Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman will lie in state at the Minnesota State Capitol Building on Friday, June 27. Her husband, Mark, and the couple’s dog, Gilbert, will also lie in state.
On that day, the Capitol rotunda will be open to the public between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. for Minnesotans to pay their respects.
Hortman served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for more than 20 years. First elected in 2004, she became leader of the House DFL Caucus in 2017 and won a majority in the 2018 elections. She was elected speaker of the House in 2019 and served in that leadership role until January of this year.
In the early hours of June 14, 2025, Melissa and Mark Hortman were assassinated in their home by a gunman who posed as a police officer. The Hortmans’ dog, Gilbert, was also shot and later put down. Since then, authorities have arrested and charged Vance Boelter.
Hortman will be the first woman to lie in state at the Minnesota Capitol, an honor extended to fewer than 20 people since the Capitol building was completed in 1905. She is the only person to lie in state who exclusively served in the Minnesota House.
Other Minnesotans who laid in state at the Capitol include Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Gov. Harold Stassen, Sen. Knute Nelson, and Gov. Floyd Olson. The most recent person to lie in state was former Gov. Al Quie who passed away in August of 2023 and laid in state on Sept. 8 of that year.
A private funeral for Melissa and Mark Hortman is scheduled for Saturday, June 28. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) has organized a livestream of the funeral.
Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that DPS would set up a livestream of the Capitol rotunda. Instead, DPS will livestream the private funeral.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
