Reid to lie in state at Capitol

Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, Jan. 12.

Events will include formal arrival and departure ceremonies.

Reid, 82, died Dec. 28 at his home following a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

A memorial service in Las Vegas at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts will be held Saturday, Jan. 8, for family, friends and former colleagues.

“It is with sadness and respect that I recognize the passing of former senator and senate majority leader Harry Reid,” said Boulder City Mayor Kiernan McManus. “Senator Reid was a hometown boy from our neighbor town of Searchlight. He served Nevada in several offices before becoming a United States senator for 30 years. He knew Boulder City and many of our residents well and supported the needs and prosperity of our city.”

Reid served in Congress for nearly three decades, and as Senate majority leader from 2007 to 2015. He did not seek re-election in 2016 due to injuries suffered in a home accident. He left office in 2017 and returned to Nevada with his wife of 62 years, Landra.

In addition to the Senate, Reid served as a member of the U.S. House, as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, as lieutenant governor and in the Assembly.

Lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda is an honor for the nation’s most eminent citizens. Historically, it has required a concurrent resolution passed by the House and Senate, according to the architect of the Capitol. According to a list maintained on a House of Representatives website, Reid will be the first Nevadan to be accorded the honor.

The most recent person to lie in state in the Rotunda was the late Sen. Robert Dole, a World War II veteran, former Senate majority leader and GOP presidential nominee, who died Dec 5.

Other people who have received the honor include Rep. John Lewis, former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, and Sens. John McCain and Daniel Inouye.

For those lying in state, the casket rests on the catafalque constructed for the coffin of Abraham Lincoln. Most services since Lincoln’s death in 1865 have used that catafalque, according to the architect of the Capitol.

Boulder City Review reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear contributed to this report.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin @reviewjournal.com. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter