Presidential Funerals
History
Traditions
Trivia
Presidential Funerals

There are no “directions”
on funerals for
presidents.
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Some traditions
Wishes of the family
Differences in the
popularity of presidents, if
they died in office,
assassinated, etc.
Early Presidents

Early presidents died
in their homes and
were buried there.
Tradition to Notify the Public that
a President had died:


Lowering flags to halfstaff for 30 days.
Arranged times to
ring bells according to
their presidential
number.

The bells rang 38
times for President
Ford on Tuesday.
Trivia: Confusion for the public when
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died:

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Our second (Adams)
and third (Jefferson)
presidents both died
July 4, 1826.
Some bells didn’t
have enough break
between peals – and
some people thought
President Monroe
was dead!
Overlapping Deaths


Former Presidents
Johnson and Truman
died within 21 days of
one another.
Flags stayed halfstaffed for 60 days.
Presidential Funeral Traditions

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It has also been tradition
to take the former
president’s picture and
put it on display with a
black draping over the
top.
Today more common for
presidents to have their
portrait framed or matted
in black for public
remembrances.
Presidential Funerals

The first president to
die in office was
William Henry
Harrison.

Presided for only 31
days.

NOTE about the
dangers of LONG
speeches!
Harrison started the tradition of “lying in
state” in the Capitol Rotunda

Eight presidents have
died in office.




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Harrison (pneumonia)
Zachary Taylor (food
poisoning) 1850
Abraham Lincoln
(assassinated) 1865
James Garfield
(assassinated) 1881
William McKinley
(assassinated) 1901
Presidents who died in office



Warren G. Harding
(natural causes?)
1923
Franklin Roosevelt
(stroke) 1945
John F. Kennedy
(assassinated) 1963
Traditions of Lying in State

Honor Guard

Five pallbearers and
guards from all
branches of the
military stay with the
body 24 hours a day
until burial.
Variations of Lying in State

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Sometimes, as in
President Ford’s case, he
was moved from lying in
state from the Rotunda to
the hallway in front of the
House of
Representatives and the
office of the President of
the Senate.
Others choose to lie in
state in the White
House’s East Room.
“Typical” funerals for former
presidents


Lying in State in either
the Capitol or the East
Room.
Motorcade or a caisson
taking their coffin to the
National Cathedral.

Pauses along the way for
significant locations /
events for the departed
president.
“Typical” funeral for a president

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A funeral list is made
before death to create
an invitation list.
Former presidents
and the current
president and
spouses are a MUST
for attendance.
Sometimes Presidents will want
“themes” for their funerals.

President Ford
seemed to want to
bring unity to the
bickering and bitter
feelings between
Republicans and
Democrats.

Will it work????
Presidential Funerals are State
Occasions

Families have to
share their husband,
father, grandfather,
great grandfather with
the country
After the funeral – most modern presidents
have chosen burial other than in Washington
DC.

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Usually they choose
to be buried in their
home state.
Usually at the site of
their presidential
libraries.
Graveside services
are usually for the
family / friends.
Modern Exceptions to
Presidential Funerals

President Richard
Nixon
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Only president to
resign the presidency.
Many considered a
criminal.
Washington funeral
would be too
controversial.
Funeral stayed in
California.
Procedures for Assassinated
Presidents
They follow the
procedure of the first
assassinated
president.
Jackie Kennedy brought
the “custom” back
when her husband
was murdered in
1963.
JFK’s Funeral
What About Presidential Wives?


First Ladies do not
get state funerals.
Often, their portraits
are brought to the
front entry of the
White House and
draped in black for
thirty days.
First Lady Funerals
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
Private affairs but
sometimes presidents
or their spouses will
attend.
Honor guards also
preside.