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With a flag-draped coffin at the center of the Capitol Rotunda, Republican senators past and present remembered the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in remarks that celebrated his far-reaching influence — from his home state of South Carolina to the international stage.
Tuesday’s ceremony at the Capitol was the first of two days of remembrances for Graham, who died earlier this month at the age of 71. It featured tributes from several of his party’s most influential voices, who shared memories of Graham as a friend, a congressional mainstay and a leading voice in U.S. foreign policy.
From the Capitol, Graham’s casket was taken to Washington National Cathedral for a funeral service. Among those set to attend were President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy.
Speaking at the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., highlighted the scope of Graham’s work over his three decades in Congress, from his role in judicial confirmations to his fierce defense of Ukraine to his support of the anti-abortion movement.
With Graham’s death, a “powerful voice” and a magnetic friend of the Senate was gone, Thune said.
“There was no one — no one — who took his job more seriously than Lindsey Graham. But also, no one was more capable of cracking up a room,” Thune said. Graham was often the first call for joint Senate dinners, where “the conversations and the laughs always flowed at any meal where Lindsey Graham was present.”
Graham was from Central, S.C., where he lived with his family in a single room behind their business that included a liquor store and restaurant. After his parents died, Graham became the primary caretaker for his sister Darline Graham, who has been appointed to serve out the remainder of his term.
Vice President J.D. Vance, who served alongside Graham in the Senate, said it was impossible not to like his former colleague. Vance described a heated argument the two once had over funding for Ukraine.
Vance assumed Graham would never support another piece of his legislation. But he was wrong.
“It was impossible not to like him — that swashbuckling, infectious laugh, that attitude, that passion that so many others have talked about,” Vance said.
Ukraine was one of Graham’s highest priorities. In the months leading up to his death, he worked to move a Russia sanctions bill through the Senate that he hoped would help bring an end to the years-long war between Russia and Ukraine. The bill has been a priority for Republican leaders in the Senate, who planned to hold a procedural vote on the legislation on Tuesday after the end of services in Washington.
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte, a close friend who served with Graham in the Senate, said he was exceptional at developing personal relationships with those who disagreed with him. Ayotte, a military veteran, said his work for the armed forces will never be forgotten.
An alum of the University of South Carolina’s law school, Graham served in the U.S. military for more than three decades, including as an Air Force judge advocate. Ayotte said he often joked about her status as a freshman senator.
“Lindsey never missed an opportunity to remind me that he outranked me — not only in service but also in his office in the upper chamber,” Ayotte said. “And you know what, he had earned that right.”
Following a service for Graham at the National Cathedral later on Tuesday, Graham’s remains will be flown back to South Carolina for a funeral service on Wednesday at the First Baptist Church in Columbia.
