Harry Reid memorial services set for Jan. 8
A memorial service for former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid will be held Jan. 8 in Las Vegas, his office announced Thursday.
Reid, 82, died Tuesday at his home following a years’ long battle with pancreatic cancer.
News of his passing has resulted in an outpouring of tributes in Nevada and nationwide from people who were touched by Reid over his long career in public service.
The memorial service at 11 a.m. on Jan. 8 at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts will include family, friends and former colleagues.
It will livestreamed. Tickets will be distributed through the senator’s office, not the Smith Center, according to an announcement.
Reid served Nevada in Congress for three decades and as U.S. Senate majority leader from 2007-2015. He did not seek reelection and returned to the state, with his wife, Landra, in 2017.
It’s not yet clear if memorial services will also be conducted in Washington, D.C. for Reid.
Lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda is an honor for the nation’s most eminent citizens. Historically it has required a concurrent resolution passed by the House and Senate, according to the Architect of the Capitol.
Congress is currently on a holiday recess, with the Senate returning Monday.
The most recent person to lie in state in the Rotunda was the late Sen. Robert Dole, a World War II veteran, former Senate majority leader and GOP presidential nominee, who died Dec 5. Other people who have received the honor include Rep. John Lewis, former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, and Senators John McCain and Daniel Inouye, according to a House of Representatives website.
For those lying in state, the casket rests on the catafalque constructed for the coffin of Abraham Lincoln.
Most services since Lincoln’s death in 1865 have used that catafalque, according to the Architect of the Capitol.
President Joe Biden spoke at a memorial in the Rotunda for Dole, a former colleague, like Reid, who served decades together in the Senate. After Dole’s death, Reid issued a statement praising the former Kansas legislator. Reid said Dole was an example in how to effectively carry out the role of being a Senate majority leader.
As for Reid’s tenure in the high-profile position, Biden and former President Barack Obama paid their tributes this week in statements and praise of his dedication to lift up people and fight for principled causes. Obama said Reid helped convince him to run for president in 2008. Reid is also responsible for the passage of Obama’s signature achievement, the Affordable Care Act, in the Senate.
In a presidential proclamation, Biden called Reid “a man of action, and a man of his word — guided by faith, loyalty, and unshakeable resolve.”
Biden ordered flags lowered to half-staff on federal property. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak also issued an order for flags on state grounds.
Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.
