Politics 101: (Ted Kennedy) What's the difference between 'Lying in State' and 'Lying in Repose'?

August 27, 3:20 PMNY Government ExaminerMichael A. Harris

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Tens of thousands of people are expected to visit the  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston over the next two days to pay their last respects to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who died early Wednesday morning.  Kennedy's body will lie in repose there until his funeral Saturday after which it will be flown to Virginia where he will be buried alongside his two older brothers, John and Robert at Arlington National Cemetery..

So what is the difference between "lying in repose" and "lying in state?

Lying in state is when a body is placed in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. for a period of a few days for the public to view.  This is considered one of the highest honors and generally reserved for former presidents, members of Congress and Supreme Court Justices.  The last person to lie in state was Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist in 2005 and before hiim former President Ronald Reagan, who died the year before "lay in repose" at the Reagan Presidential Library in California and was then brought to the Capitol, to "lie in state."  Only ten presidents have ever lay in state, most lie in repose.

Lying in repose refers to the body of a person of stature being moved to a place of significance and having the body available for public viewing.  If a president dies in office his body lies in repose in the East Room of The White House. A past president's body may lie in repose at The White House, if the family so requests.

The Kennedy family was given the option of lying in state, but said that it was the Senator's wish to stay in Massachusetts until his burial

At approximately 2 p.m. Thursday following a private family memorial in Hyannis Port, Kennedy's body began the 70 mile trek from Cape Cod to the museum that he helped develop in memory of his slain brothers, there he will lie in repose until his funeral on Saturday, where President Barack Obama will deliveer his eulogy.