A presidential funeral is traditionally a public ceremony held in honor of the head of state, and usually take place amidst pomp and extravaganza. In the United States, presidential funerals follow certain traditions and protocols, though the family of the deceased determines the exact sequence of events.

The first presidential funeral in the US was held for William Henry Harrison, who died just a month after taking office in 1841. Although most of the earliest leaders were buried with little more fanfare than the average citizen, in the modern world, the rituals connected with the death of an American president has become more elaborate. For instance, after Abraham Lincoln