Only the remains of 12 former presidents were laid out in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, the use of which is governed by concurrent measures from the House and Senate. However, in the 21st century, the practice has become increasingly popular as it allows mourners to publicly pay respects to former presidents.

The first president to receive this honor in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol was President Abraham Lincoln, who died from an assassin’s bullet in 1865. The next president to receive this honor was James Garfield, who died in 1881 from injuries inflicted by an assassin.

State funerals became increasingly commonplace for U.S. presidents in the 20th century. William McKinley, Warren Harding and John F. Kennedy were among the presidents honored during a public viewing in the Capitol Rotunda, with Kennedy’s viewing drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors.

All of these presidents died in office, but a number of former presidents were also honored by lies: Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and most recently George HW Bush, who died in November 2018.

According to the Architect of the Capitol, almost all services held in the Capitol Rotunda since 1865 have used the catafalque built to hold President Lincoln’s casket.

This is a post from Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch.