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Bob Dole will lie in state at the Capitol; what does that mean?

By Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Bob Dole Lies In State At U.S. Capitol WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 09: A joint services military honor guard carries the casket containing the remains of the late Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) up the steps of the U.S. Capitol where he will lie in state on December 9, 2021 in Washington, DC. Dole, a veteran who was severely injured in World War II, was a Republican Senator from Kansas from 1969 to 1996. He ran for president three times and became the Republican nominee for president in 1996. (Photo by Mandel Ngan-Pool/Getty Images /Getty Images)

By Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Former senator Robert Dole will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Thursday where President Joe Biden, who served with Dole in the Senate, delivered remarks about the World War II vet and presidential candidate.

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Dole’s casket was moved into the Capitol just before 10 a.m. ET and placed on the Lincoln catafalque. Biden, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, all offered remarks honoring their former colleague and one-time Republican nominee for president.

Dole will lie in state until Friday morning.

Dole, who was injured in World War II and was awarded two Purple Hearts, represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate for 27 years, from 1969 to 1996. He served as Senate majority leader for more than a decade.

He ran for president three times — eventually getting the Republican nomination — but lost to incumbent Bill Clinton in 1996.

Dole will be afforded the honor that only a handful have received in the country’s history. To lie in state is an honor reserved for “government officials and military officers,” of which Dole was both.

What does it mean to lie in state? Here’s a look at who is eligible and who has been given that honor.

Who is eligible to lie in state or in honor?

According to the Architect of the Capitol, a congressional resolution or approval by congressional leadership is necessary for a person to lie in state or lie in honor at the Capitol.

What is the difference between lying in state and lying in honor?

Government officials or military leaders lie in state. Private citizens lie in honor.

Where does the casket rest in the Capitol?

The casket is placed in the Rotunda of the Capitol. The Rotunda is a circular room in the center of the building that sits directly beneath the Capitol dome, according to the Architect of the Capitol website. It is 96 feet in diameter and rises 180 feet from the floor to the canopy. The website says the volume of Rotunda is around 1.3 million cubic feet.

For those lying in state, the casket rests on the catafalque (coffin support) that was constructed for the coffin of Abraham Lincoln.

According to the Architect of the Capitol, “since 1865, most services have used that catafalque.”

Who has either lain in state or lain in honor in the Capitol?

Here is a list of those who have either lain in state or lain in honor in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol:

Lain in state

Henry Clay

Abraham Lincoln

Thaddeus Stevens

Charles Sumner

James Abram Garfield

John Alexander Logan

William McKinley

Pierre Charles L’Enfant

George Dewey

Unknown Soldier of World War I

Warren Gamaliel Harding

William Howard Taft

John Joseph Pershing

Robert Alphonso Taft

3 Unknown Soldiers of World War II and the Korean War

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Douglas MacArthur

Herbert Clark Hoover

Dwight David Eisenhower

Everett McKinley Dirksen

J. Edgar Hoover

Lyndon Baines Johnson

Hubert Horatio Humphrey

Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam Era

Claude Denson Pepper

Ronald Wilson Reagan

Gerald R. Ford, Jr.

Daniel K. Inouye

John McCain

George H.W. Bush

John R. Lewis

Lain in honor

Jacob Joseph Chestnut

John Michael Gibson

Rosa Parks

Billy Graham

Officer William F. Evans

Officer Brian D. Sicknick

What are the plans for Dole’s funeral?

A memorial service will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at the Washington National Cathedral. It will be livestreamed via the Washington National Cathedral’s YouTube page.

After the service, Dole’s casket will be taken from the Cathedral and the hearse will pause at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall for a public ceremony.

Gen. Mark Milley, Tom Hanks and Savannah Guthrie will offer remarks at the memorial, and Sen. Elizabeth Dole will lay a wreath in her husband’s honor.

Following the World War II Memorial ceremony, Dole’s remains will be transferred to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland to be taken to Kansas. A departure ceremony will take place at approximately 2:35 p.m. Dole’s casket will arrive at Salina Regional Airport Friday evening.

A public viewing will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Russell, Kansas. A service will follow at 11 a.m. At 1 p.m., Dole’s casket will depart for Topeka, Kansas.

At 4 p.m. Dole’s casket will be placed at the Kansas State Capitol, where a service will follow.

After the service, Dole’s remains will be returned to Washington, D.C. where they will be interred.

©2021 Cox Media Group

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