The Rotunda of the Capitol of the United States was completed in 1824.

The first person to lay in state in the Capitol was Henry Clay, congressman from Kentucky, in 1852. Like many from this “border state,” Clay was conflicted over slavery; he himself owned slaves – though he favored some form of emancipation – and freed them upon his death. For his long career of trying to keep the United States from coming apart, he earned the sobriquet, “The Great Compromiser.”

Since that time, a total of 32 persons have lain in state. Clay was followed by Abraham Lincoln in 1865, who was assassinated over the conflict that Clay could not prevent. The catafalque that was built for Lincoln has been used for every service since. And Lincoln has been followed by 11 other Presidents who have received this honor.

A total of 9 persons who served in Congress but were never President have lain in state. Perhaps the least well-known was John “Black Jack” Logan of Illinois. He cut short his law studies to fight against Mexico, and gave up his seat in Congress to fight against the Confederacy. He fought at Bull Run, led the first troops into the fallen city of Vicksburg, and his Army of the Tennessee helped destroy Atlanta. After the war, he helped manage the impeachment of Andrew Johnson in the House, an effort which failed in the Senate by one vote, which failure set back the promise of integration for many decades.

There have been 6 military honorees, including Generals Pershing and MacArthur, and Unknown Soldiers from the World Wars, Korea and Vietnam.

The man who planned the federal city of Washington, Pierre Charles L’Enfant, lay in state in 1909. The man who built the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, lay in state in 1972 (before his abuses of power became widely known).

No woman has lain in state. However, in 2005, Rosa Parks received the distinction as a private citizen to “Lay in Honor” in the Capitol. Only three others have earned this distinction: Reverend Billy Graham, and Capitol Police officers Jacob J. Chestnut, Jr. and John M. Gibson, who died defending the Capitol itself against an armed gunman.

Elijah Cummings was born in 1951 in Baltimore, the son of sharecroppers. At age 11, he entered a public pool in South Baltimore with some friends, and was attacked by a white mob who threw rocks and bottles, one of which hit Cummings in the face, scarring him for life. He went to Howard University where he received a Political Science degree, was Phi Beta Kappa, and student body President. He got his law degree from Maryland, served in the state House of Delegates, was Chairman of its Legislative Black Caucus, and became the first African American to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore. He was elected to the federal House in 1996, where he served with distinction for over 20 years. His final piece of legislation was an Act expanding the rights of federal whistle blowers, which was signed into law by the nation’s first African American President, in 2014.  

Elijah Cummings passed on October 17, 2019. One week later, yesterday, Elijah Cummings became the first African American to lay in state in the United States Capitol.