The remains of the late President George H.W. Bush arrived this afternoon to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol as family members, senators, congressmen, cabinet secretaries, Supreme Court justices, and Vice President Pence paid their respects.
Bush’s flag-draped coffin rested beneath the Capitol Dome, on the catafalque built to rest the remains of Abraham Lincoln, surrounded by paintings depicting the founding of the nation he once led.
The Naval Academy Glee Club serenaded the former president, a Navy pilot who was the last veteran to occupy the Oval Office.
Politicians praised his service, his leadership, his modesty and his kindness as the Bush family, including his son the former President George W. Bush, looked on.
Vice President Mike Pence paid tribute to the former president’s service – both in the military and the government.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Bush made a similar journey to the Capitol 30 years ago for his inauguration as the 41st President of the United States.
McConnell recalled Bush’s words from his inaugural address: ‘He said we met on democracy’s front porch … a good place to talk as neighbors and friends.’
Speaker Paul Ryan recalled him as a ‘great leader and a good man.’
‘He showed us that how we live is as important as what we achieve.’
‘He was the first president I had the chance to vote for,’ Ryan recalled, ‘and he was the first president to teach me and others that sometimes in a democracy you fall short. And how you handle that – that is just as important as how you win.’
Congressional leaders laid wreaths at the coffin and then went to hug members of the family.
It was George W. Bush, the son who followed his father to the White House, who led the family around the coffin and out the door.
The former president will in state until Wednesday and the public will be allowed to pay their respects to his remains.
