Gov. Tate Reeves has ordered flags to fly half-staff across Mississippi in honor of late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Flags were ordered Monday morning to fly half-staff until Saturday, July 18. Reeves said on social media that the move comes at the direction of President Donald Trump, adding, “Mississippi is praying for the entire Graham family and for all the people of South Carolina.”
At the request of @POTUS, I’ve ordered flags to be flown at half-staff through July 18 in honor of the late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham.
Mississippi is praying for the entire Graham family and for all of the people of South Carolina.
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) July 13, 2026
Graham, a South Carolina Republican, died Saturday night at the age of 71. His office initially said he suffered from a “brief and sudden illness” before releasing a preliminary medical examiner report showing he died from a tear in the inner wall of the aorta, called an aortic dissection.
Graham was a former Air Force lawyer who served in Congress for more than three decades, first being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. He was later elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002.
Trump said after the passing of Graham – one of his closest allies in Congress – that Graham was “like a member of the family. It’s very tough.”
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican and chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, worked closely with Graham as it pertained to military and defense policies. Graham, a noted foreign policy hawk, was often a direct line to Trump on matter such as the Iran war and Russia.
“There are no words to describe Lindsey Graham, my friend of more than three decades,” Wicker said. “There are no words to describe his impact on the foreign and domestic policy of the United States.
“Lindsey served his beloved country in uniform and in the House and Senate. He stood solidly for freedom and strength and he fought for liberty across the globe. Lindsey Graham can be succeeded in office but he cannot be replaced.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
