Former President George H.W. Bush , the 41st U.S. president, will be buried in Texas on Thursday after lying in state and being remembered at several memorial services. One of those services on Wednesday was attended by President Donald Trump , all former living U.S. presidents, and world leaders.

As the nation prepares for Thursdays solemn ceremony to pay further respect to the late leader, heres an overview of planning for a presidential funeral.

Who gets a state funeral?

State funerals are traditionally reserved for a head of state, former president, or a president-elect, though living presidents can order one for anyone they see fit. They are not mandatory, and can be declined by the family.

Over the last three decades, there have been only three state funerals, for former presidents Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973, Ronald Reagan in 2004, and Gerald R. Ford 2007. Former President Richard Nixon, who resigned from office amid the Watergate scandal in 1974, opted not to have one in 1994.

The first state funeral was in 1841 for William Henry Harrison, the 9th U.S. president, who died in office 30 days after his inauguration.