Lindsey Graham Honored: Funeral Services in Washington and South Carolina

World leaders, President Donald Trump, and officials in Washington will pay their respects to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away suddenly at the age of 71. Known as one of the most prominent and influential lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Graham’s funeral services will span two days, beginning Tuesday in Washington and concluding in his home state of South Carolina.

On Tuesday morning, in recognition of his military service, an armed forces body bearer team will carry Graham’s casket. He served as an Air Force judge advocate general, retiring from the Air Force Reserve in 2015 as a colonel. Although Graham will not lie in state or honor, he will be acknowledged with a special ceremony in the Capitol’s rotunda. A U.S. Capitol Police memorial guard will later replace the armed forces team, honoring his Senate service. The private ceremony will be livestreamed.

“From the military to state politics to decades of representing South Carolinians in Congress, Lindsey dedicated his life to giving back through public service,” stated Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

Following the Capitol ceremony, Graham’s casket will be taken to the Washington National Cathedral for an invitation-only funeral service at 2 p.m. ET, which will also be available via livestream. President Trump, who valued Graham as “family,” is set to speak at the funeral. The event will also see attendance from Cabinet officials, congressional leaders, military officials, and global leaders such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump is also expected to meet with Netanyahu and Zelenskyy separately during the day.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, to complete the remaining six months of his Senate term. Darline intends to run for a full, six-year term, balancing the planning of her brother’s services with her new Senate responsibilities and an upcoming primary election.

After services in Washington, Graham will journey to South Carolina for public respects on Wednesday. His casket will process around the South Carolina State House in Columbia, where his political career started in 1993. Carried by a South Carolina State Guard horse-drawn military wagon, known as a caisson, law enforcement presentations will occur on the north steps of the State House, accompanied by an F-16 flyover from the 169th Fighter Wing.

The caisson will then proceed through Main Street to First Baptist Church of Columbia for a funeral service. A private family burial in Pickens County will conclude the ceremonies, returning Graham to his birthplace.

Lindsey Graham, chairing the Senate Budget Committee, died on the night of July 11. Emergency services responded to his residence near the U.S. Capitol for a call of “cardiac arrest.” Following his return from a trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, to meet with Zelenskyy, Graham was scheduled to appear on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” His office has indicated that the preliminary cause of death was “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.” Further test results are pending.