Presidential Funerals and Burials: Selected Resources

March 2, 2018 – November 30, 2023 R45121

Presidential Funerals and Burials:
Selected Resources
Updated November 30, 2023
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R45121

Presidential Funerals and Burials: Selected Resources

Summary
This fact sheet provides resources on presidential funerals and burials in the United States. It
contains a brief overview of past practices and selected online resources related to official and
ceremonial protocols, past presidential funerals, congressional documents, and other documents
and books.
Congressional Research Service

Presidential Funerals and Burials: Selected Resources

Brief Overview of Past Practices
When a President dies, a number of activities and events are set in motion. The vast majority of
these activities and events are governed by custom rather than statute, and may be influenced by
the wishes of the deceased President’s family.
Official Actions and Responsibilities
Typically, the incumbent President issues a presidential proclamation that serves as an official
announcement of the death.1 In recent decades, these proclamations have, in accordance with
federal law, 2 directed that U.S. flags should be flown at half-staff for 30 days; the proclamations
have also given specific guidance regarding where the flag should be flown at half-staff. In the
proclamation announcing the death of Ronald Reagan, President George W. Bush issued the
following directive:
the federal flag shall be flown at the White House and on all buildings, grounds, and naval
vessels of the United States for a period of 30 days from the day of his death. I also direct
that for the same length of time, the representatives of the United States in foreign countries
shall make similar arrangements for the display of the flag at half-staff over their
Embassies, Legations, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and
stations.3
Other responsibilities are delegated to the Commanding General, Military District of Washington,
U.S. Army, who is responsible for state funeral arrangements, as described in detail in the Army
pamphlet entitled State, Official, and Special Military Funerals.4 This document also lists those
entitled to a state funeral, including the current President, ex-President, President-elect, and any
other person specifically designated by the current President. An excerpt from the pamphlet on
key responsibilities and delegations follows:5
3. Responsibilities.
a. The President notifies the Congress that he has directed that a State Funeral be
conducted. The Congress, which has sole authority for use of the U.S. Capitol, makes
the Rotunda available for the State Ceremony through its own procedures.6

1 The first incumbent president to issue such a proclamation was John Tyler, in 1841 (announcing the death of William
Henry Harrison, who died of pneumonia 32 days into his presidential term), see John Tyler: “Proclamation 46—
Announcing the Death of William Henry Harrison,” April 13, 1841. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,
The American Presidency Project, at https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/200557.
2 From 4 U.S.C. §7(m): “The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former
President,” and “10 days from the day of death of the Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice of the
United States, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
3 For an example of a recent presidential proclamation with specific directives on where the flag should be flown at
half-staff, see George W. Bush: “Proclamation 7794—Announcing the Death of Ronald Reagan,” June 6, 2004. Online
by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project, at https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/
211297.
4 U.S. Headquarters of the Departments of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Treasury, “State, Official, and
Special Military Funerals,” OPNAVINST 5360.1, December 1965, at https://archive.org/details/DAPAM1-
1/mode/2up. The U.S. Army Military District of Washington Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region
identifies this pamphlet as “the primary regulation that provides direction on state, official and special military
funerals;” see http://www.usstatefuneral.mdw.army.mil/docs/default-document-library/faq-sf-military-questions.pdf?
sfvrsn=a486b034_0.
5 Ibid., p. 7.
6 For example, see https://www.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/senate-concurrent-resolution/115.
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Presidential Funerals and Burials: Selected Resources

b. The Secretary of Defense is the designated representative of the President of the
United States. The Secretary of the Army is the designated representative of the
Secretary of Defense for the purpose of making all arrangements for State Funerals in
Washington, D.C. This includes participation of all Armed Forces and coordination
with the State Department for participation of all branches of the Government and the
Diplomatic Corps.
c. The Commanding General, Military District of Washington, U.S. Army as the
designated representative of the Secretary of the Army, will make all ceremonial
arrangements for State Funerals in Washington, D.C. and will be responsible for the
planning and arranging of State Funerals throughout the continental United States.
Many variations and combinations of ceremonies and traditional events and activities honoring
the former President are possible. A short list of these possibilities includes the following:
• A former President’s remains may lie in repose for one day and then be moved to
the Capitol Rotunda to lie in state, during which time a funeral ceremony and
public viewing may occur.7
• A former President, as former Commander-in-Chief, is entitled to burial and
ceremony in the Arlington National Cemetery.8 If, however, the former President
is to be buried outside of Washington, DC, honors may be rendered at a train
station, terminal, or airport that serves as a point of departure for the remains.9
• Other honors that may be rendered during ceremonies include musical honors,10
gun and cannon salutes,11 and a U.S. Air Force coordinated flyover.
Recent Practices
Most recently, following former President George H. W. Bush’s death on November 30, 2018,
President Donald J. Trump announced the death and issued a proclamation that U.S. flags on all
federal facilities be flown at half-staff for 30 days. The proclamation also appointed December 5,
2018, as a National Day of Mourning throughout the United States.12 On December 1, 2018,

