Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito today announced that special free historical presentations by Capitol tour staff will be given on August 4^th and 5^th at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to commemorate the 130^th anniversary of President Grant’s lying in state in the Capitol. The presentations will take place just inside the State Street doors of the Capitol. No reservations are required.

“This is another wonderful opportunity for the public to learn something new about our history and the New York State Capitol,” Commissioner Destito said.

Information about President Grant will also be incorporated into our ongoing monthly Civil War tour that will take place on August 6^th at 5:30 p.m. “A Flag for the Ages, Abraham Lincoln and the New York State Capitol,” begins in the State Street lobby. The last tour in this series will be September 4. Reservations at www.empirestateplaza.org or call 473-7582.  

President Ulysses S. Grant died on July 23, 1885 at Mount McGregor in Wilton, New York http://www.grantcottage.org . He passed away from throat cancer shortly after finishing his memoirs. The memoirs were published by Mark Twain and became a best seller. The royalties from the memoirs restored the Grant family’s fortune that had been wiped out in a financial swindle.

On August 4, 1885 a special train transported his remains to Albany, where an elaborate funeral procession climbed State Street Hill to the Capitol. The Parade included General William T. Sherman, Governor David B. Hill, most of the New York Legislature, and a host of other dignitaries. The parade was organized and led by Civil War Hero General Winfield Scott Hancock. As many as five thousand people participated in the procession. It included Civil War veterans, active military units including several regiments of the New York State National Guard, and a number of civic societies. Military bands and German singing societies provided mournful music. 

Upon the completion of the procession the body was borne into the State Street Lobby of the Capitol where it was placed on an elaborate bier. The lobby was festooned with black bunting and illuminated with new incandescent electric lighting. The entrances to the Capitol were also well decorated with black bunting and symbols of mourning. From 6:45 in the evening until 10:00 the next morning a steady line of mourners entered the Washington Avenue entrance of the Capitol in a double line, passed through the Hawk Street passageway, divided into single file on either side of the coffin, and after paying their respects, left through the State Street entrance. At times the mourners passed through at a rate of 6 thousand people an hour. Over 47 thousand mourners passed through the Capitol in less than 16 hours. That day the remains continued on their journey to New York City, for more funeral ceremonies and eventual burial.