on the horse. If any other color, the horse carries a folded hood and cape, along with a blanket, saddle and bridle. For presidential state funerals, the presidential seal is emblazoned on the blanket, four inches from the bottom.[72] The inclusion of a riderless horse in a funeral procession dates back to the death of George Washington in 1799 when a caparisoned, riderless horse carried Washington's saddle, holsters, and pistol during the president's funeral. In 1865, Abraham Lincoln was honored by the inclusion of a riderless horse at his state funeral. When Lincoln's funeral train reached Springfield, Illinois, his horse "Old Bob", who was draped in a black mourning blanket, followed the funeral procession and led mourners to the president's burial plot.[73] The most famous riderless horse was "Black Jack" who was foaled January 19, 1947, and was the last of the Quartermaster-issue horses branded with the Army's "US" brand. He was named after General of the Armies John J. "Black Jack" Pershing. He participated in the state funerals of John F. Kennedy, Herbert Hoover, and Lyndon B. Johnson, as well as the state funeral of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.[74] The deceased president's family, who are accompanied by federal government officials, will follow behind the funeral procession in a presidential motorcade.[65]
During the funeral procession midway between the White House and the Capitol as the caisson passes through the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 4th Street, N.W., a flyover consisting of 21 tactical fighter aircraft from the United States Air Force, will fly in formation as a single lead aircraft followed by 5 flights of four aircraft each. The #3 aircraft in the final flight executes the maneuver of missing man low enough to be clearly seen by on-looking spectators below.[65]
The funeral procession traditionally ends at the center steps on the east front of the Capitol. Exceptions were made for Lyndon B. Johnson, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford. Johnson's casket was carried up the Senate wing steps because the center steps were blocked with construction scaffolding from the second inauguration of Richard Nixon which occurred just days earlier.[75] As a break with tradition, Reagan, as former Governor of California, requested that his casket be carried up the steps of the Capitol's West Front facing California.[76] Ford, as a former member of the United States House of Representatives, requested that his casket be carried up the House wing steps.[77]
Funeral processions on Pennsylvania Avenue
Military units seen marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., during the state funeral for Abraham Lincoln on April 19, 1865.
Pennsylvania Avenue has been used for eight presidential funeral processions, including the four who died by assassination.[78] In 1841, William Henry Harrison was escorted up the avenue by twenty-six pallbearers, one for each of the twenty-six U.S. states in the Union. On July 13, 1850, the funeral procession for Zachary Taylor on Pennsylvania Avenue stretched for over two miles. On April 19, 1865, a cortege numbering an unprecedented 30,000 people escorted the remains of Abraham Lincoln on the avenue from the White House to the Capitol. In 1881, the body of James A. Garfield was escorted on Pennsylvania Avenue by the new president, Chester A. Arthur, and ex-President Ulysses S. Grant. Returned to Washington, D.C., ten days earlier by a funeral train, the remains of William McKinley were escorted on the rain-dampened avenue from the White House to the Capitol on September 17, 1901. Carriages bearing the new president, Theodore Roosevelt, and ex-President Grover Cleveland, preceded the marchers. On August 8, 1923, Warren G. Harding was honored by a cavalry escort led by General John J. Pershing during the president's funeral procession on the avenue to the Capitol. Kennedy's casket rode on the same caisson that had borne Franklin D. Roosevelt's body on Constitution Avenue eighteen years earlier,[79][78] making Roosevelt the only president to die in office whose funeral procession did not take place on Pennsylvania Avenue.[80] After Lyndon B. Johnson died in 1973, his funeral procession went down Pennsylvania Avenue, but from the Capitol, as it was on the way to National City Christian Church, as the funeral services were held there on January 25.[28]
The funeral procession of Admiral George Dewey and his flag-draped casket on a horse-drawn caisson at the 200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue on January 20, 1917.
Members of the public paying their respects in the Capitol rotunda during the lying in state of George H. W. Bush on the evening of December 3, 2018.
Shortly after the casket is moved onto the floor of the Capitol rotunda and placed on top of the Lincoln Catafalque,[81] members of the United States Congress gather to pay tribute. A program which includes eulogies, a benediction, prayers, and the laying of floral wreaths will be conducted. Afterward, the president's remains lie in state or an honoree's remains lie in honor for public viewing. Although lying in state continues for a period of at least 24 hours, it differs from lying in honor. Five honor guards, each representing a branch of the Armed Forces, will face the flag-draped casket while holding their rifles with their right hand and keeping the rifle butt resting on the floor. These honor guards will periodically rotate in order to relieve previous honor guards during their constant vigil over the casket. A mass public viewing is permitted during the lying in state until one hour before the next departure ceremony begins.[82]
Religious service
Over 2,100 people attended the Episcopal funeral service for Dwight D. Eisenhower at Washington National Cathedral on March 31, 1969.
