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| George H.W. Bush Funeral Live: President’s Coffin Arrives at the National Cathedral | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Right Now: President George Bush’s coffin is carried into Washington National Cathedral. | |
| • The United States’ five living presidents, dignitaries from around the country and leaders from throughout the world filled the Washington National Cathedral for the service, the first presidential funeral since 2006. | |
| • The Bush family and top leaders of Congress watched the coffin depart on its way to the National Cathedral. President George Bush had been lying in state since Monday. | • The Bush family and top leaders of Congress watched the coffin depart on its way to the National Cathedral. President George Bush had been lying in state since Monday. |
| • President Trump is attending the funeral, but has no speaking role — a break from recent tradition and in accordance with Mr. Bush’s wishes. | |
| President Trump and Melania Trump arrived at the cathedral to an awkward moment. The two were led to their seats next to the other former presidents in the front row. By protocol, they sat next to Barack and Michelle Obama. Mr. Trump reached over to first shake Mr. Obama’s hand and then Mrs. Obama’s. None of them looked happy about it. | |
| This was the first time Mr. Trump has been with the former presidents since his inauguration nearly two years ago. In the interim, he has harshly attacked each of them except Jimmy Carter, who has offered accommodating words about the incumbent president and agreed that he was being treated unfairly by the news media. | |
| As they slid into the presidential pew, the Trumps received a cold greeting. After the handshakes with the Obamas, former president Bill Clinton briefly glanced Mr. Trump’s way. | |
| Mrs. Clinton stared straight ahead. | |
| A hearse carrying Mr. Bush’s coffin, covered in an American flag, pulled up to the cathedral minutes before 11 o’clock. Hundreds of onlookers had gathered across the street, pressed up against the metal barricades to watch the motorcade’s arrival. | |
| The grounds went silent, save for the dull hum of generators and the clicking heels of service members who greeted him. | |
| The four Bush siblings and their spouses climbed out of motorcade vehicles to watch pallbearers carry the coffin up the steps. | |
| Former President George W. Bush buttoned his jacket and sighed deeply, taking his wife, Laura, on his arm. Former Gov. Jeb Bush placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder. | |
| Some dabbed their eyes; others bowed their heads. They followed the coffin inside. | |
| Officials in the Trump White House are not often invited to mingle with the rest of Washington, a city that heavily voted for Hillary Clinton, a woman seated in the front row at the cathedral. | |
| The funeral is the rare event to create bipartisan mingling. | |
| For a few moments at least, the Washington establishment looked intact: Several high-ranking members of the Trump administration were in attendance at the cathedral before Mr. Trump arrived. John Bolton, the president’s national security adviser, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the president’s daughter and son-in-law, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, were all spotted smiling and greeting onlookers before the ceremony. | |
| Mr. Trump, for his part, has been given credit this week for not doing or saying anything that might derail the funeral. Before the funeral began, Mr. Trump arrived and walked solemnly into the cathedral clutching the hand of Melania Trump, the first lady. | |
| The Bush family gathered in front of the Capitol on Wednesday morning under gray skies, hands over their hearts, to watch Mr. Bush’s coffin leave the building. Four of the president’s five living children, former President George W. Bush, former Governor Jeb Bush of Florida, Doro Bush Koch and Neil Bush, along with their spouses, formed a row in the Capitol driveway for the elaborate departure ceremony, with more relatives, including former first daughters Barbara and Jenna Bush, the younger Mr. Bush’s daughters, looking on from farther away. | |
| A military band played the official presidential anthem as an honor guard held Mr. Bush’s coffin at the top of the Capitol steps, and a 21-gun salute rang out from cannons assembled at the base of Capitol Hill. Then the honor guard slowly carried the coffin down to a waiting hearse while mournful hymns played. The Capitol grounds fell silent as the hearse drove away, bound for the National Cathedral and Mr. Bush’s official state funeral in northwestern Washington. | A military band played the official presidential anthem as an honor guard held Mr. Bush’s coffin at the top of the Capitol steps, and a 21-gun salute rang out from cannons assembled at the base of Capitol Hill. Then the honor guard slowly carried the coffin down to a waiting hearse while mournful hymns played. The Capitol grounds fell silent as the hearse drove away, bound for the National Cathedral and Mr. Bush’s official state funeral in northwestern Washington. |
| The younger Mr. Bush waved from the motorcade at onlookers lining Constitution Avenue to catch a glimpse of the 41st president’s funeral procession. | |
| The powerful and the once powerful made their way into the cathedral and took their seats. The diplomatic corps to the north of the pulpit, the Supreme Court and Senate to the south, the former presidents in front. | |
