Bob Dole to lie in state at Capitol as nation honors senator, WWII veteran
Dec 6, 2021, 2:50 PM | Updated: 4:09 pm
Former Senator Bob Dole stands up and salutes the casket of the late former President George H.W. Bush as he lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, December 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. A WWII combat veteran, Bush served as a member of Congress from Texas, ambassador to the United Nations, director of the CIA, vice president and 41st president of the United States. Bush will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda until Wednesday morning. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bob Dole’s casket will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday as congressional leaders honor the former Republican presidential candidate and World War II veteran who served in Congress for 36 years.
Dole died Sunday at the age of 98. He was a leader known for his caustic wit, which he often turned on himself but didn’t hesitate to turn on others, too. He shaped tax and foreign policy and worked vigorously to help the disabled, enshrining protections against discrimination in employment, education and public services in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Senator Bob Dole was a war hero, a political leader, and a statesman—with a career and demeanor harkening back to a day when members of the Greatest Generation abided by a certain code, putting country over party. Our thoughts are with Elizabeth and the Dole family.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 5, 2021
The U.S. Capitol has been considered the most suitable place for the nation to pay final tribute to its most eminent citizens by having their remains lie in state. The commemoration will include a formal arrival and departure ceremony.
“Senator Dole was an extraordinary patriot, who devoted his entire life to serving our nation with dignity and integrity,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Dole, representing Kansas, served four terms in the House and more than four terms in the Senate. He won the Republican nomination in 1996, but was defeated when President Bill Clinton won a second term. He was also 1976 GOP vice presidential candidate on the losing ticket with President Gerald Ford.
Follow along with us this week as we look back on the life of Senator Bob Dole. Born on July 22, 1923, Senator Dole grew up one of four siblings in Russell, Kansas. He was a standout athlete at Russell High School & worked as a soda jerk at Dawson’s Drug. #RememberingBobDole pic.twitter.com/ksOjXXMxW3
— Dole Institute (@DoleInstitute) December 6, 2021
“Those of us who were lucky to know Bob well ourselves admired him even more,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate. “A bright light of patriotic good cheer burned all the way from Bob’s teenage combat heroics through his whole career in Washington and through the years since. We look forward to honoring his life and legacy at the Capitol.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he didn’t get to serve with Dole, but “his reputation and his achievements, and most of all his character preceded him.”
This clip of Bob Dole and Norm Macdonald a week after Dole lost in 1996 is so great and it’s beyond sad to lose both of them this year.pic.twitter.com/gUa2B9Dnfg
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) December 5, 2021
Dole received two Purple Hearts for his valor in World War II. Throughout his political career, he carried the mark of war. Charging a German position in northern Italy in 1945, Dole was hit by a shell fragment that crushed two vertebrae and paralyzed his arms and legs. The young Army platoon leader spent three years recovering in a hospital and never regained use of his right hand.
