The Last Salute: Civil and Military Funeral, 1921-1969

CHAPTER XXVI

U.S. Representative to the United Nations
Adlai E. Stevenson
Official Funeral
14-19 July 1965

On 14 July 1965, Adlai E. Stevenson, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, died suddenly of a heart attack in London. Mr. Stevenson's body was taken to the U.S. Embassy where it lay, watched over by an American soldier, an American sailor, and two British soldiers from the King's Regiment, until the Stevenson family arrived from the United States. The embassy was not open to the public during this period.

Word of Mr. Stevenson's death was passed immediately from the embassy in London to the Department of State in Washington, and from the department to the White House and the Military District of Washington. Officials of the State Department at once communicated with the Stevenson family in Illinois, proposing that Mr. Stevenson be given an Official Funeral. The family accepted.

President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the flags on all public buildings in the United States and on all U.S. ships at sea to be flown at half-staff until after the funeral services. He then appointed Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz, Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota, Under Secretary of State George W. Ball, and Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago to make up an official party which would accompany the Stevenson family to London and escort Mr. Stevenson's body to the United States. Mr. Stevenson's three sons and their wives meanwhile were flown from Illinois to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. The family and the official party then left for London aboard the Presidential plane, Air Force One, at 2300 on 14 July.

On the 15th, after the Stevenson family and the official party had arrived at the embassy in London, Prime Minister Harold Wilson and other British dignitaries called to pay their respects. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, sent a private message of condolence to the family, and later had her personal representative, Lord Nugent, attend to their needs at the airfield during preparations for the return flight. A Royal Air Force color squadron stood on the field as an honor guard while Mr. Stevenson's casket was taken aboard Air Force One. The depar-

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ture of the plane was timed so that it would arrive at Andrews Air Force Base during the late afternoon of the 15th.

Plans for the funeral ceremonies were completed on 14 and 15 July by the Department of State, where Mr. Stevenson had been an official. Members of the department's Office of Protocol had talked to Mr. Stevenson's sons directly and by telephone as they traveled to Washington and went on to London, and from these consultations a schedule of ceremonies was drawn up. Mr. Stevenson's body was to rest in the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., until midmorning on 16 July, and a funeral service was to be conducted in the nave of the cathedral at 1100. Immediately after the service, the body was to be flown to Springfield, Illinois, where it would lie in state in the rotunda of the capitol until the morning of 18 July. A motor procession was then to escort the body to Bloomington, Illinois, the Stevenson family home, where a funeral service was to be held on 19 July. Burial was to take place in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery. Those responsible for making arrangements, besides the Department of State, included the Commanding General, Military District of Washington (for military ceremonies in Washington, D. C.) , the governor of Illinois (for events in his state), and the Commanding General, Fifth U.S. Army, with headquarters in Chicago (for military ceremonies in Springfield and Bloomington) .

TABLE 32-TROOP LIST, ARRIVAL CEREMONY AT ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE
FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONS ADLAI E. STEVENSON

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Diagram 99. Arrival ceremony, Andrews Air Force Base.

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BODY ARRIVES IN PRESIDENTIAL PLANE AT ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE

The Presidential plane bearing Mr. Stevenson's body, the family, and official escorts touched down at Andrews Air Force Base at 1740 on 15 July. Dignitaries present to meet the plane included President Johnson, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of the Treasury Henry H. Fowler, and the British ambassador to the United States, Sir Patrick Dean. Also on hand were 386 officers and men from all the uniformed services who were to participate in or to support the arrival ceremony, which had been arranged by the commander of the Military District of Washington, Maj. Gen. Philip C. Wehle. (Table 32) Troops of the 3d Infantry manned a security cordon around the area where the ceremony was to take place, and a joint honor cordon flanked the route by which the casket was to be carried from the aircraft to a hearse. Already in position were the U.S. Air Force Band, a national color detail, a joint body bearer team, an Army chaplain, and a special honor guard composed of two officers of general or flag rank from each service. General Wehle served as escort commander. (Diagram 99)

As the plane's passengers disembarked, President Johnson moved forward to greet first the members of the Stevenson family and then the others. After every­one had been guided to positions facing the aircraft, the body bearer team re-

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TABLE 33-TROOP LIST, ARRIVAL CEREMONY AT WASHINGTON
NATIONAL CATHEDRAL FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO THE
UNITED NATIONS ADLAI E. STEVENSON

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the casket from the hearse. In procession the escort commander, special honor guard, national color detail, clergy, casket, Stevenson family, and other mourners passed through the honor cordon and entered the cathedral.

Inside the Bethlehem Chapel, the casket was placed on a movable bier in the center of the room. After the Stevenson family and the official party had entered the chapel, the clergy conducted a brief service. At its conclusion, the body bear­

Diagram 100. Formation for the reception Chapel, Washington National Cathedral.

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CASKET IS TAKEN FROM HEARSE AT WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL, above.
Procession enters the cathedral, below.

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JOINT HONOR GUARD STANDS WATCH IN BETHLEHEM CHAPEL

TABLE 34-TROOP LIST, FUNERAL SERVICE AND DEPARTURE CEREMONY AT
WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO THE
UNITED NATIONS ADLAI E. STEVENSON

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ers were dismissed, and the first relief of a joint guard of honor took post. The chapel was opened to the public at 1900 and remained so until 1000 on 16 July. At 1000 the joint guard of honor was dismissed. Two Army body bearers then wheeled Mr. Stevenson's casket from the chapel to the cathedral nave and remained standing at either end of the bier until the beginning of the funeral service, scheduled for 1100.

As the guests arrived, an usher detail of over 200 officers and men representing all of the uniformed services seated them according to a predetermined plan. (Table 34) Hundreds of persons attended including President and Mrs. Johnson, Vice President and Mrs. Humphrey, members of the cabinet, justices of the Supreme Court, members of Congress, diplomats and foreign dignitaries, and the joint Chiefs of Staff. Shortly before 1100 the members of the Stevenson family entered the cathedral and were ushered to their seats.

The Reverend Richard Paul Grabel, pastor of the Fast Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Illinois, and a personal friend of Mr. Stevenson's, conducted the funeral service from the Book of Common Worship of the United Presbyterian Church. Another of Mr. Stevenson's close friends and associates, judge Carl McGowan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, delivered a eulogy.

When the service ended, at 1145, General Wehle, the escort commander, left the cathedral and joined the national color detail at the north transept exit for the departure ceremony. A joint honor cordon had already lined the route from the cathedral to the street, where the hearse and other automobiles of the cortege waited to take Mr. Stevenson's body to Andrews Air Force Base for the flight to Springfield, Illinois. Across the street, directly opposite the northern exit of the cathedral, the Marine Band was in formation. (Diagram 101)

After General Wehle had left the cathedral, two Army body bearers wheeled Mr. Stevenson's casket to the north exit. There the full joint body bearer team took the casket from the movable bier and prepared to carry it to the hearse. In the meantime ushers directed the departure of the audience in such a way that the procession could form in proper order and that those who were to ride in the cortege could reach their automobiles quickly.

The joint honor cordon came to attention as the procession moved to the exit with the national color detail leading, followed by the clergy, the casket, the Stevenson family, President Johnson and his party, a special honor guard composed of general and flag officers (two from the Army and one each from the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard), foreign dignitaries, and others in the official party. When the body bearers had brought the casket through the archway, they came to a halt. The Marine Band then played ruffles and flourishes and "Stars and Stripes Forever." As the hymn "Faith of Our Fathers" was begun, the procession again moved forward; the body bearers took the casket to the hearse and placed it inside; other members of the procession stopped at the

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Diagram 101. Departure ceremony, Washington National Cathedral.

bottom of the cathedral steps. The honor cordon then ordered arms, and members of the cortege went to their cars. Shortly before noon, the cortege left for Andrews Air Force Base. A police escort led the way followed by the escort commander, the special honor guard, the hearse, the Stevenson family, President Johnson and his party, foreign dignitaries, Vice President Humphrey and his guests, and other officials, in that order.

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CASKET IS CARRIED FROM THE CATHEDRAL

At Andrews Air Force Base a contingent of troops, distinct from that which had been used at the cathedral, was in position for the departure ceremony. A joint honor street cordon of more than 150 men lined both sides of the road to the terminal. Within the ceremonial area, which was enclosed by a security cordon of one officer and eighty-one men from the 3d Infantry, a joint honor cordon of one officer and forty-one men flanked the route that would be followed when the casket was taken from the hearse to the Presidential aircraft, Air Force One. The Air Force Band, a national color detail, and a joint body bearer team were also on hand. (Table 35)

The cortege reached the air base at 1240. Each member of the street cordon saluted as the hearse approached him and ordered arms as the last car of the cortege passed. Upon their arrival at the ceremonial area, the Stevenson family and the official party were escorted to their positions in the formation. At the same time the body bearer team moved to the rear of the hearse, which had stopped on line with the honor cordon and the aircraft. (Diagram 102)

The Air Force Band sounded ruffles and flourishes, then played "Stars and

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TABLE 35-TROOP LIST, DEPARTURE CEREMONY AT ANDREWS AIR FORCE
BASE FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONS ADLAI E. STEVENSON

Stripes Forever." When the band began the hymn "God of Our Fathers," the body bearers removed the casket from the hearse and, preceded by the national color detail and the clergy, carried it through the honor cordon to the plane. After the casket was taken into the aircraft, the band stopped playing. The Stevenson family and some of the official party then boarded Air Force One, which took off for Capitol Airport in Springfield, Illinois, a few minutes after 1300.

The ceremonies in Illinois, as planned under the supervision of Governor Otto Kerner and the Commanding General, Headquarters, Fifth U.S. Army, Lt. Gen. Charles G. Dodge, would mark the arrival of Mr. Stevenson's body at the Spring field airport; the reception of the body at the state capitol; the period of lying in state, including a prayer service in the rotunda of the capitol on 18 July; the removal of the body from the capitol and movement to Bloomington on the 18th; and the funeral and burial services in Bloomington on 19 July. A control headquarters was established in the office of Maj. Gen. Leo M. Boyle, the Adjutant General of Illinois. There, with the assistance of the Senior Advisor and two other members of the Fifth U.S. Army Advisory Group, Army National Guard, Illinois, detailed plans were developed for joint service participation in the ceremonies, involving Army and Air Force National Guard units and Navy and Coast Guard Reserve units (the Marine Corps was not represented). One active Army unit, the 399th U.S. Army Band of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, was also included.

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Diagram 102. Departure ceremony, Andrews Air Force Base.

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At the time of Mr. Stevenson's death, the major unit scheduled to participate, the 33d Infantry Division of the Illinois Army National Guard, was engaged in its annual field training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin; rapid preparations had to be made, therefore, to move the participating elements of the division to Springfield. (Table 36)

Air Force One landed at Springfield Capitol Airport at 1405 (central standard time) on 16 July. As the wheels of the Presidential plane touched ground, the salute detail from the 33d Infantry Division, using two 105-mm. howitzers, began a 19-gun salute. Firing the rounds at twelve-second intervals, the detail completed the salute during the plane's roll and taxi time of four minutes. As soon as the ramp was in place, Governor Kerner went forward to greet the Stevenson family and other members of the group as they disembarked. The body bearers meanwhile boarded the plane from the opposite side and brought the casket to the plane entrance. The 399th Army Band played ruffles and flourishes and "Stars and Stripes Forever." As the band started the hymn "These Things Shall Be," the body bearers carried Mr. Stevenson's casket from the plane and through the honor cordon formed by the Air National Guard troops to a hearse. The cortege of eighteen cars then formed and, escorted by Illinois State Police, set out for the state capitol. The route followed took the cortege past Abraham Lincoln's tomb in the Oak Ridge Cemetery of Springfield.

TABLE 36-TROOP LIST, ILLINOIS, CEREMONY FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
TO THE UNITED NATIONS ADLAI E. STEVENSON

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DEPARTURE CEREMONY AT ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE

When the procession reached the state capitol, the body bearers carried Adlai Stevenson's casket into the rotunda and placed it on the same walnut table that had once held the casket of Abraham Lincoln nearly a century before. The body bearers were then dismissed and four men, the first relief of the joint guard of honor, took post inside the rope cordon that surrounded the bier, stationing themselves at the corners of the casket, facing outward. All round surveillance was maintained constantly by the guard, each relief standing a twenty-minute watch. At 1700 on the 16th the public was admitted to the rotunda, which remained open until midmorning on the 18th. During that time some 75,000 persons passed by the bier.

Shortly before 1000 on 18 July, a prayer service was conducted in the rotunda by the Reverend Corneal A. Davis, who was also a representative to the state legislature from Chicago. Only the immediate family, a few close friends, and state officials, including Governor Kerner, were present. As soon as the service ended, the guard of honor was dismissed, and the body bearers carried the casket to the hearse, which was drawn up just outside the entrance to the capitol. The Steven-

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son family, a few friends, and the body bearers then entered automobiles, and the cortege left for Bloomington, some sixty miles away. When it arrived at the Unitarian Church in Bloomington, the body bearers carried the casket into the Jesse Fell Assembly Room, where it would remain until the funeral service was held in the sanctuary at 1100 on 19 July.

Originally, the family had planned a private funeral service; however, on the evening of 17 July it was announced from the White House that President and Mrs. Johnson, Vice President and Mrs. Humphrey, and Chief Justice and Mrs. Warren would attend. This announcement prompted changes. Dignitaries of both the national and state governments were invited; six press representatives were permitted to attend; and the Stevenson family agreed to allow one television crew to make a tape of the service (without the use of artificial lighting) which could be made available to the three national networks. Invited dignitaries included Justice and Mrs. Arthur J. Goldberg; Governor and Mrs. Kerner; Illinois Senator and Mrs. Paul H. Douglas; Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz; R. Sargent Shriver, head of the Peace Corps and the Office of Economic Opportunity; Governor and Mrs. Edmund G. Brown of California; Governor and Mrs. Karl F. Rolvaag of Minnesota; Newton N. Minow, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and Mrs. Minow; J. Edward Day, former Post­master General, and Mrs. Day; William McCormick Blair, Ambassador to the Philippines and a former law partner of Mr. Stevenson's, and Mrs. Blair; Judge Carl McGowan and Mrs. McGowan; and Illinois Representative Sydney Yates and Mrs. Yates.

The Reverend Robert Reed, pastor of the Unitarian Church, officiated at the service on 19 July. He was assisted by the Reverend Martin D. Hardin, an associate minister of the Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, New York, and a cousin of Mr. Stevenson's, and by Dr. Dana McLean Greeley, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Twenty-one members of the Children's Choir of the First Unitarian Church of Chicago sang hymns.

Immediately following the service, those who had attended took their places in the cortege for the three-mile journey to Evergreen Memorial Cemetery where Mr. Stevenson would be buried in the family plot. The body bearers from the 33d Infantry Division brought the casket to the hearse, then joined the cortege to the cemetery where they would handle the casket during the graveside ceremony. Reverend Robert Reed also conducted the burial service. After the last prayer, the body bearers folded the flag that had draped the casket. The officer in charge then presented it to Mrs. Ernest Ives, the sister of Mr. Stevenson, who in turn gave it to one of his sons, thus concluding the final rites for the American delegate to the United Nations, who had been governor of his state and twice a candidate for the Presidency of the United States.

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