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George Bush Is Lying in State. Here’s What That Means. | |
(4 months later) | |
Updated: Dec. 4 | |
This week, former President George Bush became the 32nd person to lie in state in the United States Capitol, joining a short list of American leaders to have their coffins displayed at the Rotunda for public viewing. Mr. Bush was the second person this year to lie in state, after Senator John McCain in August. | |
Dating to 1852, the practice is among the rarest of posthumous tributes for government officials in the United States. As such, the language and customs of the ceremony might be unknown to many. | |
Here are some of the basics. | Here are some of the basics. |
[Follow our live briefing for coverage of former President George Bush’s funeral.] | |
The terms are often used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences. | The terms are often used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences. |
By strict definitions, lying in state is reserved for those who served in the government, and it applies only to the time their coffins are displayed in the Capitol or a government building, either in Washington or at the state level. The ceremony is accompanied by a military guard. | By strict definitions, lying in state is reserved for those who served in the government, and it applies only to the time their coffins are displayed in the Capitol or a government building, either in Washington or at the state level. The ceremony is accompanied by a military guard. |
If the ceremony is outside a capitol building, it is described as lying in repose. | If the ceremony is outside a capitol building, it is described as lying in repose. |
Anyone not from government whose remains are put in public view in a government building is said to be lying in honor, accompanied by a Capitol Police guard. | Anyone not from government whose remains are put in public view in a government building is said to be lying in honor, accompanied by a Capitol Police guard. |
[What brings United States presidents together? Often, their funerals] | |
That said, “lying in state” is often used colloquially for private citizens, as when a long line of visitors paid respects to Aretha Franklin at the Wright Museum in Detroit in August. She was not technically lying in state in the governmental sense, but most news outlets, including The New York Times, used the phrase. | |
Aside from the 32 people to lie in state, four private citizens have lain in honor at the Capitol: the Rev. Billy Graham, the Christian evangelist, in February; Rosa Parks, the civil rights leader, in 2005; and two Capitol Police officers, Jacob J. Chestnut and John Gibson, who were shot in the Capitol in 1998. | |
No specific criteria decide who is chosen, beyond the approval of Congress and the consent of the deceased’s family. | No specific criteria decide who is chosen, beyond the approval of Congress and the consent of the deceased’s family. |
Twelve have been presidents: Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Harding, Taft, Kennedy, Hoover, Eisenhower, Johnson, Reagan, Ford and now Bush. | |
After he died in August, Mr. McCain became the 13th senator to lie in state, including some who later reached the White House. The last senator to lie in state was Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, in 2012. | |
The list also includes House members, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Adm. George Dewey, J. Edgar Hoover of the F.B.I., unknown soldiers of major wars in the 20th century, and Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the planner who designed the layout of Washington. | The list also includes House members, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Adm. George Dewey, J. Edgar Hoover of the F.B.I., unknown soldiers of major wars in the 20th century, and Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the planner who designed the layout of Washington. |
[See a full list here.] | [See a full list here.] |
Until the early 20th century, lying in state ceremonies were typically reserved for presidents or members of Congress who died in office, said Betty K. Koed, a historian at the United States Senate. Now, it depends on what the family wants. To her knowledge, nobody has been denied the honor. | Until the early 20th century, lying in state ceremonies were typically reserved for presidents or members of Congress who died in office, said Betty K. Koed, a historian at the United States Senate. Now, it depends on what the family wants. To her knowledge, nobody has been denied the honor. |
“Some families are more private than others,” Ms. Koed said. “Some are comfortable in the public eye and some are not.” | “Some families are more private than others,” Ms. Koed said. “Some are comfortable in the public eye and some are not.” |
President Harry S. Truman opted not to lie in state because he “hated those big ceremonies,” said Steve Livengood, director of public programs and chief guide at the United States Capitol Historical Society. “He knew his wife never wanted to be first lady and hated Washington and she would have to live through his funeral.” | |
Mr. Bush’s coffin will be displayed atop the catafalque — a wooden platform covered in fabric — built for Abraham Lincoln’s coffin in 1865. | |
Members of the public are invited into the Capitol until 7 a.m. on Wednesday. | |
The crowds to see people lying in state can be in the tens of thousands if it’s a presidential ceremony. Large crowds also lined up to see Ms. Parks lying in honor. | The crowds to see people lying in state can be in the tens of thousands if it’s a presidential ceremony. Large crowds also lined up to see Ms. Parks lying in honor. |