| Jimmy Carter was the first of the former presidents to arrive, taking a seat quietly against a column with Rosalynn Carter. Next came Barack Obama, who chatted animatedly with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. | |
| Then the Clintons arrived, Bill lingering with the diplomats while Hillary and Chelsea made their way to their seats. Mrs. Clinton and Michelle Obama greeted each other with a warm hug. | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and most of the Supreme Court were on hand. Justice Clarence Thomas, the last of Mr. Bush’s appointees still on the court, chatted with senators alongside Justice Stephen Breyer, the two of them occasionally putting their hands on each other’s backs as friends do. | |
| Vice President Mike Pence represented the current administration until President Trump’s arrival. A couple of his predecessors, Al Gore and Joseph R. Biden Jr., worked the room. | |
| For Washington, this is what passes for a meeting of the village. | |
| Two former directors of the C.I.A., John O. Brennan and Leon E. Panetta, entered the cathedral together. Condoleezza Rice, the former secretary of state, was spotted in the sprawling media encampment before for an interview with CBS. And Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, was seen waiting in the security line outside the cathedral wearing red, white and blue Nike shoes. | |
| Senator Dianne Feinstein of California and Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts have filed through the security line. Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., wearing aviator-style sunglasses, also arrived. | |
| An American flag fluttered at half-staff on the cathedral’s lawn. Canines paced the security lines. Members of the marine chamber orchestra, dressed in red, assembled on the driveway to prepare for the ceremony, their instruments slung over their shoulders. | |
| The service at Washington National Cathedral was designed by the former president and his family during years of planning, crafted to highlight his faith, family and public duty. It is the kind of service he would have enjoyed, but for the focus on himself, which his family always taught him was something to avoid. | The service at Washington National Cathedral was designed by the former president and his family during years of planning, crafted to highlight his faith, family and public duty. It is the kind of service he would have enjoyed, but for the focus on himself, which his family always taught him was something to avoid. |
| The main eulogy will be delivered by his eldest son, former President George W. Bush. Other tributes will be made by his friends, former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada and former Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming, and by his biographer, the historian Jon Meacham. | The main eulogy will be delivered by his eldest son, former President George W. Bush. Other tributes will be made by his friends, former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada and former Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming, and by his biographer, the historian Jon Meacham. |
| Three of his granddaughters, Lauren Bush Lauren, Ashley Walker Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, will give readings. His hometown minister, the Rev. Dr. Russell Levenson Jr., of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, will deliver a homily. And Ronan Tynan, the Irish soloist who sang to Mr. Bush on the last day of his life, will perform along with a variety of military musical groups. | Three of his granddaughters, Lauren Bush Lauren, Ashley Walker Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, will give readings. His hometown minister, the Rev. Dr. Russell Levenson Jr., of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, will deliver a homily. And Ronan Tynan, the Irish soloist who sang to Mr. Bush on the last day of his life, will perform along with a variety of military musical groups. |
| The officiating clergy include the Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church; the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Washington diocese; and the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, the dean of Washington National Cathedral. The minister of ceremonies is the Rev. Canon Rosemarie Logan Duncan of the cathedral and the intercessor is the Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope, the provost of the cathedral. | The officiating clergy include the Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church; the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Washington diocese; and the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, the dean of Washington National Cathedral. The minister of ceremonies is the Rev. Canon Rosemarie Logan Duncan of the cathedral and the intercessor is the Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope, the provost of the cathedral. |
| The cathedral’s bourdon bell will toll 41 times as Mr. Bush’s cortege moves from the Capitol to the cathedral. After the service, the coffin will be taken to Joint Base Andrews outside Washington for the flight back to Houston. | The cathedral’s bourdon bell will toll 41 times as Mr. Bush’s cortege moves from the Capitol to the cathedral. After the service, the coffin will be taken to Joint Base Andrews outside Washington for the flight back to Houston. |
| There will be three 21-gun salutes, more than a dozen ruffles and flourishes, and several special honor guards. But Mr. Bush drew the line at the more time-consuming, attention-grabbing elements of a presidential funeral, choosing to forgo the horse-drawn caisson that has sometimes been included in state funerals of the past. | There will be three 21-gun salutes, more than a dozen ruffles and flourishes, and several special honor guards. But Mr. Bush drew the line at the more time-consuming, attention-grabbing elements of a presidential funeral, choosing to forgo the horse-drawn caisson that has sometimes been included in state funerals of the past. |
| Mr. Bush, known for what came to be called his “aerobic golf” — an impatient, sped-up version of the leisurely game — was never one for wasting time. So unlike former President Ronald Reagan, whose coffin was delivered to the Capitol in 2004 by a horse-drawn caisson trailed by a riderless horse with the boots turned backward, Mr. Bush arranged for his coffin to be carried by hearse. | Mr. Bush, known for what came to be called his “aerobic golf” — an impatient, sped-up version of the leisurely game — was never one for wasting time. So unlike former President Ronald Reagan, whose coffin was delivered to the Capitol in 2004 by a horse-drawn caisson trailed by a riderless horse with the boots turned backward, Mr. Bush arranged for his coffin to be carried by hearse. |
| “George Bush did everything fast in life — golf, boating, skydiving and, now, his funeral,” his longtime spokesman, Jim McGrath, told The New York Times’s Sheryl Gay Stolberg. “No pauses, no slow caissons.” | “George Bush did everything fast in life — golf, boating, skydiving and, now, his funeral,” his longtime spokesman, Jim McGrath, told The New York Times’s Sheryl Gay Stolberg. “No pauses, no slow caissons.” |
| There will, of course, be pauses to honor Mr. Bush and remember him with the pageantry befitting a former president. A 21-gun salute is scheduled to take place at the Capitol before he is carried away for the final time, another at Joint Base Andrews before his coffin is loaded into Air Force One to make the journey to Houston, and still another upon his arrival at Ellington Field in Houston. | There will, of course, be pauses to honor Mr. Bush and remember him with the pageantry befitting a former president. A 21-gun salute is scheduled to take place at the Capitol before he is carried away for the final time, another at Joint Base Andrews before his coffin is loaded into Air Force One to make the journey to Houston, and still another upon his arrival at Ellington Field in Houston. |
| By early afternoon in Washington, Mr. Bush will be headed back to Texas, where another funeral is scheduled and his coffin will ultimately travel by train to his presidential library in College Station, to be buried near his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush, and daughter Robin, who died at 3. | By early afternoon in Washington, Mr. Bush will be headed back to Texas, where another funeral is scheduled and his coffin will ultimately travel by train to his presidential library in College Station, to be buried near his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush, and daughter Robin, who died at 3. |
| A sheet of gray hovered over Washington on Wednesday morning, the temperature a chilly 32 degrees as the capital prepared to bid a final farewell to a president. | A sheet of gray hovered over Washington on Wednesday morning, the temperature a chilly 32 degrees as the capital prepared to bid a final farewell to a president. |
| Police cars lined the blocks surrounding the National Cathedral. Yellow tape marked the periphery of the grounds as passers-by pointed through the fencing, identifying political figures on the driveway. Children perched on their parents’ shoulders for a better view. | Police cars lined the blocks surrounding the National Cathedral. Yellow tape marked the periphery of the grounds as passers-by pointed through the fencing, identifying political figures on the driveway. Children perched on their parents’ shoulders for a better view. |
| “It feels like something you just have to be a part of,” said Doug Thomas, 36, of Arlington, Va., who brought his two daughters to Northwest Washington, home to the cathedral, before sunrise. “We did this for McCain’s funeral, and we’ll do this for the next one. My wife and I just want the girls to come to understand that politicians haven’t always been how they appear right now.” | “It feels like something you just have to be a part of,” said Doug Thomas, 36, of Arlington, Va., who brought his two daughters to Northwest Washington, home to the cathedral, before sunrise. “We did this for McCain’s funeral, and we’ll do this for the next one. My wife and I just want the girls to come to understand that politicians haven’t always been how they appear right now.” |
| Melinda Crouse, 53, of Washington, was clutching a thermos of hot chocolate as she walked her dog along their typical morning route. She waved at a young boy riding by in a car, his face pressed against the window to see the police lights. | Melinda Crouse, 53, of Washington, was clutching a thermos of hot chocolate as she walked her dog along their typical morning route. She waved at a young boy riding by in a car, his face pressed against the window to see the police lights. |
| “This is a jolt of civility in our volatile city,” she said. “I’m a Democrat and probably always will be, but this kind of moment lets you stop and see clearly which leaders have been willing to bridge the party gap.” | “This is a jolt of civility in our volatile city,” she said. “I’m a Democrat and probably always will be, but this kind of moment lets you stop and see clearly which leaders have been willing to bridge the party gap.” |