Sen. Lindsey Graham remembered at funeral service in South Carolina
The late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is honored with a processional from the South Carolina State House grounds to the First Baptist Church of Columbia on July 29, 2026, in Columbia, South Carolina. His remains are carried by the South Carolina State
A funeral service was held Wednesday for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in his home state of South Carolina at the First Baptist Church of Columbia.
Before the church service, Graham’s casket was brought to the South Carolina Statehouse, where he started his political career in 1993. It paused in front of about a dozen law enforcement officers and four military jets flew over. A horse-drawn caisson then carried his casket to the church, where his family followed military pallbearers who carried it inside.
Former Rep. Trey Gowdy spoke at the service described how Graham rose to power through humor, genuine caring for all people and a relentless work ethic. He joked the governor should change the name of the state capital of Columbia to honor Graham, even though his friend wouldn’t want it.
"It wasn’t the trapping of office he cared about. It was the work," Gowdy said.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster also spoke at the service saying, "Lindsey Graham understood the hopes and dreams and needs of his state and delivered every time."
Graham represented South Carolina in the House and Senate for more than three decades. He died after what a preliminary report from the D.C. medical examiner’s office said was a tear in his aorta.
On Tuesday, a separate service was held in Washington, D.C. where President Donald Trump joined foreign leaders at Washington National Cathedral for a funeral that emphasized Graham’s global importance.
Trump called Graham "a giant of the United States Senate" and "a true American original who left us much too soon." In mostly prepared remarks, he described Graham as someone who could make people laugh and someone "you’ve really ever wanted to fight." Trump recounted publicly sharing Graham’s cellphone number during the 2016 campaign, joking that Graham "did not stop calling me for the next 10 years."
Among those attending were Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, leaders of nations at war and a reflection of Graham’s belief in U.S. military strength. Fox News’ Sean Hannity said Graham would have been moved by their presence. Cabinet officials, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, lawmakers and Graham’s sister, Sen. Darline Graham, joined for the service.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from Senator Lindsey Graham’s official website and includes reporting by The Associated Press. This story was reported from San Jose