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Lying in repose vs lying in state

Posted by HickoryG on June 09, 2004

In Reply to: Lying in repose vs lying in state posted by ESC on June 08, 2004

: : What is the meaning of "lying in repose" and "lying in state" in reference to the now deceased former President Reagan?

POSTED ON AOL NEWS JUNE 8, 2004

As for what exactly constitutes a state funeral, Betty K. Koed, an assistant Senate historian, said Tuesday, "It does seem to be kind of fuzzy."

Basically, she said, a state funeral is distinguished by the status of the deceased and the high level of ceremony, much of it military, including the riderless horse with boots turned symbolically backward in the stirrups, an image burned into the national memory from John F. Kennedy's funeral in 1963.

"You can lie in state without having a state funeral," Ms. Koed observed. "And you can have a state funeral without lying in state."

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