South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was elected to the U. S. Senate in 2002, passed away unexpectedly last Saturday night (July 11). He was 71.
Graham, who was from Central, was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was seeking a fifth six-year Senate term in November. He was one of the most well-known members of the chamber and a key voice within the Republican party on defense and foreign policy.
His sister, Darline Graham, was appointed by SC Governor Henry McMaster on July 13 to fill the unexpired term of Senator Graham. She recently announced that she intends to run in the upcoming primary election for the full term senate seat. President Donald Trump has endorsed her. The filing period for the race is from July 21-28. The special primary election is set for Aug. 11 with a runoff, if necessary, on Aug. 25. The winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November.
Darline Graham was ceremonially sworn in by Chuck Grassley on July 14 and is already making history. She is the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate, the first woman to replace her brother in Congress and the first sibling to replace a deceased senator.
On July 16, Graham introduced legislation to impose sanctions on Russia. The legislation is based on the Sanctioning Russia Act, a bill authored and supported by Lindsey Graham, and has bipartisan support.
Graham is married to Larry Nordone and is the mother of two children. They live in Lexington, South Carolina.
Funeral services for the late Senator Lindsey O. Graham will be held on Tuesday, July 28 in Washington, D.C. and on Wednesday, July 29 in Columbia, South Carolina and Pickens County, South Carolina.
“I am grateful to all those who have come together to help honor and remember Lindsey,” Senator Darline Graham said. “I would like to extend my sincere thanks to President Trump and his team, Washington National Cathedral, Senate leadership, First Baptist Church of Columbia and the Senate Sergeant at Arms for going above and beyond to ensure these will be honorable tributes to Lindsey.”
The Graham family invites the public to celebrate the life of the late Senator Graham by paying their respects at the funeral procession at the South Carolina State House and the funeral service at First Baptist Church of Columbia.
Funeral services for Senator Lindsey Graham will begin with an arrival ceremony at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
In recognition of Graham’s decades of service in the Air Force, his remains will be carried into the U.S. Capitol by an Armed Forces Body Bearer Team. Following arrival to the Rotunda, the Armed Forces Body Bearer Team will be replaced by a U.S. Capitol Police memorial guard in recognition of his service in the U.S. Senate. There will be a short program in recognition of Senator Graham’s decades of service in the U.S Senate. This ceremony will be closed to the public. The public is invited to view the ceremony via livestream.
Following the Rotunda ceremony, his remains will depart to Washington National Cathedral for a funeral service starting at 2 p.m. Service participants will include a tribute from President Donald J. Trump, with others to be announced. The Washington National Cathedral funeral service will be by invitation only.
The public is invited to view the service on the Cathedral’s website or YouTube page. Following the funeral service, the late senator will begin his final journey to South Carolina.
He will arrive to South Carolina one last time on the evening of Tuesday, July 28th. The departure from D.C. and arrival to South Carolina will be closed press.
The South Carolina funeral services will begin with a final visit to the South Carolina State House at approximately 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29. The public is invited to pay their respects along the procession route.
The funeral procession will begin on the south side of the State House to the north Side via the West Walkway. His remains will be carried by the South Carolina State Guard Caisson Detachment.
There will be a presentation of law enforcement from agencies across South Carolina on the North steps of the State House. There will be a brief pause, followed by a F-16 flyover via the 169th Fighter Wing from McEntire Joint National Guard Base at approximately 11 a.m. The caisson will proceed down Main Street and arrive to First Baptist Church of Columbia.
Seating will be first come, first served.
The funeral service will be followed by a private family burial in Pickens County, South Carolina.
