Death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy — Historical Half-Staff Proclamation, 2009

Historical notice: this observance has ended. This independent FORTISVEX resource preserves a past presidential directive; it is not a government notice.

A presidential tribute to Senator Kennedy

Proclamation 8403 combined a short tribute to Senator Edward M. Kennedy with a specific federal flag directive. President Obama emphasized Kennedy's legislative work in civil rights, health, and economic well-being. The assessment in the quoted text below is the President's tribute, preserved as part of the historical document.

The proclamation shows how a national mourning notice can have two roles: explaining why a person is being honored and identifying the places and period for half-staff display. The first paragraph supplies the tribute. The second supplies the operative instructions. Reading both keeps the human meaning and the practical details together.

Two timing provisions in the order

The directive named sunset on August 30, 2009 as an endpoint and separately directed half-staff display until sunset on the day of Kennedy's interment. The document itself does not give the calendar date of that interment, so this transcription preserves the clause as written instead of assigning it an unsupported date.

The order covered the White House, public buildings and grounds, military posts, naval stations, and federal naval vessels in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States, its territories, and possessions. It extended the same periods to U.S. embassies, legations, consular offices, and other specified facilities abroad. The formal proclamation date is August 26; the Federal Register publication date is August 28.

Full official proclamation text

Proclamation 8403 of August 26, 2009 — Death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Senator Edward M. Kennedy was not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy. Over the past half-century, nearly every major piece of legislation that has advanced the civil rights, health, and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. With his passing, an important chapter in our American story has come to an end.

As a mark of respect for the memory of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset on August 30, 2009. I also direct that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of his interment. I further direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same periods at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Official federal proclamation text from Federal Register page 44725. Page headings and line wrapping are omitted for readability; the signature is represented by the name above.

Verify the official document

Read or download the official proclamation PDF from GovInfo · Read the Federal Register record

Find other historical directives in the Presidential Half-Staff Archive.

Signature page from the official published proclamation

Select the published page to open the official PDF.

Preparing a remembrance display

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