Lying in State or Honor in the U.S. Capitol by Non-Members of Congress

Lying in State or Honor in the U.S. Capitol by Non-Members of Congress

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

INSIGHTi

Lying in State or Honor in the U.S. Capitol by Non-Members of Congress

Updated January 15, 2025

From January 7 to January 9, 2025, President James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. lay in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. On December 30, 2024, House and Senate leaders issued a joint letter to announce that President Carter would lie in state.

President Carter was the 43rd individual to lie in state or honor in the Capitol Rotunda or National Statuary Hall. Prior to President Carter, the most recent individual to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda was Senator Harry Reid, on January 12, 2022, and the most recent individual to lie in state in National Statuary Hall was Representative Donald Young, on March 29, 2022. The most recent individual to lie in honor was Colonel Ralph Puckett, Jr., on April 29, 2024.

Lying in State v. Honor

Lying in State Current or former government officials (e.g., Member of Congress, President, Vice President); military leaders; unknown servicemembers from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era. Lying in Honor Other Honorees

Of the 43 individuals to have lain in state or honor to date (excluding four unknown soldiers from World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam who lay in state), 18 did not serve in Congress (see Table 1). Figure 1 shows President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft lying in state on March 11, 1930.

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IN11510

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Figure 1. Lying in State of President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft

March 11, 1930

Source: B.C. Mossman and M.W. Stark, “Chapter 2: Former President William Howard Taft State Funeral, 8-11 March 1930,” The Last Salute: Civil and Military Funerals 1921-1969 (Washington, DC: Department of the Army, 1991).

Since President Lincoln’s death in 1865, the caskets of most individuals who have lain in state or honor have rested on the Lincoln catafalque. The Lincoln catafalque is a platform constructed in 1865 “to support the casket of Abraham Lincoln while the president’s body lay in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.”

Authorization Process

When an individual lies in state or honor in the Rotunda—a space jointly controlled by the House of Representatives and the Senate—a concurrent resolution is often used to authorize the event. For example, for Representative John Lewis in July 2020, two concurrent resolutions (H.Con.Res. 106—use of the Lincoln Catafalque; and H.Con.Res. 105—use of the Rotunda) were agreed to. For President Carter, the House and Senate agreed to a single resolution (S.Con.Res. 3) to authorize both President Carter lying in state and the use of the Lincoln Catafalque. In at least one instance, for President Gerald Ford, Congress was out of session and a concurrent resolution was not adopted.

When an individual lies in state or honor in National Statuary Hall, a space controlled by the House of Representatives, the Speaker often announces the event through a press release. For example, in September 2020, Justice Ginsburg lay in state in National Statuary Hall and Speaker Pelosi issued a press release to announce the occasion.

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Non-Members of Congress Lying in State or Honor

President Carter was the 18th individual to lie in state or honor who was not also a Member of Congress. Additionally, four unknown soldiers (World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam) have lain in state. Table 1 lists the individuals who have lain in state or honor who did not serve as Members of Congress, the date of their death, the date of lying in state or honor, and the positions they held in government, if any.

Table 1. Lying in State and Honor by Non-Members of Congress

Individual Date of Death

Date of Lying in State or

Honor Position

Lying in State

Pierre Charles L’Enfant June 14, 1825a April 28, 1909 Planner, Architect

George Dewey January 16, 1917 January 20, 1917 U.S. Navy Admiral

William Howard Taft March 8, 1930 March 11, 1930 President, Chief Justice

John Joseph Pershing July 15, 1948 July 18-19, 1948 General of the U.S. Armies

Douglas MacArthur April 5, 1964 April 8-9, 1964 General of the U.S. Army

Herbert Clark Hoover October 20, 1964 October 23-25, 1964 President, Cabinet Secretary

J. Edgar Hoover May 2, 1972 May 3-4, 1972 FBI Director

Ronald Reagan June 5, 2004 June 9-11, 2004 President, Governor

Ruth Bader Ginsburg September 18, 2020 September 25, 2020 Associate Supreme Court Justice

James Earl Carter, Jr. December 29, 2024 January 7-9, 2025 President, Governor

Lying in Honor

Officer Jacob J. Chestnut, Jr. July 24, 1998 July 28, 1998 Capitol Police Officer

Detective John M. Gibson July 24, 1998 July 28, 1998 Capitol Police Officer

Rosa Parks October 24, 2005 October 30-31, 2005 Civil Rights Leader

Reverend Billy Graham February 21, 2018 February 28-March 1, 2018 Minister

Officer Brian D. Sicknick January 7, 2021 February 2-3, 2021 Capitol Police Officer

Officer William “Billy” Evans April 2, 2021 April 13, 2021 Capitol Police Officer

Chief Warrant Officer Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams

June 29, 2022 July 14, 2022 Last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient

Colonel Ralph Puckett, Jr. April 8, 2024 April 29, 2024 Last surviving Korean War Medal of Honor recipient

Unknown Soldiers

Vietnam Conflict — May 25-28, 1984 —

World War II — May 28-30, 1958 —

Korean War — May 28-30, 1958 —

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IN11510 · VERSION 11 · UPDATED

World War I — November 9-11, 1921 —

Source: Compiled by CRS from U.S. Congress, Architect of the Capitol, “Those Who Have Lain in State or in Honor in the Rotunda,” April 2024; and U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Historian, “Individuals Who Have Lain in State or in Honor.” Notes: a. Pierre Charles L’Enfant’s remains were brought to the Capitol to lie in state prior to being reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery. See S.Con.Res. 2 (61st Congress), agreed to March 26, 1909; and Arlington National Cemetery, “Pierre Charles L’Enfant.”

Author Information

Jacob R. Straus Specialist on the Congress

Disclaimer

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.