State Funerals and Lying in State

A state funeral is a national ceremony for a President, former President, or President-elect, and for others the sitting President designates. It is planned for years in advance with the family by the military's Joint Task Force National Capital Region and can include a procession to the Capitol, lying in state, a service at Washington National Cathedral, a military flyover, and a 21-gun salute. The President usually declares a national day of mourning and closes federal offices, and flags fly at half-staff for 30 days after a President's death.

Lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda is an honor approved by Congress, usually by resolution or by the congressional leaders. Henry Clay was the first, in 1852, and about three dozen people have lain in state, including Presidents, members of Congress, military leaders, and unknown soldiers, resting on the catafalque built for Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Private citizens are honored by lying in honor, first given to two Capitol Police officers killed in 1998 and later to Rosa Parks in 2005 and Billy Graham in 2018.

The most recent state funeral was for Jimmy Carter, who died December 29, 2024, and lay in state before a service at the National Cathedral on January 9, 2025. Former Presidents' plans often reflect their wishes, such as burial at a presidential library or hometown. Decisions about who lies in state have sometimes been political, and the honor is reserved by tradition for those of exceptional national service.