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National political leaders and prominent figures from around the globe will remember South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham with a ceremony on Capitol Hill and a funeral service in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
Graham is first being recognized with a ceremony in the Capitol rotunda. His casket was brought to the Capitol, where he is being honored by his fellow senators.
The ceremony includes remarks from Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Vice President JD Vance, according to the program.
The casket of the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham lies in state during a memorial tribute in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, July 28, 2026 in Washington.
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A person hands out programs ahead of a Congressional tribute to late US Senator Lindsey Graham in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, July 28, 2026.
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Graham served more than two decades in the Senate, becoming one of the chamber’s most recognizable Republicans and one of President Donald Trump’s closest friends and advisers. He advised the president on foreign matters, including the recent war in Iran, and was a prominent fixture of the Senate’s powerful Judiciary Committee.
An Armed Forces Body Bearer Team carry the casket during a memorial tribute for the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham at the U.S. Capitol, July 28, 2026 in Washington.
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He died suddenly and unexpectedly on July 11 at the age of 71. Preliminary findings from the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia said that the senator died due to “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”
Later Tuesday, there will be a funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral. Trump is expected to speak at the service, according to the office of Darline Graham, the late senator’s sister who was sworn in earlier this month to finish out the rest of his term.
Sen. Darlene Graham, sister of Lindsey Graham, waits for the arrival of Graham’s casket during a Congressional tribute to late Senator Graham at the US Capitol in Washington, July 28, 2026.
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A U.S. flag flies at half-staff on the day of a Congressional Tribute to late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, July 28, 2026.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
The cathedral funeral is expected to be attended by a number of world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Graham worked closely with both men as a staunch ally to both nations. Graham spent some of his final days in Ukraine and met with Zelenskyy just before he died.
Graham’s casket will return to South Carolina on Wednesday, where further memorial services are set for Columbia, the state’s capital, and Pickens County, where Graham grew up and part of the district he represented.