7 Ibid., p. 8; “the remains will normally lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda for approximately 24 hours, depending on the
ceremonial requirements and desires of the President and the next of kin.”
8 Arlington National Cemetery, “Eligibility for Interment (Ground Burial of Casketed or Cremated Remains),” at
https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Funerals/Scheduling-a-Funeral/Establishing-Eligibility/Ground-Burial. Two former
Presidents are buried in the National Cemetery: William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy.
9 U.S. Headquarters of the Departments of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Treasury, “State, Official, and
Special Military Funerals,” Army Pamphlet 1-1, December 1965, p. 9, https://archive.org/details/DAPAM1-
1/mode/2up.
10 Musical honors include the playing of “Ruffles and Flourishes,” in which drums play the ruffles and bugles play the
flourishes. Presidents receive four flourishes, the highest honor. “Hail to the Chief” is then played. For a brief guide to
the U.S. Army Ceremonial Band’s ceremonial music (and downloadable music files), see http://www.usarmyband.com/
watch-listen/ceremonial-music-guide.html.
11 For more information, see U.S. Headquarters of the Departments of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the
Treasury, “State, Official, and Special Military Funerals,” OPNAVINST 5360.1, December 1965, p. 69; and U.S.
Department of Defense, American Forces Press Service, “Military Tradition to Be Evident in Ford Funeral Events,”
December 29, 2006, at https://www.army.mil/article/1163/military_tradition_to_be_evident_in_ford_funeral_events.
12 Donald J. Trump: “Proclamation 9830—Announcing the Death of George Herbert Walker Bush,” December 1, 2018.
From the American Presidency Project at https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-9830-announcing-
the-death-george-herbert-walker-bush.
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Presidential Funerals and Burials: Selected Resources

President Trump also issued Executive Order 13852, which directed the closing of federal offices
and agencies on the national day of mourning.13
Former President Bush then lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda from December 3 to December
5,14 with subsequent services on December 5 at Washington National Cathedral.15 Services for the
former President were also conducted on December 6 in Houston, Texas, with interment
following at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.16
Military Participation, Ceremony, and Protocol
State Funerals in the United States of America (Military District of Washington
Joint Force Headquarters, National Capital Region)
This website contains information on the evolution of state funerals, military honors for former
Presidents, ceremonial traditions of past state funerals (including lying in state or repose),
military honors, and FAQs. See the menu at the top left of the home page to access this
information.
http://www.usstatefuneral.mdw.army.mil/
State, Official, and Special Military Funerals (U.S. Departments of the Army,
Navy, Air Force, and Treasury)
This web-archived Navy pamphlet outlines state and official funeral policy, and it contains
detailed information on funeral eligibility, procedures, and sequences of events.
https://web.archive.org/web/20201018060622/https://www.secnav.navy.mil/doni/Directives/0500
0%20General%20Management%20Security%20and%20Safety%20Services/05-
300%20Manpower%20Personnel%20Support/5360.1.pdf.
Past Presidential Funerals
White House Historical Association
The White House Historical Association has published a number of online articles and other
content on past funerals. A few selected articles are as follows:
• A Presidential Funeral
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/a-presidental-funeral

13 Since at least 1969 (the year of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s death), the incumbent President has issued an executive
order, a proclamation, or both providing for a temporary closure of government departments and agencies. The 2018
Executive Order is at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/04/2018-26552/providing-for-the-closing-of-
executive-departments-and-agencies-of-the-federal-government-on.
14 U.S. House of Representatives, History, Art and Archives: “Individuals Who Have Lain in State or in Honor,” at
https://history.house.gov/Institution/Lie-In-State/Lie-In-State/
15Jim Garamone, “America bids goodbye to President George H.W. Bush,” United States Army, December 6, 2018,
https://www.army.mil/article/214680/america_bids_goodbye_to_president_george_hw_bush.
16 Emma Bowman, “George H.W. Bush to Lie in State at the Capitol and Be Buried in Texas,” National Public Radio,
December 2, 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/12/02/672639505/george-h-w-bush-to-lie-in-state-at-the-capitol-and-be-
buried-in-texas.
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Presidential Funerals and Burials: Selected Resources

• Arlington’s Ceremonial Horses and Funerals at the White House
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/arlingtons-ceremonial-horses-and-funerals-at-
the-white-house-1
• Modern Mourning Observations at the White House
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/modern-mourning-observations-at-the-white-
house
To search for and view images, documents, and other materials on presidential funerals, see the
Association’s digital library:
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/digital-library
Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral has been the location of funeral and memorial services for several
U.S. Presidents. The following is a video on presidential funerals from the Cathedral’s YouTube
channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YymMSf8XE8c
All the Presidential funerals held at the Cathedral are also listed in the Cathedral’s historical
timeline:
https://cathedral.org/discover/history/timeline/
Presidential Libraries and Museums
Presidential libraries and museums provide preservation of and access to historical materials,
including funeral information.17 Materials might be viewable online within digital collections at
each individual library’s website:
https://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries
The Library of Congress
The Library of Congress has collected many historical papers, images, audio recordings, films,
narratives, and other content related to presidential funerals. Collections may be searched and
might be viewable online.
https://www.loc.gov/
For help finding specific items, librarian and reference specialists at the main reading room can
provide assistance:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/
Videos of Services and Memorials for Selected Presidents
• George H. W. Bush: https://www.c-span.org/video/?455342-1/president-george-
hw-bush-state-funeral-service
• Gerald R. Ford: https://www.c-span.org/video/?195963-1/gerald-ford-michigan-
service-burial
• Ronald W. Reagan: https://www.c-span.org/video/?182165-1/ronald-reagan-
funeral-service

17 For example, funeral service information at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum website, at
https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/grf/Funeral/faq.asp.
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Presidential Funerals and Burials: Selected Resources

• Richard M. Nixon: https://www.c-span.org/video/?56426-1/president-nixon-
funeral
• Lyndon B. Johnson: https://www.c-span.org/video/?182212-1/lyndon-johnson-
funeral-service
• Harry S. Truman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nfo1UjjJXE
• Dwight D. Eisenhower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6sxKCFMoDo
• Herbert Hoover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtZLxjsX39Q
• John F. Kennedy: https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKWHF/
WHN28/JFKWHF-WHN28/JFKWHF-WHN28
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: https://www.c-span.org/video/?298665-1/president-
franklin-roosevelt-funeral
Congress and Presidential Funerals
Individuals Who Have Lain in State
Eleven U.S. Presidents have “lain in state” at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda:
http://history.house.gov/Institution/Lie-In-State/Lie-In-State/
The Lincoln Catafalque in the U.S. Capitol
The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) provides a brief history of President Lincoln’s funeral and his
catafalque. When not in use, the Lincoln catafalque is kept in a specially constructed display area
in the Exhibition Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center.
https://www.aoc.gov/blog/lincoln-catafalque-us-capitol
Memorial Addresses and Tributes in the U.S. Congress
Concurrent resolutions have authorized commemorative compilations of tributes delivered in
Congress for several former Presidents. For example, see President Ford’s tribute collection:
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDOC-110hdoc61/pdf/CDOC-110hdoc61.pdf
To locate these tribute collections for Presidents, https://www.govinfo.gov/ may be searched.
Architect of the Capitol—Database of Images
The AOC has an onsite database of approximately 1,000 images of state funerals at the Capitol
for the following presidents: Kennedy, Hoover, Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Reagan and
Ford. The images depict presidents lying in state in the Rotunda and related funerary ceremonies
occurring at the Capitol. For more inquiries into accessing the images, congressional staff may fill
out an agency contact form at https://www.aoc.gov/contact-form.
Selected Books
• Martin Nowak, The White House in Mourning: Deaths and Funerals of
Presidents in Office (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2010).
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Presidential Funerals and Burials: Selected Resources

• Brady Carlson, Dead Presidents: An American Adventure Into the Strange
Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation’s Leaders (New York: W.W.
Norton, 2017).
• Brian Lamb and C-SPAN, Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb: a Tour of Presidential
Gravesites. (New York: Perseus Books Group, 2010).
• Ambassador Mary Mel French, “Ceremonies: State and Official Funerals,” in
United States Protocol: The Guide to Official Diplomatic Etiquette (Lanham,
MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2010).

Author Information

Maria Kreiser
Carol Wilson
Senior Research Librarian
Senior Research Librarian

Acknowledgments
Portions of the “Brief Overview of Past Practices” section of this report were originally authored by Wendy
Ginsberg, former Analyst in American National Government. Barbara Schwemle, Analyst in American
National Government, and Brent Mast, Head Research and Library Services Section, also contributed to
this report.

Disclaimer
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