McCain joins short list in U.S. history to lie in state at U.S. Capitol

Arizona Sen. John McCain will lie in state at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday.

Following Thursday’s memorial service in Phoenix, McCain will be flown to Washington, D.C., where he will also become the 34th citizen in U.S. history to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday.

Lying in state is generally reserved for government and military honorees. Similar to what occurs Wednesday in Arizona, McCain’s casket will sit in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, where the public can offer their final respects on Friday. McCain will be laid to rest in Annapolis, Maryland, on Saturday.

McCain will have a national memorial service at Washington’s National Cathedral on Saturday, according to the family statement. After that, he will be taken to Annapolis, Maryland, where he will be laid to rest.

McCain is the first person to lie in state (for government officials and military personnel) or lie in honor (for private citizens) in our nation’s capital since 2012. The Rev. Billy Graham lay in honor as a private citizen back in May.

Here is the complete list of honorees:

Honorees to lay in state or lay in honor at the U.S. Capitol

Billy Graham (February 28 – March 1, 2018) lay in honor:  Minister, evangelist and adviser to presidents

Daniel K. Inouye (December 20, 2012) lay in state: Senator Inouye was the first congressman to represent Hawaii when it became a state in 1959. U.S. Senator (1963-2012).

Gerald R. Ford Jr. (December 30, 2006 – January 2, 2007) lay in state: House of Representatives from Michigan (1949-1973); Vice President (1973-1974); President (1974-1977).

Rosa Parks (October 30-31, 2005) lay in honor: Civil rights pioneer.

Ronald Wilson Reagan (June 9-11, 2004) lay in state: Governor California from (1967-1975) and President (1981-1989).

Jacob Joseph Chestnut and John Michael Gibson (July 28, 1998) lay in honor: Chestnut and Gibson were United States Capitol Police officers killed at the U.S. Capitol in the line of duty in 1998.

Claude Denson Pepper (June 1-2, 1989) lay in state: U.S. Senator from Florida (1936-1951); House of Representatives (1963-1989).

Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam Conflict (May 25-28, 1984) lay in honor: Chosen to honor the unknown Americans who lost their lives while serving in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War (1959-1972).

Hubert H. Humphrey (January 14-15, 1978) lay in state: U.S. Senator from Minnesota from 1949-1964, Vice President from 1965-1969, then returned to Senate from 1970-1978.

Lyndon Baines Johnson (January 24-25, 1973) lay in state: House of Representatives from Texas from 1937-1949; Senator from Texas from 1949-1961; Vice President (1961-1963); President (1963-1969).

J. Edgar Hoover (May 3-4, 1972) lay in state: First FBI director (1924-1972).

Everett McKinley Dirksen (September 9-10, 1969) lay in state: House of Representatives from Illinois (1933-1949); Senator from Illinois (1951-1969).

Dwight D. Eisenhower (March 30-31, 1969) lay in state: General of Army (1944); President (1953-1961).

Herbert Clark Hoover (October 23-25, 1964) lay in state: Secretary of Commerce for Presidents Harding and Coolidge; President (1929-1933).

Douglas MacArthur (April 8-9, 1964) lay in state: Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (1919-1922); Chief of Staff of the Army (1930-1944); General of the Army (1944)

John F. Kennedy (November 24-25, 1963) lay in state: House of Representatives from Massachusetts (1947-1953); Senator (1953-1960); President (1961-1963).

Unknown Soldiers of World War II and the Korean War (May 28-30, 1958) lay in honor: Honor and perpetuate the memory of the heroes who gave their lives while serving overseas in the Armed Forces of the United States during World War II and the Korean War.

Robert A. Taft (August 2-3, 1953) lay in state: Senator from Ohio (1939-1953).

John Joseph Pershing (July 18-19, 1948) lay in state: General of the Armies; Graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1886; Chief of Staff of the Army (1921-1924).

William Howard Taft (March 11, 1930) lay in state:  President (1909-1913); Chief Justice of the United States (1921-1930).

Warren G. Harding (August 8, 1923) lay in state: Senator from Ohio (1915-1921); President (1921-1923).

Unknown Soldier of World War I (November 9-11, 1921) lay in honor: Chosen to honor and perpetuate the memory of the heroes who gave their lives in World War I.

George Dewey (January 20, 1917) lay in state: Admiral of the Navy and hero of Manila Bay in the Spanish-American War.

Pierre Charles L’Enfant (re-interment) (April 28, 1909) lay in honor: Planner of the city of Washington, D.C.

William McKinley, Jr. (September 17, 1901) lay in state: House of Representatives from Ohio (1877-1884 and 1885-1891);  Governor of Ohio (1892-1896); President (1897-1901).

John A. Logan (December 30-31, 1886) lay in state: House of Representatives from Illinois (1859-1862) and 1867-1871); Senator from Illinois (1871-1877 and 1879-1886).

James A. Garfield (September 21-23, 1881) lay in state: House of Representatives from Ohio (1863-1880); President (1881).

Henry Wilson (November 25-26, 1875) lay in state: Senator from Massachusetts (1855-1873); Vice President (1873-1875).

Charles Sumner (March 13, 1874) lay in state: Senator from Massachusetts (1851-1874).

Thaddeus Stevens (August 13-14, 1868) lay in state: House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1849-1853 and 1859-1868).

Abraham Lincoln (April 19-21, 1865) lay in state: House of Representatives (1847-1849); President (1861-1865).

Henry Clay (July 1, 1852) lay in state: House of Representatives (1811-1825); Speaker of the House (1811-1814 and 1815-1820 and 1823- 1825); Secretary of State (1825-1829); Senator from Kentucky (1806-1852).