United States Capitol rotunda

Component of the United States Capitol

Rotunda viewed from behind the statue of George Washington (2005)

The United States Capitol building features a central rotunda below the Capitol dome. Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart".

The rotunda is connected by corridors leading south to the House of Representatives and north to the Senate chambers. To the immediate south is the semi-circular National Statuary Hall, which was the House of Representatives chamber until 1857. To the northeast is the Old Senate Chamber, used by the Senate until 1859 and by the Supreme Court until 1935.

The rotunda is 96 feet (29 m) in diameter, rises 48 feet (15 m) to the top of its original walls and 180 feet 3 inches (54.94 m) to the canopy of the dome, and is usually visited daily by thousands of people. The space is a national showcase of art, and includes numerous historical paintings and sculptures. It is also used for ceremonial or public events authorized by concurrent resolution of both houses of congress, including the lying in state of honored dead.

## Design and construction

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Capitol dome Frieze of American History, by Constantino Brumidi, in the Capitol rotunda Many large paintings are exhibited in the rotunda

The doctor and architect William Thornton was the winner of the contest to design the Capitol in 1793. Thornton had first conceived the idea of a central rotunda. However, due to lack of funds or resources, oft-interrupted construction, and the British attack on Washington during the War of 1812, work on the rotunda did not begin until 1818. The rotunda was completed in 1824 under Architect of the Capitol Charles Bulfinch, as part of a series of new buildings and projects in preparation for the final visit of Marquis de Lafayette in 1824. The rotunda was designed in the neoclassical style and was intended to evoke the design of the Pantheon.[1]

The sandstone rotunda walls rise 48 feet (15 m) above the floor; everything above this—the Capitol dome–was designed in 1854 by Thomas U. Walter, the fourth Architect of the Capitol. Walter had also designed the Capitol's north and south extensions. Work on the dome began in 1856, and in 1859, Walter redesigned the rotunda to consist of an inner and outer dome, with a canopy suspended between them that would be visible through an oculus at the top of the inner dome. In 1862, Walter asked painter Constantino Brumidi to design "a picture 65 feet (20 m) in diameter, painted in fresco, on the concave canopy over the eye of the New Dome of the U.S. Capitol". At this time, Brumidi may have added a watercolor canopy design over Walter's tentative 1859 sketch. The dome was being finished in the middle of the American Civil War and was constructed from fireproof cast iron. During the Civil War, the rotunda was used as a military hospital for Union soldiers. The dome was finally completed in 1866.[2]

### The crypt

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Originally the crypt had an open ceiling into the rotunda. Visitors can still see the holes in the stone circle that marked the rim of the open space in the rotunda floor. Underneath the floor of the crypt lies a tomb that was the intended burial place for George Washington but after a lengthy battle with his estate and the commonwealth of Virginia the plans for him to be buried in the crypt were abandoned.[3]

### Renovation

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Capitol dome and rotunda under renovation in May 2016

In January 2013, the Architect of the Capitol announced a four-year, $10 million project to repair and conserve the Capitol Dome's exterior and the Capitol rotunda. The proposal required the stripping of lead paint from the interior of the dome, repair to the ironwork, repainting of the interior of the dome, rehabilitation of the interstitial space between the dome and rotunda, and installation of new lighting in the interstitial space and the rotunda. The dome and rotunda, which were last conserved in 1960, were showing significant signs of rust and disrepair. There was a danger that decorative ironwork could have fallen from the rotunda to the space below, and that weather-related problems could damage the artwork in the rotunda. Without immediate repair, safety netting was installed, temporarily blocking the rotunda's artwork from view.[4]

## Historical paintings

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Eight niches in the rotunda hold large, framed historical paintings. All are oil-on-canvas and measure 12 by 18 feet (3.7 by 5.5 metres). Four of these are scenes from the American Revolution, painted by John Trumbull, who was commissioned by Congress to do the work in 1817. These are Declaration of Independence, Surrender of General Burgoyne, Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, and General George Washington Resigning His Commission. These were placed between 1819 and 1824. Between 1840 and 1855, four more paintings were added. These depicted the exploration and colonization of America and were all done by different artists. These paintings are Landing of Columbus by John Vanderlyn, Discovery of the Mississippi by William Henry Powell, Baptism of Pocahontas by John Gadsby Chapman, and Embarkation of the Pilgrims by Robert Walter Weir.[citation needed]

Painting  | Artist  | Dates  | Description  | Notes

|
|
|
|

Declaration of Independence | John Trumbull | Commissioned 1817, purchased 1819, placed 1826[5] | John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and the principal author, Thomas Jefferson — members of the Committee of Five, who drafted the Declaration of Independence — present the declaration to the Second Continental Congress and President John Hancock on June 28,[5] 1776 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.[5] | The first painting Trumbull completed for the rotunda and probably the most widely recognized, the iconic Declaration of Independence is somewhat historically inaccurate and anachronistic. Of the 56 signers, 42 are represented. The rest are absent, possibly because they were not present at the adoption of the declaration or had died by the time of Trumbull's painting. Four are included who did not sign, but whom Trumbull found worthy of inclusion: George Clinton, Robert R. Livingston, Thomas Willing, and John Dickinson.[6] A reproduction appears on the United States two-dollar bill.[7]
Surrender of General Burgoyne | Commissioned 1817, purchased 1822, placed 1826 | British soldiers under General John Burgoyne surrender after the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. The central figure, from the Continental Army, is General Horatio Gates, who refused to accept the traditional sword of surrender that Burgoyne offered. Instead, treating his former foe as a gentleman, General Gates invited General Burgoyne into his tent. The other Americans, shown to the right, are officers serving in the Continental Army. | Trumbull planned this outdoor scene to contrast with Declaration of Independence (above), displayed beside it on the wall of the U.S. Capitol rotunda.[8] Both paintings show large groups of people, but one is an indoor scene, while the other is an outdoor scene of similar perspective.

The battle was a key victory for the Americans, prevented the division of New England, and secured French military assistance to the Americans.

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis | commissioned 1817, placed 1820 | A combined American-French force led by George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Comte de Rochambeau accept the final surrender of British troops under Lord Cornwallis after the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. American General Benjamin Lincoln is portrayed at the center of the painting riding a white horse, with French officers on the left and Americans on the right, led by Washington on the brown horse. The British were represented by officers, but Lord Cornwallis himself was not present and was represented instead by Charles O'Hara. | The scene here depicts the same event as the "Surrender of Cornwallis" panel of the "Frieze of American History". Trumbull was proud of the fact that he had painted portraits of the French officers while in France and included a small self-portrait of himself under the American flag on the right side of the painting.[9] As noted above, Washington declined O'Hara's sword because according to the custom of the time it would only be proper for Washington to receive the sword from Cornwallis himself; Major General Lincoln accepted the sword in Washington's place. The surrender led to the cessation of major Revolutionary War hostilities and British recognition of American independence in the 1783 Treaty of Paris.
General George Washington Resigning His Commission | commissioned 1817, placed 1824 | George Washington addresses Congress to resign his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, on December 23, 1783. Washington is depicted along with two aides-de-camp, as he addresses the president of the Congress. Also shown in the painting are Thomas Mifflin, Elbridge Gerry, and three future U.S. presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and James Madison. His wife, Martha Washington, and her three grandchildren, are shown watching from the gallery section (balcony area at right), although they were not in fact present at Washington's resignation.[10] | This celebrated incident established a strong tradition of civilian control of the military in the United States and the rejection of military dictatorship in favor of liberal democracy. The U.S. Congress, at the time, was meeting at the Maryland State House in Annapolis.
Landing of Columbus | John Vanderlyn | commissioned 1836/1837, placed 1847 | In the foreground, Christopher Columbus raises the royal banner to claim the land for Kingdom of Castile, and he stands bareheaded with his hat at his feet in honor of the sanctity of the event. The captains of the ships Niña and Pinta follow, carrying the banner of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. The crew displays a range of emotions, and some search for gold in the sand. Nearby, natives watch from behind a tree at the right.[11] | Columbus landed in the West Indies, on San Salvador Island (Guanahani), on October 12, 1492.
Discovery of the Mississippi | William Henry Powell | commissioned 1847, purchased 1855 | At the center of the canvas, Spanish navigator and conquistador Hernando de Soto rides a white horse. De Soto and his troops approach Native Americans in front of tepees, with a chief holding a ceremonial pipe. The foreground is filled by weapons and soldiers to represent the devastating battle at Mauvila (or Mabila), in which de Soto suffered a Pyrrhic victory over Choctaws under Tuscaloosa. To the right, a monk prays as a large crucifix is set into the ground.[12] | Discovery of the Mississippi was the last painting to be commissioned by Congress for the rotunda. De Soto is thought to have become the first European to see the Mississippi River in 1541.
Baptism of Pocahontas | John Gadsby Chapman | commissioned 1837, placed 1840 | Dressed in white, Pocahontas kneels, surrounded by family members, including her father, Chief Powhatan, and several Jamestown colonists. Her brother Nantequas turns away from the ceremony. The baptism occurred before her marriage to the tobacco planter John Rolfe, who stands behind her. | Pocahontas was baptized (under the name "Rebecca") by the Anglican priest Alexander Whitaker in Jamestown, Virginia. This event is believed to have taken place in 1613, and the marriage between Rolfe and Pocahontas helped to establish peaceful relations between the Jamestown colonists and the Tidewater tribes.[13]
Embarkation of the Pilgrims | Robert Walter Weir | commissioned 1837, placed 1844 | The Pilgrims appear on the deck of the ship Speedwell as they depart Delfshaven in South Holland on July 22, 1620. William Brewster, holding the Bible, and pastor John Robinson lead Governor Carver, William Bradford, Miles Standish, and their families in prayer. The rainbow, at the left side of the painting, symbolizes hope and divine protection.[14] | The Pilgrims traveled aboard the Speedwell to Southampton. There they met additional colonists and transferred to the Mayflower.

### Apotheosis of Washington

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The Apotheosis of Washington, as seen looking up from the rotunda

Main article: The Apotheosis of Washington

The Apotheosis of Washington is a large fresco by Greek-Italian Constantino Brumidi, visible through the oculus of the dome of the rotunda. The fresco depicts George Washington sitting exalted amongst the heavens. It is suspended 180 feet (55 m) above the rotunda floor and covers an area of 4,664 square feet (433.3 m2).[15][16][17]

### Frieze of American History

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The Frieze of American History is painted to appear as a carved stone bas-relief frieze but is actually a trompe-l'œil fresco cycle depicting 19 scenes from American history. The "frieze" occupies a band immediately below the 36 windows. Brumidi designed the frieze and prepared a sketch in 1859 but did not begin painting until 1878. Brumidi painted seven and a half scenes. While working on William Penn and the Indians, Brumidi fell off the scaffolding and held on to a rail for 15 minutes until he was rescued. He died a few months later in 1880. After Brumidi's death, Filippo Costaggini was commissioned to complete the eight and a half remaining scenes in Brumidi's sketches. He finished in 1889 and left a 31-foot (9 m) gap due to an error in Brumidi's original design. In 1951, Allyn Cox completed the frieze.[citation needed]

Except for the last three panels named by Allyn Cox, the scenes have no particular titles and many variant titles have been given. The names given here are the names used by the Architect of the Capitol, which uses the names that Brumidi used most frequently in his letters and that were used in Edward Clark and by newspaper articles. The 19 panels are:

Scene  | Artist  | Year  | Description

|
|
|

America and History | Constantino Brumidi | 1878  | This is the first panel and the only allegorical one, portraying a personification of America, wearing a liberty cap, with spear and shield in the center, surrounded by other allegorical figures. To the right is a Native American maiden with a bow and arrows, representing the wild North American continent. At America's feet is a female personification of History, with a stone tablet to record events. To the left of History is an eagle, perched on a fasces, the ancient Roman bundle of birch rods symbolizing authority. To the left of America is another eagle, carrying the olive branch of peace. To the center-left in the background is a man in same pose as the prospector at the end of "Discovery of Gold in California"; this is because Brumidi planned to have the scene connect with his planned last one.
Landing of Columbus |  | Christopher Columbus is depicted arriving in the Americas in the first of four scenes of the Spanish conquest. Columbus disembarks off a plank from the Santa María. His crew, armed with weapons, stays aboard; one crew member has a spyglass. Native Americans are portrayed greeting Columbus. Indian women and children are shown, along with native warriors to the right. The Columbus figure may have been based on Luigi Persico statue of Columbus, which was at the time of the painting the on the east central steps of the Capitol.
Cortez and Montezuma at Mexican Temple |  | This panel shows the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés entering an Aztec temple, being welcomed by Moctezuma II. At the beginning of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Moctezuma and the Aztecs honored Cortés as a god, believing that he was the returning god Quetzalcoatl. The Aztec calendar stone and cult images are based on sketches drawn by Brumidi in Mexico City.
Pizarro Going to Peru |  | Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro is depicted leading his horse through the jungle in search of El Dorado, the mythical land of gold, in this representation of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.
Burial of DeSoto |  | This panel depicts the burial of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in the Mississippi River after his death from a fever. De Soto led the largest European expedition of both 15th and 16th centuries through the Southeast and Midwest searching for gold, silver, and other valuables.
Captain Smith and Pocahontas |  | Pocahontas is portrayed saving Captain John Smith, one of the founders of Jamestown, Virginia, from being clubbed to death.
Landing of the Pilgrims |  | Pilgrims led by William Brewster give thanks to God for their safe voyage aboard the Mayflower in this scene depicting Plymouth Colony.
William Penn and the Indians | Constantino Brumidi
Completed by Filippo Costaggini | 1880  | Quaker leader and Province of Pennsylvania founder William Penn is depicted with Lenape (Delaware) Native Americans under the elm tree at Shackamaxon. This is the last panel on which Brumidi worked.
Colonization of New England |  | This panel shows New England settlers busily logging, sawing, and using lumber to construct a building. This is the first scene painted entirely by Filippo Costaggini.
Oglethorpe and the Indians |  | James Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia Colony and first Georgia governor, is shown with the Muskogee (Creek) leaders in Savannah, Georgia. The Muskogee present Oglethorpe with a buffalo skin with an eagle in the center, a symbol of friendship and trust.
Battle of Lexington |  | This panel depicts the "shot heard 'round the world" at the Battle of Lexington, the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War. Major John Pitcairn is shown on horseback at center, with British Army or Royal Marines troops to the right and Lexington militiamen at left.
Reading of the Declaration of Independence |  | Idealized depiction of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, authors of the Declaration of Independence, reading the declaration to celebrating colonists.
Surrender of Cornwallis |  | Depiction of George Washington on horseback receiving the ceremonial sword of surrender from Charles O'Hara, who represented Lord Cornwallis after the final British defeat at the Battle of Yorktown. In reality, it is thought that Washington declined O'Hara's sword because according to the custom of the time it would only be proper for Washington to receive the sword from Cornwallis himself; Major General Benjamin Lincoln instead accepted the sword.
Death of Tecumseh |  | This panel depicts the death of Shawnee chief and Indian Confederation leader Tecumseh at the Battle of the Thames in Upper Canada during the War of 1812 (partially an extension of Tecumseh's War).
American Army Entering the City of Mexico |  | U.S. Army troops led by Winfield Scott enter Mexico City after the fall of Mexico City, which ended the Mexican–American War with a decisive U.S. victory. The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which provided for the massive Mexican Cession of territory in what is now the Western United States.
Discovery of Gold in California | 1889  | Prospectors dig and pan for gold with picks, shovels, and other tools in this depiction of the California Gold Rush. In the center, three men (one possibly representing John Sutter) examine a prospector's pan. This was the last scene designed by Brumidi and painted by Costaggini.
Peace at the End of the Civil War | Allyn Cox |  | This scene, the first of Cox's three panels, depicts a Confederate soldier and a Union soldier shaking hands at the end of the American Civil War, symbolizing reconciliation and reunification. The cotton plant and the Northern pine tree symbolize the South and the North.
Naval Gun Crew in the Spanish–American War |  | A group of United States Navy sailors in a gun crew are depicted in a naval battle during the Spanish–American War. and the United States won a victory over Spain in the war. The 1898 Treaty of Paris provided for Cuba's independence from Spain and the U.S. acquisition of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
The Birth of Aviation | 1951  | This scene depicts the Wright brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903. The Wright Flyer is shown just off the ground, with Orville Wright in the plane and Wilbur Wright running alongside to steady the wing. To the left are Leonardo da Vinci, Samuel Pierpont Langley, and Octave Chanute, other aviation pioneers, holding models of other early flying machines. An eagle holds an olive branch in the bottom right.

## Statues

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Floor plan showing locations of rotunda paintings, statues and busts in 1978 (prior to the addition of the Truman, Eisenhower, Ford, and Reagan statues, the King bust, and the Women's Suffrage Monument)

### From the Statuary Hall Collection

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Among the group of eleven statues currently encircling the rotunda against the wall at floor level are seven from the National Statuary Hall Collection:

* George Washington, in bronze, from Virginia, by Jean Antoine Houdon (copy cast in 1934).
* Andrew Jackson in bronze, from Tennessee, by Belle Kinney Sholz and Leopold F. Sholz, in 1928.
* James Garfield in marble, from Ohio, by Charles Niehaus in 1886.
* Dwight D. Eisenhower in bronze, from Kansas, by Jim Brothers in 2003.
* Ronald Reagan in bronze, from California, by Chas Fagan in 2009.
* Gerald Ford in bronze, from Michigan, by J. Brett Grill in 2011.[18]
* Harry S. Truman in bronze, from Missouri, by Tom Corbin in 2022.[19]

These seven statues representing the presidents will remain in the rotunda indefinitely or until an act of Congress.

Abraham Lincoln (1871, marble) by Vinnie Ream

### George Washington

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A statue of George Washington – a copy after French neo-classical sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon's 1790 full-length marble in the Virginia State Capitol – holds a prominent place. William James Hubard created a plaster copy after Houdon, that stood in the Rotunda from the late-1850s to 1934. It is now in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[20] The present bronze copy replaced Hubard's plaster copy in 1934.[21]

### James Garfield

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James Garfield by Charles Niehaus

James Garfield was the last American president to be born in a log cabin. Sculptor Niehaus returned to America in 1881 and by virtue of being a native Ohioan was commissioned to sculpt a monument to the recently assassinated President James Garfield, who was also from Ohio.[citation needed]

### Bust of Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Main article: Martin Luther King Jr. (Wilson sculpture)

Martin Luther King, Jr., is one of two African-Americans honored with a bust in the United States Capitol

The bust of his head and shoulders is 36 inches (91 cm) high and stands on a pyramidal Belgian black marble base that is 66 inches (168 cm) high. Because the bust would be such an important and visible work of art, the Joint Committee on the Library decided to have a national competition to select a sculptor.[citation needed]

On December 21, 1982, the Congress passed House Concurrent Resolution 153, which directed the procurement of a marble bust "to serve to memorialize King's contributions on such matters as the historic legislation of the 1960s affecting civil rights and the right to vote". Senator Charles Mathias, Jr., chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library, the congressional committee overseeing the procurement, said at the unveiling that "Martin Luther King takes his rightful place among the heroes of this nation."[citation needed]

John Woodrow Wilson, the artist was awarded a $50,000 commission to cast the model in bronze. The bust was unveiled in the Rotunda on January 16, 1986, the fifty-seventh anniversary of King's birth, by Mrs. King, accompanied by their four children and King's sister.[22]

### Women's suffrage

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This group portrait monument is known formally as the Portrait Monument to Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony, pioneers of the women's suffrage movement in the United States. Their efforts, and the work of later suffrage activists like Alice Paul, eventually led to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. The work was sculpted by Adelaide Johnson (1859–1955) from a 16,000-pound (7,300 kg) block of marble in Carrara, Italy. The portraits are copies of the individual busts she carved for the Court of Honor of the Woman's Building at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. The detailed busts are surrounded by rough-hewn marble at the top of the sculpture. This part of the statue, according to some, is left unfinished representing the unfinished work of women's rights. Contrary to a popular story, the intention was not that it be completed upon the ascension of the first female President — the rough-hewn section is too small to carry a proportional bust. The monument was presented to the Capitol as a gift from the women of the United States by the National Woman's Party and was accepted on behalf of Congress by the Joint Committee on the Library on February 10, 1921. The unveiling ceremony was held in the Rotunda on February 15, 1921, the 101st anniversary of the birth of Susan B. Anthony, and was attended by representatives of over 70 women's organizations. Shortly after its unveiling, however, the statue was moved into the Capitol Crypt. It remained on display there for 75 years, until HCR 216 ordered it moved to the Rotunda. The statue was placed in its current location, in the Rotunda, in May 1997.[23]

* The Portrait Monument (1920)

* l. to r.: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony

* Video 1

* Video 2

### Other statuary and artifacts

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In addition to the National Statuary Hall Collection and the memorial statuary, there are a number of other pieces in the Rotunda. Next to the south entrance, opposite the statue of George Washington, is a bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson with the Declaration of Independence. Sculpted by David d'Angers, it was donated by Uriah P. Levy and is the only work of art in the Capitol given by a private donor.[24]

At the west entrance, are marble statues of General Ulysses S. Grant and President Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln statue was a commissioned by Congress and designed by Vinnie Ream. The statue of Grant was sculpted by Franklin Simmons and was a gift to Congress by the Grand Army of the Republic.[citation needed]

## Lying in state and honor

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Lying in state in the Capitol rotunda

Thaddeus Stevens lying in state on August 13, 1868. The plaster statue of Abraham Lincoln behind the casket is credited to Henry Jackson Ellicott.

General John J. Pershing saluting the casket of the Unknown Soldier of World War I on November 9, 1921.

Vice President Dick Cheney and members of Congress view the lying in state of Gerald Ford on December 30, 2006.

Lying in state of George H. W. Bush in December 2018

Lying in state of Jimmy Carter in January 2025

Further information: State funerals in the United States

The main difference between lying in state and lying in honor is whether the person was an elected official or military officer versus being a private citizen. The designated guard of honor that keeps watch over the casket also differs. When a person lies in state, a guard of honor from the United States Armed Forces watches over the casket; when a person lies in honor, the United States Capitol Police watches as a civilian guard of honor over the casket.[citation needed]

### Lain in state

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Government officials and military officers to have lain in state in the Capitol rotunda are as follows:[25]

* Henry Clay (July 1, 1852)
* Abraham Lincoln (April 19–21, 1865)
* Thaddeus Stevens (August 13–14, 1868)
* Charles Sumner (March 13, 1874)
* Henry Wilson (November 25–26, 1875)
* James A. Garfield (September 21–23, 1881)
* John Alexander Logan (December 30–31, 1886)
* William McKinley (September 17, 1901)
* Pierre Charles L'Enfant (April 28, 1909)
* George Dewey (January 20, 1917)
* Unknown Soldier of World War I (November 9–11, 1921)
* Warren G. Harding (August 8, 1923)
* William Howard Taft (March 11, 1930)
* John Joseph Pershing (July 18–19, 1948)
* Robert Alphonso Taft (August 2–3, 1953)
* Unknown Soldiers of World War II and the Korean War (May 28–30, 1958)
* John F. Kennedy (November 24–25, 1963)
* Douglas MacArthur (April 8–9, 1964)
* Herbert Hoover (October 23–25, 1964)
* Dwight D. Eisenhower (March 30–31, 1969)
* Everett McKinley Dirksen (September 9–10, 1969)
* J. Edgar Hoover (May 3–4, 1972)
* Lyndon B. Johnson (January 24–25, 1973)
* Hubert Humphrey (January 14–15, 1978)
* Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War, later identified as Michael Blassie (May 25–28, 1984)
* Claude Denson Pepper (June 1–2, 1989)
* Ronald Reagan (June 9–11, 2004)
* Gerald Ford (December 30, 2006 – January 2, 2007)
* Daniel Ken Inouye (December 20, 2012)
* John McCain (August 31, 2018)
* George H. W. Bush (December 3–5, 2018)
* John Lewis (July 27–28, 2020)
* Bob Dole (December 9, 2021)[26]
* Harry Reid (January 12, 2022)[27]
* Jimmy Carter (January 7–9, 2025)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elijah Cummings and Don Young have lain in state on the grounds of the United States Capitol inside of National Statuary Hall.[28][29]

