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In Focus: U.S. Traditions For Mourning Fallen Leaders

Many of the ceremonies that accompanied the state funeral of Gerald R. Ford, 38th president of the United States, are deeply rooted in American tradition.

In 1791, Benjamin Franklin’s death resulted in the first national mourning for a prominent American statesman. The second instance of national mourning occurred eight years later in 1799 when the first U.S. president, George Washington, died. After a funeral with full military honors, Washington’s remains were deposited in the family vault at Mount Vernon, Virginia.

The first state presidential funeral was for William Henry Harrison, who died in 1841 shortly after taking office, but it was not until the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865 that the United States experienced a nationwide period of mourning, made possible by advances in communication technology such as train and telegraph. Lincoln was the first U.S. president to lie in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. To date, 11 presidents have been honored by having their remains lie in state in the Capitol with a ceremonial honor guard to attend them, the latest being Gerald Ford.

A ceremonial funeral procession, comprising National Guard, active-duty, academy and reserve personnel who represent the five branches of the armed forces, is a traditional component of a state funeral observance. Funeral processions in the nation’s capital along Pennsylvania Avenue have honored eight presidents, including the four killed by assassins: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy.

The Military District of Washington commander arranges the ceremonial preparations and supervises the funeral procession to the National Cathedral in Washington. The U.S. secretary of defense is charged with conducting the funeral proceedings.

A special ceremonial unit, known as the Armed Forces Honor Guard, has participated in past state funerals for former Presidents Kennedy, Eisenhower, Truman (in Missouri), Lyndon Johnson, Nixon (in California), and Reagan. The Vietnam Unknown (the remains of an unidentified U.S. service member killed in Vietnam) received a state funeral in 1984.

Role of the Military

As a past commander-in-chief of the U.S. military, a former president receives numerous military honors such as a military escort for the former president’s family during all funeral ceremonies.

An armed forces team to provide security for the presidential remains at any location in which they lie in state. Many state funerals include pallbearers drawn from armed forces, a 21-gun salute, a military chaplain for the immediate family, and a flag draped on the casket as a veteran’s honor.

In addition, the Old Guard Caisson Platoon of the Military District of Washington’s 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment will carry the remains in a converted transport wagon for a 75-millimeter cannon, drawn by six horses of the same color, three riders and a section chief mounted on a separate horse. Following the caisson, a caparisoned (riderless) horse carries a pair of reversed boots in the stirrups of the empty saddle to “symbolize that the warrior will never ride again.”

A military band provides traditional music during each phase of the state funeral. Firing three volleys over the grave by seven service members originates in the military custom of suspending the fighting to remove the dead from the battlefield. Three rifle volleys signaled that the fighting could resume. Another military tradition dictates that the national flag will be flown at half-staff for 30 days from the date of death.

Two former U.S. presidents, John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft, are buried in Arlington National Cemetery, sited across the Potomac River from Washington.

January 2, 2006