A national funeral service, with a religious theme, is traditionally held at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., or at another church, depending on the president's religious faith. Funeral services for Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and George H.W. Bush were held at the Cathedral.[83] William Howard Taft had his funeral at All Souls' Church, Unitarian, where he was a congregant.[84] John F. Kennedy's requiem mass was held at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, as he was a Roman Catholic.[23][85] A funeral service was held for Lyndon B. Johnson at National City Christian Church, as he worshipped there often while president.[86][28]
Various foreign dignitaries, heads of state, royalty, and government officials attend. On the matter of seating arrangements, the family of the deceased is immediately followed by federal government officials, and then by foreign heads of state who are arranged alphabetically by the English spelling of the countries in which they represent. Royalty representing heads of state, such as princes and dukes, come next, followed by foreign heads of government, such as prime ministers and premiers.[87] During the funeral service, military top brass sit in the north transept and extended family members sit in the south transept, if the funeral service is held at Washington National Cathedral. The length of these religious services has varied. More recent ones have tended to include multiple eulogies and thus have been longer. Eisenhower's was roughly thirty minutes. Bush's was slightly over two hours.[88]
Immediately after the national funeral service is completed, the casket travels to its final resting place for interment. Before the mid-20th century, the casket was moved long distances across the nation by a funeral train procession, where thousands of mourners would line the railroad tracks to pay homage. VIP transport in recent decades between the deceased president's home state and Washington, D.C., has been aboard one of the two Boeing VC-25 jets (tail codes SAM 28000 and SAM 29000) in the presidential fleet which are operated by the 89th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Andrews. As protocol dictates, any deceased president whose remains are flown on an Air Force jet are not entitled to use the call sign Air Force One since this call sign is exclusively reserved for any aircraft in the Air Force with a sitting and living president aboard. The departure and arrival ceremonies held at Joint Base Andrews as well as at the final destination of interment are met with honor guards, a military band, and a 21-gun salute as the casket is loaded on and unloaded off the aft section of a Boeing VC-25. Because of air transportation in the modern era, it has now become possible for a funeral service and interment to be completed within the same day, as seen during the state funerals of Lyndon B. Johnson in January 1973[89][28] and Ronald Reagan in June 2004.[90] However, there were two notable exceptions for Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1969 and George H. W. Bush in 2018. Instead of using a Boeing VC-137C jet (tail code SAM 26000) which at the time typically served the role as Air Force One, a funeral train was used to carry and transport Eisenhower’s casket. Departing from Washington Union Station in Washington, D.C., on March 31, 1969, Eisenhower's funeral train arrived in his hometown of Abilene, Kansas, on April 2, 1969. Interment inside the 'Place of Meditation' located on the grounds of the Eisenhower Presidential Library occurred later that day.[68] Although Bush’s casket was flown back to Texas from Washington using a Boeing VC-25 on December 5, 2018, his remains were transported on December 6, 2018, for interment at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station using a funeral train that was powered by a specially painted EMD SD70ACe locomotive known as Union Pacific 4141.[91]
A final component of a state funeral, as is typically offered during military funerals for fallen veterans, is the folding of the flag of the United States and its presentation to the next of kin. The flag draped over the casket is meticulously folded twelve times by a total of eight honor guards, four on each side of the casket. Next, an honor guard representing one of the five branches of the Armed Forces will present the flag to the next of kin by kneeling in front of the recipient, holding the folded flag waist high with the straight edge facing the recipient, while leaning toward the recipient. Until 2012, depending on the service of the selected honor guard chosen to present the flag to the next of kin, each of the five military branches used slightly different wording.[93]
The premier military bands from the five branches of the Armed Forces have an approved musical repertoire that they perform while marching on Pennsylvania or Constitution Avenue. The use of muffled drums and bagpipes are common as well.
Solo musicians who are globally acclaimed have also performed during a funeral service, a recent example being Irish tenor Ronan Tynan who at the request of First Lady Nancy Reagan, sang Amazing Grace at Washington National Cathedral during the Reagan state funeral in 2004.[102] During the Ford state funeral in 2007, renowned Metropolitan Opera singer Denyce Graves sangThe Lord’s Prayer by Albert Hay Malotte at the Cathedral during the homily.[99] In 2018, Irish tenor Ronan Tynan was invited again to the Cathedral to sing during the Bush state funeral. His musical selections included Malotte’s The Lord’s Prayer and Last Full Measure of Devotion by Larry Grossman. In addition, Christian contemporary soloist Michael W. Smith sang Friends, a piece of music attributed to him.[100] Other venues, such as National City Christian Church invited American soprano Leontyne Price to sing Take My Hand, Precious Lord during Lyndon B. Johnson's state funeral in 1973.[103][104]
Thaddeus Stevens lay in state in the Capitol rotunda on August 13, 1868. A statue of Abraham Lincoln situated behind Stevens' casket was credited to "Henry J. Ellicott".
Lyndon B. Johnson, members of Congress and the Kennedy family view the lying in state of John F. Kennedy in the Capitol rotunda on November 24, 1963.
Richard Nixon, members of Congress and the Johnson family view the lying in state of Lyndon B. Johnson in the Capitol rotunda on January 24, 1973.
The remains of Ronald Reagan lying in state in the Capitol rotunda on June 10, 2004, as mourners and spectators file past his casket.
Dick Cheney, members of Congress and the Ford family view the lying in state of Gerald Ford in the Capitol rotunda on December 30, 2006.
Members of the public view the lying in state of George H. W. Bush in the Capitol rotunda on December 3, 2018.
Since the death of Henry Clay in 1852, the United States Capitol rotunda has served as the venue for honoring 34 military officers and politicians - including 12 presidents - with a lying in state. Not all who lie in state nor all for whom flags are flown at half-staff, receive a state funeral. A distinction is made between recipients who are permitted to lie in state and those who lie in honor. Incumbent and past government officials whose remains are placed in the rotunda for view by the public to pay their respects will lie in state. Individuals other than members of the government will lie in honor.[105] The rotunda has been used five times for six individuals who have lain in honor: four members of the United States Capitol Police killed defending the building (two in 1998 and two in separate incidents in 2021); civil rights activist Rosa Parks in 2005; and evangelist and minister Billy Graham in 2018.[106][107]
When lying in state, six guards of honor, each representing one of the six branches of the Armed Forces, will periodically rotate and relieve the preceding set of guards of honor who watch over the remains. For recipients who have been designated to lie in honor, the United States Capitol Police will act as guards of honor. No law, written rule, or regulation specifies who may lie in state. Use of the Capitol rotunda is controlled by a concurrent resolution of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Any person who has rendered distinguished service to the nation may lie in state if the family so wishes and the United States Congress approves. In the case of unknown soldiers, the president or the appropriate branch of the Armed Forces initiates the action.[108]
People who have lain in state in the United States Capitol rotunda are as follows:[109]
Detailed funeral arrangements have emerged for Jimmy Carter: a 411-page document outlining a state funeral for Carter has been filed with the Military District of Washington, including a national funeral service at Washington National Cathedral, and a public viewing of the former president's remains at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Carter has stated that his final interment and burial will be in the front yard of his family's residence, which is now a component of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains, Georgia.[123]
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a historic funerary monument dedicated to deceased U.S. service members whose remains have not been identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, United States. The World War I "Unknown" is a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the Victoria Cross, and several other foreign nations' highest service awards. The U.S. Unknowns who were interred are also recipients of the Medal of Honor, presented by U.S. presidents who presided over their funerals. The tomb is watched over by a military sentinel, with a regular changing of the guard ceremony taking place at the tomb. The monument has no officially designated name.
A catafalque is a raised bier, box, or similar platform, often movable, that is used to support the casket, coffin, or body of a dead person during a Christian funeral or memorial service. Following a Roman Catholic Requiem Mass, a catafalque may be used to stand in place of the body at the absolution of the dead or used during Masses of the Dead and All Souls' Day.
A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards of honor, the firing of volley shots as a salute, drumming and other military elements, with a flag draping over the coffin.
A riderless horse is a single horse without a rider and with boots reversed in the stirrups, which sometimes accompanies a funeral procession. The horse, sometimes caparisoned in black, follows the caisson carrying the casket. A riderless horse can also be featured in parades to symbolize either fallen soldiers, fallen police officers or deceased equestrian athletes. A motorcycle can be used as a substitute for a horse though such practice is very rare.
After Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, a three-week series of events was held to mourn the death and memorialize the life of the 16th president of the United States. Funeral services, a procession, and a lying in state were first held in Washington, D.C., then a funeral train transported Lincoln's remains 1,654 miles (2,662 km) through seven states for burial in Springfield, Illinois. Never exceeding 20 mph, the train made several stops in principal cities and state capitals for processions, orations, and additional lyings in state. Many Americans viewed the train along the route and participated in associated ceremonies.
Lying in state is the tradition in which the body of a deceased official, such as a head of state, is placed in a state building, either outside or inside a coffin, to allow the public to pay their respects. It traditionally takes place in a major government building of a country, state, or city. While the practice differs among countries, in the United States, a viewing in a location other than a government building, such as a church, may be referred to as lying in repose. It is a more formal and public kind of wake or viewing. Lying in state often precedes a state funeral.
On June 5, 2004, Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, died after having Alzheimer's disease for over a decade. Reagan was the first former U.S. president to die in 10 years since Richard Nixon in 1994. At the age of 93 years, 120 days, Reagan was the longest-lived U.S. president in history at the time of his death, a record which was surpassed by Gerald Ford on November 12, 2006. His seven-day state funeral followed. After Reagan's death, his body was taken from his Bel Air home to the Kingsley and Gates Funeral Home in Santa Monica, California, to prepare the body for burial. On June 7, Reagan's casket was transported by hearse and displayed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, then flown to Washington, D.C., on June 9 for a service, public viewing and tributes at the U.S. Capitol.
Lying in repose is the tradition in which the body of a deceased person, often of high social stature, is made available for public viewing. Lying in repose differs from the more formal honor of lying in state, which is generally held at the principal government building of the deceased person's country and often accompanied by a guard of honour.
Between 73 and 79 days after the presidential election, the president-elect of the United States is inaugurated as president by taking the presidential oath of office. The inauguration takes place for each new presidential term, even if the president is continuing in office for a second term.
Michael Joseph Blassie was a United States Air Force officer who was killed in action during the Vietnam War in May 1972. Prior to the identification of his remains, Blassie was the unknown service member from the Vietnam War buried at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. After his remains were identified by DNA testing in 1998, they were reburied at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County, Missouri.
The United States Capitol building features a central rotunda below the Capitol dome. Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart".
On December 26, 2006, Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States, died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California at 6:45 p.m. local time. At 8:49 p.m. local time, his wife of 58 years, Betty Ford, issued a statement announcing his death. The causes of death listed on the death certificate were arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease and diffuse arteriosclerosis.
The Lincoln catafalque is a catafalque constructed in 1865 to support the casket of Abraham Lincoln while the president's body lay in state in the Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C. The catafalque has since been used for many who have lain in state in the Capitol rotunda.
The state funeral of U.S. President John F. Kennedy took place in Washington, D.C., during the three days that followed his assassination on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president of the Republic of Turkey, died at the Dolmabahçe Palace, his official residence in Istanbul, on 10 November 1938. His state funeral was held in the capital city of Ankara on 21 November, and was attended by dignitaries from seventeen nations. His body remained at the Ethnography Museum of Ankara until 10 November 1953, the fifteenth anniversary of his death, when his remains were carried to his final resting place at Anıtkabir.
A military funeral in the United States is a memorial or burial rite conducted by the United States Armed Forces for a Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airman, Guardian or Coast Guardsman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or a president. A military funeral may feature guards of honor, the firing of volley shots as a salute, drumming and other military elements, with a flag draping over the coffin.
On November 30, 2018, George H. W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, died from vascular Parkinson's syndrome at his home in Houston, Texas. Bush was the first former U.S. president to die in nearly 12 years since Gerald Ford in late 2006. At the age of 94 years, 171 days, Bush was the longest-lived U.S. president in history at the time of his death, a record that was surpassed by Jimmy Carter on March 22, 2019; both were born in the same year (1924).
Sully is a Labrador Retriever employed as a service dog for disabled military veterans in the United States. He served with the former president of the United States, George H. W. Bush, during the last six months of his life, ending with Bush's death on November 30, 2018. He received international attention for his role during Bush's state funeral.
The District of Columbia Army National GuardHonor Guard is the Army National Guard's official Honor Guard program for the District of Columbia. The mission of the DCARNG Honor Guard is to provide military funeral honors (MFH) to qualifying veterans and participate in ceremonial and special events. Based on the mission and support needed, selected members of the Air National Guard's Honor Guard program are required to work jointly with the DCARNG to support missions that fall under the DCNG as a whole. The DCARNG Honor Guard program is assigned to the District of Columbia National Guard (DCNG) Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) Command.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, died from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer on September 18, 2020, at the age of 87. Her death received immediate and significant public attention; a vigil at the Supreme Court plaza in Washington, D.C., was held that same evening. Memorials and vigils were held in several U.S. cities, including Chicago, New York City, and San Francisco.
↑ Picone, Louis L. (2016). The President is Dead!: The Extraordinary Stories of the Presidential Deaths, Final Days, Burials, and Beyond. Skyhorse. ISBN9781510703766.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