### Lain in honor

[edit]

Private citizens to have lain in honor in the United States Capitol Rotunda are as follows:[25]

* Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson (July 28, 1998)
* Rosa Parks (October 30–31, 2005)
* Billy Graham (February 28 – March 1, 2018)
* Brian Sicknick (February 2–3, 2021)[30]
* William Evans (April 13, 2021)[31]
* Hershel W. Williams (July 14, 2022)[32]
* Ralph Puckett (April 29, 2024) [33]

Other notable individuals, several of them being the chief justice of the United States, have lain in state in the United States Supreme Court Building while other individuals such as Ronald H. Brown, have lain in state in the Herbert C. Hoover Building.[34]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Capitol Rotunda". Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
2. ^ "Capitol Dome". Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
3. ^ West Moore, Joseph (1884). Picturesque Washington. p. 92.
4. ^ Neibauer, Michael. "U.S. Capitol Dome Restoration Kicks Off With Contractor Search." Washington Business Journal. January 31, 2013. Archived June 20, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Accessed February 4, 2013.
5. ^ a b c "Declaration of Independence. Architect of the Capitol". Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
6. ^ "The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull". AmericanRevolution.ORG.
7. ^ "Facts About $2 Notes." Bureau of Engraving and Printing, United States Department of the Treasury. [1] Archived October 7, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
8. ^ "Surrender of General Burgoyne". Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
9. ^ "Surrender of Cornwallis". Archived from the original on June 28, 2006. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
10. ^ "Washington's Resignation". Archived from the original on June 28, 2006. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
11. ^ "Landing of Columbus". Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
12. ^ "Discovery of the Mississippi". Archived from the original on June 28, 2006. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
13. ^ "Baptism of Pocahontas | Architect of the Capitol".
14. ^ "Embarkation of the Pilgrims". Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
15. ^ Anthony Grafton; Glenn W. Most; Salvatore Settis, eds. (2010). The Classical Tradition (PDF). Harvard University Press. p. 764\. ISBN 978-0-674-03572-0. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. "Likewise still visible, in the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., is the decorative program conceived and executed in the mid-19th century by Constantino Brumidi, which comprises one of the most creative modern combinations of Pompeian compositional style with images of national import. Beginning in 1856, Brumidi, an Italian painter well versed in the classical tradition, engaged a large workforce of decorative fresco painters to execute along the corridors and in the committee chambers of the Senate wing his designs combining illusionistic architecture and intricate ornamentation in Fourth Style format to frame significant scenes from American history often modeled upon the work of such Neoclassical painters as Benjamin West. Although some critics have characterized the installation's heavy-duty Victorian classicism as retrograde, it does appear symbolically reflective of the eminence of the senior American legislative body."
16. ^ Barber, Sally (December 1, 2020). Michigan Myths and Legends: The True Stories behind History's Mysteries. Myths and Mysteries Series. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 148\. ISBN 978-1-4930-4009-4.
17. ^ U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Comittee (PDF). Vol. 108\. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office (published June 14, 2004). 2004. pp. 6–10\. OCLC 1158205916. ark:/13960/t1fj71m36. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. "Excerpt describing Constantino Brumidi's contributions to the decorations in the U.S. Capitol."6-10&rft.pub=Washington,+D.C.:+Government+Printing+Office&rft.date=2004&rft_id=info:oclcnum/1158205916&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=22GyspJBhyIC&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:United+States+Capitol+rotunda" class="Z3988">
18. ^ Camia, Catalina (May 3, 2011). "Gerald Ford honored with statue in U.S. Capitol". USA Today. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
19. ^ "Harry S. Truman Statue, U.S. Capitol for Missouri | AOC".
20. ^ George Washington (sculpture) Archived February 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, from Smithsonian Institution Research Information System.
21. ^ George Washington (sculpture) Archived February 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, from SIRIS.
22. ^ "Martin Luther King, Jr". Archived from the original on June 28, 2006. Retrieved June 30, 2006.
23. ^ "Portrait Monument to Suffrage Pioneers | AOC".
24. ^ Usofsky, Melvin I. (Summer 2002). "The Levy Family and Monticello". Virginia Quarterly Review: 395–412.395-412&rft.date=2002&rft.aulast=Usofsky&rft.aufirst=Melvin+I.&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:United+States+Capitol+rotunda" class="Z3988">
25. ^ a b ""Those Who Have Lain in State" The Architect of the Capitol". Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
26. ^ "Bob Dole to lie in state at Capitol as nation honors senator". Associated Press. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
27. ^ "Sen. Harry Reid to lie in state in U.S. Capitol Rotunda". NBC News. January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
28. ^ "Individuals Who Have Lain in State or in Honor | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
29. ^ Marcos, Christina (March 21, 2022). "Rep. Don Young to lie in state at the Capitol next week". The Hill. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
30. ^ "Brian Sicknick: Officer killed in Capitol riot to lie in honour". BBC News. January 30, 2021.
31. ^ Freking, Kevin (April 6, 2021). "Capitol police officer to lie in honor at rotunda April 13". Associated Press. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
32. ^ Cathey, Libby (July 14, 2022). "Hershel 'Woody' Williams, WWII Medal of Honor recipient, lies in honor at US Capitol". ABC News. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
33. ^ Shane III, Leo (April 16, 2024). "Korean War hero Ralph Puckett to lie in honor at US Capitol". Military Times. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
34. ^ ""The Catafalque" The Architect of the Capitol". Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011.

