Senator Lindsey Graham was laid to rest in South Carolina on Wednesday, returning to his home state for a funeral and burial that drew hundreds of political figures and mourners.
Services were held at First Baptist Church in Columbia, a significant venue where his predecessor, Strom Thurmond, was also honored. Graham's body had earlier passed by the South Carolina Statehouse, where he began his political career in 1993. Law enforcement officers and military jets marked the procession, which concluded with a horse-drawn caisson carrying his casket.
Mourners remembered Graham as a legislator who maintained ties to his home state, often referring to him as the son of pool hall owners who never forgot his roots. His political action committee supported Republican candidates in state and local elections across South Carolina.
Graham died suddenly on July 11 at his Washington home, with preliminary findings suggesting an aortic tear. His passing followed a trip that included a NATO summit and a visit to Ukraine, during which he was involved in negotiations for sanctions against Russia. The Senate voted to advance a sanctions package on Tuesday, viewed as a final tribute to the senator.
Notable attendees at the funeral included Governor Henry McMaster, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, and former U.S. Representative Trey Gowdy, who were expected to speak. U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn, a Democrat and the only member of South Carolina's congressional delegation when Graham first arrived in Washington in 1995, was scheduled to read scripture.
Numerous South Carolina political figures were present, including nominees for governor, Attorney General Alan Wilson and state Representative Jermaine Johnson. Former House Speaker David Wilkins and U.S. Representative Henry Brown also attended.
Graham, who had won the Republican nomination for a fifth term, is succeeded in the interim by his sister, Darline Graham, who was appointed by Governor McMaster to hold the seat until January. A special primary election will be held in two weeks to select the new Republican nominee, with eight candidates, including former Governor Mark Sanford and U.S. Representatives Ralph Norman and Russell Fry, competing.
In Washington on Tuesday, a service was held at the U.S. Capitol, where President Donald Trump and others eulogized Graham. Trump described him as "a giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon."