The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:35 PM
The Late Billy Graham Given Great Honor As He Will Lie In Honor At U.S. Capitol Next Wednesday and Thursday
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., announced the decision on Thursday. His office said that after Graham’s casket arrives on Feb. 28, Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will take part in a bicameral service honoring the preacher and presidential counselor.
Graham's casket will remain in the Rotunda
through March 1, the speaker's office said.
In a letter to Graham's representatives, Ryan and McConnell said the
decision was made "in recognition of Rev. Graham's long and
distinguished service to the nation."
The tradition of using the Capitol Rotunda to pay tribute to
distinguished Americans began in 1852, but historically that honor has
been given to military officers and elected officials who have "lain in
state." More recently, Congress has allowed pre-eminent citizens to "lie
in honor."
Only three other private citizens have lain in honor, according to a House history of the tradition. The first were two Capitol Police officers who died in the line of duty in 1998: Officer Jacob J. Chestnut, Jr., and Detective John M. Gibson. The third was Rosa Parks, the African-American civil rights hero who died in 2005.