## External links

[edit]

* Capitol Rotunda from the Architect of the Capitol website

* v
* t
* e

United States Capitol Complex

United States Capitol

House|

* House chamber
* Office buildings (office lottery): Cannon
* House Library
* Ford
* Longworth
* Rayburn
* O'Neill
* O'Neill (former)

Senate|

* Senate chamber
* Old Senate Chamber
* Senate Reception Room
* Hideaways
* Office buildings: Dirksen
* Hart
* Mountains and Clouds
* Russell
* Senate Library

Library of Congress|

* Adams
* Jefferson
* Madison
* Law Library of Congress
* Mary Pickford Theater

Individual features|

* Cornerstone
* Dome
* Statue of Freedom
* The Apotheosis of Washington
* Rotunda
* Columbus Doors
* Declaration of Independence painting
* Frieze of American History
* General George Washington Resigning His Commission
* Surrender of General Burgoyne
* Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
* Jefferson statue
* Lincoln statue
* Washington statue
* National Statuary Hall
* Statues
* Crypt
* Hall of Columns
* Brumidi Corridors
* Apotheosis of Democracy
* Progress of Civilization Pediment
* First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln
* Abraham Lincoln (Bittinger)
* Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States
* Revolutionary War Door
* George Washington and the Revolutionary War Door
* Washington at Princeton
* Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way
* Vice Presidential Bust Collection
* Ohio Clock
* President's Room
* Vice President's Room
* Congressional Prayer Room
* Old Supreme Court Chamber
* Washington's Tomb
* Visitor Center
* Lincoln catafalque

Former features|

* George Washington as Zeus (sculpture, 1841–1908)
* Discovery of America (sculpture, 1844–1958)
* The Rescue (sculpture, 1853–1958)
* National Capitol Columns
* U.S. Capitol Gatehouses and Gateposts

Others|

* Art
* List of art
* List of portraits (A-J)
* Confederate
* Botanic Garden
* Capitol Hill
* James A. Garfield Monument
* Ulysses S. Grant Memorial
* Peace Monument
* Judiciary Building
* Power Plant
* Reflecting Pool
* Subway System
* Supreme Court Building
* Union Square
* Senate Page Residence
* Pennsylvania Avenue

* v
* t
* e

National Statuary Hall Collection

Statues|

* Samuel Adams
* Ethan Allen
* Stephen F. Austin
* Edward Lewis Bartlett
* Daisy Bates
* William Henry Harrison Beadle
* Mary McLeod Bethune
* Francis Preston Blair Jr.
* William Borah
* Norman Borlaug
* John Burke
* John C. Calhoun
* Martha Hughes Cannon
* Charles Carroll
* Johnny Cash
* Lewis Cass
* Willa Cather
* Dennis Chávez
* Henry Clay
* John M. Clayton
* George Clinton
* Jacob Collamer
* Jefferson Davis
* Amelia Earhart
* Thomas Edison
* Dwight D. Eisenhower
* Father Damien
* Gerald Ford
* Robert Fulton
* James A. Garfield
* James Z. George
* Barry Goldwater
* John Gorrie
* Billy Graham
* Nathanael Greene
* Ernest Gruening
* Hannibal Hamlin
* Wade Hampton III
* John Hanson
* Sam Houston
* Andrew Jackson
* Kamehameha I
* Philip Kearny
* Helen Keller
* John E. Kenna
* William King
* Eusebio Kino
* Samuel J. Kirkwood
* Robert M. La Follette Sr.
* Jason Lee
* Robert R. Livingston
* Crawford Long
* Huey Long
* Jacques Marquette
* Pat McCarran
* Ephraim McDowell
* John McLoughlin
* Esther Hobart Morris
* Oliver P. Morton
* Mother Joseph
* Peter Muhlenberg
* Francis Harrison Pierpont
* Po'pay
* Jeannette Rankin
* Ronald Reagan
* Henry Mower Rice
* Caesar Rodney
* Will Rogers
* Charles Marion Russell
* Florence R. Sabin
* Sakakawea
* Maria Sanford
* Sequoyah
* Junípero Serra
* John Sevier
* Roger Sherman
* James Shields
* George L. Shoup
* Standing Bear
* John Stark
* Alexander Hamilton Stephens
* Richard Stockton
* Jack Swigert
* Harry S. Truman
* Jonathan Trumbull
* Zebulon Baird Vance
* Lew Wallace
* Joseph Ward
* Washakie
* George Washington
* Daniel Webster
* Joseph Wheeler
* Edward Douglass White
* Marcus Whitman
* Frances Willard
* Roger Williams
* Sarah Winnemucca
* John Winthrop
* Brigham Young

