Officials mum on whether Kennedy will lie in state

Officials so far are declining to comment on whether Sen. Edward Kennedy will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda.

Given Kennedy’s prominent congressional role it is likely that the honor will be extended to his family, though officials with knowledge of such an offer are declining to comment on the matter other than to say that final arrangements have not been solidified.

“The family will make any announcement about services,” said Terry Gainer, the Senate Sergeant at Arms. “The final decisions have not been made. The family and staff are working with the White House and Senate Leadership on the appropriate services.”

Kennedy would be the 29th person to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda since Henry Clay, a former Speaker of the House, became the first in 1852. The honor – in which a casket or coffin is placed in the center of the Rotunda for public viewing – is reserved for presidents, members of Congress and military commanders.

Seven members of Congress have previously lain in state in the Capitol Rotunda – not including members who have gone on to become president or vice president.

Only three people who did not hold a political or military office have lain in honor in the Capitol Rotunda: Rosa Parks, and two U.S. capitol policemen – officer Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson – who were killed in the line of duty in 1998 when a gunman stormed the Capitol.

–Jordy Yeager