Individuals Who Have Lain in State or in Honor
Since Henry Clay in 1852, the U.S. Capitol Rotunda has been used as a place to pay tribute to the Nation’s most distinguished citizens. Made available for public viewing in the Rotunda, persons who have “lain in state” traditionally have been military officers or elected American officials, including 11 U.S. Presidents. In 1998, to recognize two Capitol Police officers who died in the line of duty, Congress granted use of the Rotunda for their caskets to “lie in honor.” Rosa Parks is the third private citizen to lie in honor in the Rotunda.
For a complete list of individuals who have lain in state or lain in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, see The Architect of the Capitol website.
Individuals Who Have Recently Lain in State in the Capitol Rotunda: |
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PRESIDENT GERALD R. FORD (1913-2006) 38th President of the United States (1974–1977)The 38th President, the 40thVice President, and a Member of the House of Representatives [1949-1973, Republican Leader, 1965-1973], Gerald R. Ford was the 11th President to have lain in state in the U.S. Capitol. Lay in State: December 30, 2006, to January 2, 2007 |
Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford |
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PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN (1911-2004) 40th President of the United States (1981–1989)The 40th President and a former Governor of California, Lay in State: June 9-11, 2004 |
Image courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library |
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Individuals Who Have Recently Lain in Honor in the Capitol Rotunda: |
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ROSA PARKS (1913-2005) Civil Rights PioneerRosa Parks, an African-American seamstress whose act of civil disobedience in 1955 galvanized the U.S. civil rights movement, was the first woman and the second black American to lie in honor in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Lay in Honor: October 30-31, 2005 |
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress |