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Minnesotans Who Have Lain in State at the Minnesota State Capitol, 1905 – Present

Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library

William Colvill – 1905

Colonel Wiliam J. Colvill was one of 1,000 Civil War veterans who gathered in St. Paul to participate in a reunion and Flag Day celebration to mark the transfer of Minnesota regimental flags to the new state capitol. Colvill passed away at age 75 on June 12, 1905. Two days later, the colonel of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment, former Attorney General, former member of the House of Representatives, and unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Congress, lay in state in the rotunda and west corridor outside the entrances to the Governor and Attorney General’s offices. He was the first person to lay state in the third State Capitol. Later, a bronze statue was erected in his honor in the Rotunda on the 2^nd floor of the Capitol in 1909. His likeness is also featured in The Battle of Gettysburg, c. 1906, which hangs in the Governor’s Reception Room in the Capitol.

John Albert Johnson – 1909

Governor John Johnson died in office at the age of 48, on September 21, 1909. He died at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota after his fourth round of surgery for an intestinal problem. He lay in state the next day in the rotunda of the Capitol. The Duluth News Tribune estimated that 50,000 mourners passed by his casket. He was buried in St. Peter on September 23. 1909. Governor Johnson was the first Governor of Minnesota who was born in Minnesota (after statehood) and the first to serve in the present-day Capitol building. He also served as a state senator from 1899-1902.

Clarence Dinehart – 1910

Clarence Dinehart was the eleventh state treasurer of Minnesota. He died in office at the age of 33 on June 1, 1910. He had been state treasurer since 1907. The Minneapolis Journal reported that he was the youngest state official in the history of Minnesota. His death was the result of a surgical operation for appendicitis. His body lay in state in the rotunda on the morning of June 2, 1910. The following day, state government departments closed as he was laid to rest in Slayton, Minnesota.

Edwin A. Jaggard – 1911

Edwin Ames Jaggard, a Supreme Court justice, died on February 13, 1911 in Hamilton, Bermuda where he had gone for his health. He was 51 years old. On orders issued by Governor Eberhart, his body lay in state in the Supreme Court chamber on February 23, 1911.

Winfield Hammond - 1916

Governor Winfield Scott Hammond, the state’s 18th governor and former U.S. Congressman, had served as governor for less than a year when he suffered a stroke following ptomaine poisoning while in Louisiana. He died on December 30, 1915 and lay in state on Sunday, January 2, 1916, where an estimate of 25,000 people viewed his casket in the rotunda, according to The Minneapolis Tribune. The funeral traveled from the Capitol to the Union Depot where his body was transported for interment to his hometown of St. James, Minnesota. The Minneapolis Journal reported that thousands of visitors continued the procession in St. James.

Lyndon A. Smith – 1918

Lyndon Ambrose Smith died at age 63 on March 5, 1918, while serving as Minnesota’s Attorney General. He also served as the state’s 15th Lieutenant Governor. His body lay in state in the Capitol rotunda on March 7, 1918. Governor J. A. A. Burnquist ordered that all state departments suspend business while he lay in state.

Pierre A. Hilbert – 1921

Dr. Pierre Hilbert served as a state Senator from 1915-1917. He was appointed to the Board of Control that oversaw state institutions in 1920 and served in that position until his unexpected death at age 56 on September 23, 1921. His body lay in state in the rotunda on September 25, 1921.

Knute Nelson – 1923

U.S. Senator Knute Nelson died of heart failure on April 28, 1923 near Baltimore on a railroad car on his way home to Minnesota from Washington D.C. His body lay in state on May 1, 1923. Thousands of mourners paid their respects at the Capitol, while thousands more lined the streets for the procession to the train which transported his body to Alexandria, Minnesota, where he was buried. Along the procession, four airplanes dropped flowers, reported The Minneapolis Morning Tribune. He had been a U.S. Senator since 1895 and was a former Wisconsin assembly member, Douglas County attorney, Minnesota state senator, U.S. House member, and Minnesota Governor. According to the Associated Press, he was the U.S. Senate’s oldest member at the time of his death.

Thomas Schall – 1935

Thomas David Schall, a U.S. Senator and former U.S. Congressman who was blind, was fatally injured by a car while crossing a street in Washington D.C. He died on December 22, 1935. His body lay in state on December 26, 1935. Governor Olson ordered that all state offices close that day.

Floyd B. Olson – 1936

Governor Floyd B. Olson died on August 22, 1936 after surgery for cancer at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. When he died, he was serving his third term as governor, a term that had been marred by ill health. He lay in state in the Capitol rotunda for two days on August 24 and 25, 1936. According to The Minneapolis Tribune, an estimated 35,000 mourners viewed his body the first day, and 80,000 did on the second day. Governor Petersen proclaimed a thirty-day period of mourning. His state funeral was held at the Minneapolis Auditorium, which was filled to capacity. The overflow crowd outside listened on loudspeakers to the eulogy delivered by Wisconsin Governor Phillip La Follette.

Frank B. Kellogg – 1937

U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of State, and Nobel Peace Prize winner for creating the Kellogg-Briand Pact, Frank Billings Kellogg passed away on December 21, 1937. Following a funeral service in the Church of St. John the Evangelist in St. Paul, his body lay in state in the Capitol rotunda on December 23, 1937. He was buried at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D. C.

Fay Child – 1965

A state Senator from Maynard, Minnesota, Fay George Child died April 2, 1965 shortly after collapsing while speaking to the Senate Education committee. He lay in state in the Capitol rotunda on April 5, 1965.

Stafford King – 1970

Stafford King, from Deer River, Minnesota, was a 10-term state auditor. He served from 1931 until his retirement in 1969. At that time, he was the longest-serving elected state official in Minnesota history, The Duluth News Tribune reported. He passed away from a heart ailment on August 21, 1970. His body lay in state on August 24, 1970.

Hubert H. Humphrey – 1978

U. S. Senator, former Vice President, former mayor of Minneapolis, and unsuccessful presidential candidate, Humphrey passed away from cancer on January 13, 1978. After lying in state in the U.S. Capitol, his body lay in state in the Minnesota State Capitol rotunda for a 17-hour vigil beginning in the evening on January 15, 1978 and continuing until January 16, 1978, the day of his funeral. His funeral services were broadcast on several stations. The Minneapolis Star estimated 30,000 people turned out in freezing weather to pay their final respects - some waiting eight hours. The Winona Daily News reported that the governor’s office estimated their numbers at 43,000 mourners.

B. Robert Lewis – 1979

A state senator from St. Louis Park, and the first African-American member of the Minnesota Senate, B. Robert Lewis died at age 47 while in office. He was a civil rights leader, a veterinarian, and Korean War veteran. His body lay in state on April 27, 1979 in the Capitol rotunda.

Nicholas D. Coleman – 1981

State senator and majority leader Nick Coleman had been a senator for 18 years and majority leader in the Senate for eight years when he was diagnosed with leukemia in 1980. He passed away March 5, 1981 at age 56, two months after his term ended. His body lay in state March 8, 1981 in the Capitol rotunda.

Harold E. Stassen – 2001

When Harold E. Stassen was elected governor at age 31 in 1938, he was one of the youngest governors in U.S history. After serving as Minnesota's governor, he was a presidential candidate, a United Nations Charter member, and a Cabinet member for President Eisenhower. He passed away at age 93 on March 4, 2001. His body lay in state in the State Capitol rotunda on March 9, 2001.

Elmer L. Andersen – 2004

Former governor and former state Senator, Elmer Andersen passed away on November 15, 2004. He served only one term as governor (1961-1963), losing after a lengthy 139 day recount. His body lay in state in the State Capitol rotunda on November 18, 2004.

Al Quie – 2023

Al Quie passed away on August 18, 2023. He was a former Governor, Minnesota Senator, U.S. Congressman, and U.S. Navy pilot during World War II. His body lay in state in the State Capitol rotunda on September 8, 2023.

Melissa and Mark Hortman – 2025

Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed in an act of political violence at their home on June 14, 2025. Representative Hortman served as House speaker from 2019-2024. They lay in state in the State Capitol rotunda on June 27, 2025. Their dog was also killed and lay in state with them. Their funeral was held the next day at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis and was livestreamed by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.