Late Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young will receive the honor of lying in state at the Capitol on March 29, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Monday.
A ceremony is expected to be held with Young’s family and their guests followed by a memorial service and viewing open to members of Congress in Statuary Hall, according to the speaker’s office.
The Alaska Republican’s office announced Young, who served as dean of the House since 2017, died while traveling back to his home state on Friday. Since first being elected in 1973, making him the longest-serving Republican House member in history, Young garnered a reputation for being brusque and caring with an ability to work across the aisle.
‘A LION AND A MAN IN FULL’: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS MOURN DON YOUNG’S DEATH
Since the news of his death, the late lawmaker has received bipartisan praise for his dedication to public service and the state of Alaska, with members releasing statements and sharing memories of the eccentric congressman on social media.
“For five decades, he was an institution in the hallowed halls of Congress: a serious legislator always bringing people together to do the People’s work,” Pelosi said in a statement on Friday.
“The photographs of him with ten presidents of both parties who signed his bills into law that proudly cover the walls of his Rayburn office are a testament to his longevity and his legislative mastery,” she added.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy praised Young for his tenure in the lower chamber, including his work as chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources and House Transportation Committee, and noted his penchant for keeping members timely in casting their votes on the floor.
“Don Young was a giant, with a heart as big as the Capitol and a spirit as strong as the Alaskan wild. He was the longest-serving Republican in the history of Congress — working with 10 presidents and nine Speakers. He was a chairman of several committees, the dean of the House, and a mentor to all of us. No one worked harder for his or her state and people than Don,” McCarthy said.
“His absence will leave Congress less colorful and certainly less punctual. But his decades of service have filled every room and touched every member. Although he is no longer sitting in the Chamber amongst us, he will always be with us. Anne and his children have my deepest sympathies and love,” McCarthy continued.
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Just 37 people prior to Young have lain in state or in honor in the Capitol Rotunda or Statuary Hall, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the last lawmaker to have lain in state, with the Nevada Democrat receiving the honor in January.
