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FACT BRIEF

Can a president who did not serve in the military be buried at Arlington?

Wednesday, January 13, 2021
By Lauralei Singsank
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YES

According to a 1998 statute, former or current U.S. presidents are eligible for burial at historic Arlington National Cemetery regardless of whether or not they served in the military.

Two U.S. presidents, William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, are currently interred at Arlington. JFK served in the Navy. Taft served as Secretary of War, but did not serve in the military. Most presidents have chosen to be buried in their home states.

In June 2020, Sen. Tammy Duckworth introduced a bill to block presidents and vice presidents without a history of military service from interment at Arlington. The bill would not affect anyone already interred, and is intended to preserve limited remaining space. An expansion adding room for 60,000 more graves has been approved. About 400,000 veterans and dependents have been buried there to date.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Congress: Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility Act
Arlington Cemetery: US Presidents
US Senate: Sen. Duckworth introduces bill to preserve integrity of Arlington National Cemetary
WAMU 88.5: Arlington National Cemetery slated to expand by 70 acres, with 60,000 new burial spaces
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.