‘Bob belongs here’: Former Kansas senator Dole lies in state in U.S. Capitol Rotunda
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Bob Dole’s legacy
Bob Dole, a Kansan, World War II veteran, lawyer, state representative, U.S. Senator and presidential nominee for the Republican party died Sunday at 98.
Dole entered public service in 1950 at age 27 and in 18 years rose from the Kansas House of Representatives, Russell County attorney and the U.S. House to the Senate. In 1976, he joined the GOP ticket as a vice presidential candidate, then ran twice unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination before becoming his party’s presidential nominee in 1996, at age 73.
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The doors of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda opened on Thursday and former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole was carried past the statue of his hero Dwight D. Eisenhower in the building where he spent 35 years of his life.
His flag draped casket was laid in the center of the rotunda, surrounded by a circle of about 100 people, as speakers talked about his leadership, his sharp sense of humor and his rise from a small town in Kansas to one of the most powerful positions in the grand halls of the U.S. Capitol.
“Bob belongs here,” President Joe Biden said of a rotunda dotted with statues and large portraits detailing American history. “He too was a giant of our history and that’s not hyperbole, that’s real. Of wit and grace, of principle and persistence, of courage and conviction.”
Dole died Sunday. He was 98.
His life was filled with major events and accompanying accolades, from the Purple Heart that marked the moment a bullet altered his ambitions to the Presidential Medal of Freedom that came after he fell just short of becoming president.
His casket lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda on Thursday so people could pay their respects to the World War II veteran, senator and Republican presidential nominee from Kansas.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Biden each gave speeches honoring Dole at the service.
They talked about Dole’s roots, from his upbringing in the Dust Bowl years of the Great Depression to the people of Russell, Kansas, who filled a cigar box with donations to help him get back on his feet after coming home from World War II in a body cast.
“Through all his years in public service, Bob Dole knew exactly where he came from,” McConnell said. “A son of Dustbowl hardship — who was laser-focused on food security and rural issues. A wounded warrior — who spent decades carrying fellow veterans and Americans with disabilities on his shoulders. Bob was the last of the Greatest Generation to run for president. But he was never stuck in the past.”
They also talked about Dole’s humor. When speakers shared jokes Dole made, the crowd gamely chuckled.
As Biden walked up to speak, First Lady Jill Biden made eye contact with Elizabeth Dole and blew her a kiss.
Biden started in the Senate four years after Dole and the two were colleagues for the next two decades. Biden said they found a way to work together, they genuinely respected each other and became great friends.
Toward the end of his speech, Biden quoted Dole talking about the need for unity in politics.
“I cannot pretend that I have not been a loyal champion of my party, but I have always served my country best when I did so first and foremost as an American,” Biden read. “When I prioritized principles over party, humanity over personal legacy.”
After U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ethan Greene sang “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” a song that was set to music by a Kansan back in 1923, three wreaths made of white and red roses were placed around the casket before people were allowed to approach and say farewell.
Elizabeth Dole went first. She laid her hand on the flag draped over the casket and set down her head. She briefly lifted it up and then dropped it back down. Then she got up and walked out of the rotunda, followed by her daughter.
When former Sen. Pat Roberts approached, he offered Dole a tight salute.
Dole’s body will lie in state in the Capitol until Friday morning. It will then go to Washington National Cathedral for a private ceremony before a public ceremony at the World War II Memorial. Dole’s body will then return to Kansas one last time for a weekend of ceremonies before it is returned to Washington, D.C. where he will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
This story was originally published December 9, 2021 at 11:06 AM with the headline "‘Bob belongs here’: Former Kansas senator Dole lies in state in U.S. Capitol Rotunda."
