5 Facts About The Tradition Of Deceased U.S. Presidents Lying In State In The Capitol Rotunda

Thousands of people are paying their final respects to former President Jimmy Carter. He's lying in state in the rotunda at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

>>> America's Final Salute To Jimmy Carter Takes Place This Week

Here are 5 things to know about the tradition:

1. According to the Architect of the Capitol, “(n)o law, written rule, or regulation specifies who may lie in state; use of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda is controlled by concurrent action of the House and Senate. Any person who has rendered distinguished service to the nation may lie in state if the family so wishes and Congress approves. In the case of unknown soldiers, the president or the appropriate branch of the armed forces initiates the action.

2. The first American to be recognized with this honor was not a president, but Kentucky Senator and Representative Henry Clay, in 1852. Clay passed away June 29, 1852, in Washington; he lay in state for one day: July 1, 1852. The second person to lie in state was Abraham Lincoln, in 1865.

3. Since 1865, most services in the Rotunda, including the current service for President Carter, have used the catafalque that was built for the coffin of President Lincoln. The catafalque is the ornamental wooden structure used to support the coffin.

4. Including Jimmy Carter, 13 presidents have now lain in state in the Rotunda, in this order:

-Abraham Lincoln — April 19-21, 1865

-James A. Garfield — September 21-23, 1881

-William McKinley — September 17, 1901

-Warren G. Harding — August 8, 1923

-William Howard Taft — March 11, 1930

-John F. Kennedy — November 24-25, 1963

-Herbert Hoover — October 23-25, 1964

-Dwight D. Eisenhower — March 30-31, 1969

-Lyndon B. Johnson — January 24-25, 1973

-Ronald Reagan — June 9-11, 2004

-Gerald R. Ford — December 30, 2006-January 2, 2007

-George H. W. Bush — December 3-5, 2018

-James Earl Carter — January 7-9, 2025

5. Here are some of the other eminent Americans who have been given this rare honor:

-Thaddeus Stevens (U.S. Representative) — August 13-14, 1868

-Pierre Charles L’Enfant (architect) — April 28, 1909

-Unknown soldiers of WWI — November 9-11, 1921

-Unknown soldiers of WWII and the Korean War — May 28-30, 1958

-Douglas MacArthur (U.S. General) — April 8-9, 1964

-J. Edgar Hoover (FBI Director) — May 3-4, 1972

-Unknown soldier of the Vietnam Conflict — May 25-28, 1984

-John McCain (U.S. Senator and Representative) — August 31, 2018

-Robert Dole (U.S. Senator and Representative) — December 9-10, 2021