| Replaced|

* William Allen
* Charles Brantley Aycock
* Thomas Hart Benton
* William Jennings Bryan
* Zachariah Chandler
* James Paul Clarke
* Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry
* Philo Farnsworth
* George Washington Glick
* John Campbell Greenway
* James Harlan
* John James Ingalls
* Thomas Starr King
* Robert E. Lee
* Julius Sterling Morton
* Uriah M. Rose
* Edmund Kirby Smith

|

Related|

* List of artwork at the United States Capitol complex
* National Statuary Hall
* Hall of Columns
* United States Capitol crypt
* Statue of Rosa Parks (U.S. Capitol)
* United States Capitol
* Rotunda
* Emancipation Hall

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Landmarks of Washington, D.C.

Memorials|

* Adams
* African American Civil War
* American Veterans Disabled for Life
* John Barry
* Belmont–Paul Women's Equality National Monument
* Mary McLeod Bethune
* Boy Scout
* James Buchanan
* John Carroll
* D.C. War
* Albert Einstein
* Emancipation
* Dwight D. Eisenhower
* John Ericsson
* David Farragut
* First Division
* Thomas Gallaudet
* James A. Garfield
* Kahlil Gibran
* Samuel Gompers
* Ulysses S. Grant
* Holocaust Museum
* Holodomor Genocide
* Andrew Jackson
* Japanese American Patriotism During World War II
* Jefferson Memorial
* Lyndon Baines Johnson Grove
* John Paul Jones
* Marquis de Lafayette
* Law Enforcement Officers
* Lincoln Memorial
* statue
* Martin Luther King, Jr.
* Korean War Veterans
* George Mason
* George B. McClellan
* George Meade
* Peter Muhlenberg
* National Statuary Hall Collection
* Navy – Merchant Marine
* Nuns of the Battlefield
* Peace Monument
* John J. Pershing
* Second Division
* Signers of the Declaration of Independence
* The Extra Mile
* Three Soldiers
* Jean de Rochambeau
* Franklin Delano Roosevelt
* Theodore Roosevelt Island
* Taras Shevchenko
* Statues of the Liberators
* Oscar Straus
* Robert A. Taft
* Titanic
* United States Navy
* Victims of Communism
* Vietnam Veterans
* Vietnam Women's
* Washington Monument
* Daniel Webster
* World War I
* World War II
* Rainbow Pool

Other|

* Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
* Blair House
* Capitol Reflecting Pool
* Congressional Cemetery
* DAR Constitution Hall
* Exorcist steps
* First Air Mail Marker
* Ford's Theatre
* Petersen House
* Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
* Healy Hall
* Hillwood Estate and Museum
* Islamic Center
* Jefferson Pier
* John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
* Library of Congress
* Jefferson
* Adams
* Madison
* National Arboretum
* National Capitol Columns
* National Building Museum
* National Gallery of Art
* Lincoln's Cottage at Soldiers' Home
* Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
* National Archives
* National Cathedral
* National Mall
* Octagon House
* Old Post Office
* Old Stone House
* Smithsonian Institution
* St. John's Episcopal Church
* The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace
* Tidal Basin
* Treasury Building
* Freedman's Bank Building
* Tudor Place
* Union Station
* United States Capitol
* Capitol Hill
* Dome
* Rotunda
* United States Supreme Court Building
* Watergate complex
* White House
* Willard Hotel

Parks
and plazas|

* Constitution Gardens
* Dupont Circle
* East Potomac Park
* Farragut Square
* Freedom Plaza
* Lafayette Square
* L'Enfant Plaza
* Meridian Hill Park
* National Arboretum
* Pershing Park
* President's Park
* Rock Creek Park
* The Ellipse
* Union Square
* United States Botanic Garden
* West Potomac Park

Boundaries|

* Anacostia River
* Arlington Memorial Bridge
* Boundary markers of the original District of Columbia
* Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
* Constitution Avenue
* Francis Scott Key Bridge
* Pennsylvania Avenue
* Potomac River
* Zero Milestone

Nearby
landmarks|

* Arlington National Cemetery
* Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
* John F. Kennedy gravesite
* Arlington House
* Marine Corps War Memorial
* Mount Vernon
* Netherlands Carillon
* Pentagon
* Pentagon Memorial
* United States Air Force Memorial
* Women in Military Service for America Memorial

Planned|

* Adams Memorial
* National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial
* National Liberty Memorial
* Peace Corps Commemorative
* Women's Suffrage National Monument

Canceled|

* George Washington Memorial Building
* Gold Star Mothers National Monument

Related|

* National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission
* National Mall and Memorial Parks
* List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C.
* National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.

Public art in Washington, D.C. (American Revolution Statuary, Civil War Monuments, Commemorating African-Americans, Outdoor sculpture)

38°53′23″N 77°00′33″W﻿ / ﻿38.88984°N 77.00908°W﻿ / 38.88984; -77.00908
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