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.
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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
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Courtesy of the Gerald R. Ford
Presidential Library and Museum
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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,
Ronald Reagan was the 10th President to have lain in state in
the U.S. Capitol.
Lay in State: June 9-11, 2004
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Image courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
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ROSA PARKS (1913-2005)
Civil Rights Pioneer
Rosa 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
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Image courtesy of the Library of Congress
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