Senator Lindsey Graham is being remembered Tuesday after he lied in state at the U.S. Capitol as Washington says goodbye to one of the most influential American politicians of his generation.
Graham died July 11 at age 71 from a likely aortic tear.
A service with tributes in the Capitol rotunda included senators and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to remember their friend and colleague.
President Donald Trump remembered Graham during the service, calling him a “giant of the United States Senate.”
“Even though Lindsey’s life was cut short while he was still so full of vim and vigor, there can be no doubt that he lived absolutely to the fullest,” Trump said. “He died doing the work he was born to do. He was truly a great politician, serving the country he loved to serve so deeply. He went out at the peak of his career, the top of his game as a legend that every one of us, many of us here today, blessed to know him and a friend that none of us will ever forget.”
Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo
Former senator and now Vice President JD Vance delivered remarks.
“Lindsey Graham loved people from all walks of life,” Vance said. “I think in part because of the way he grew up.”
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune also reflected on Vance, saying his humble upbringing shaped him into a humble person.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Lindsey will be remembered as a senator and as a statesman. But for me, most of all, I will remember him as my friend,” he said.
Also attending the memorial were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
After Tuesday’s service at the Capitol, a memorial service was scheduled at the Washington National Cathedral. President Donald Trump and other world leaders were expected to attend. Trump and Fox News host Sean Hannity were both scheduled to deliver remarks.
Graham took controversial positions that irked the Democratic Party throughout his multi-decade career, but he consistently found a way to be part of major bipartisan meetings and work across the aisle on certain issues. That legacy has been reflected in the tributes that have poured in since his sudden passing.
Graham never had children of his own. His family was his job and the Capitol building, to which he devoted so much of his time.
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Following the Washington services, Graham will be honored in his beloved South Carolina, with services in Columbia and Pickens County. Pickens County is where Graham was born and where he will be laid to rest. Those services are scheduled for Wednesday.
