Former US president George H.W. Bush makes his final journey to Washington, to lie in state at Capitol ahead of state funeral
- The remains of the former president made their way from Texas to Washington aboard Air Force One
The body of former US President George H.W. Bush arrived on Monday at the US Capitol in Washington, where mourners will pay tribute to the man who led the nation as the cold war ended.
With hands on hearts, members of Bush’s cabinet, lawmakers and Supreme Court justices honoured the 41st president as his flag-draped casket entered the Capitol Rotunda.
The Bush family, led by son and former president George W. Bush, accompanied the patriarch’s body on the flight aboard Air Force One from Texas to Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, and then on a final trip down Pennsylvania Avenue to the steps of the Capitol.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the first official to speak in the Rotunda, described George H.W. Bush as a “humble servant” and “a principled leader.”
“He kept us flying high and challenged us to fly higher still, and he did it with modesty and kindness that would’ve been surprising in someone one-tenth as tough and accomplished as he was,” McConnell said.
The body of the Republican former president will lie in state at the Rotunda through Wednesday, when a state funeral is scheduled at the Washington National Cathedral.
