Dole to lie in state in Capitol Rotunda

The late Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda on Thursday, congressional leaders announced.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement on Monday that a formal arrival and departure ceremony will be also held for Dole. The ceremony will be invite-only due to pandemic safety measures.

“Senator Dole was an extraordinary patriot, who devoted his entire life to serving our nation with dignity and integrity,” Pelosi said. “May it be a comfort to his loving wife, his dear daughter and all his loved ones that a grateful nation joins them in mourning during this sad time.”

Dole, a former presidential candidate and two-time Purple Heart recipient, died Sunday at the age of 98.

President Biden ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff through Dec. 9 to honor Dole’s legacy. 

“Bob was an American statesman like few in our history. A war hero and among the greatest of the Greatest Generation. And to me, he was also a friend whom I could look to for trusted guidance, or a humorous line at just the right moment to settle frayed nerves,” Biden said in a statement. “I will miss my friend. But I am grateful for the times we shared, and for the friendship Jill and I and our family have built with Liddy and the entire Dole family,” Biden said. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) praised Dole’s “character and his profound patriotism” in a statement.

“Those of us who were lucky to know Bob well ourselves admired him even more. A bright light of patriotic good cheer burned all the way from Bob’s teenage combat heroics through his whole career in Washington and through the years since. We look forward to honoring his life and legacy at the Capitol,” McConnell said. 

Dole follows other prominent lawmakers and politicians to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. 

Former Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), former President George H.W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) were the latest individuals to lie in state at the Capitol in recent years.

Capitol Police Officers William Evans and Brian Sicknick were the latest individuals to lie in honor in the Rotunda.