Helms Funeral

Jesse Helms was laid to rest Tuesday in a simple, dignified ceremony that emphasized the man rather than the conservative force who became a beloved and despised household name in American politics. Hundreds of mourners, including a number of state and national politicians, gathered Tuesday at a Raleigh church for the funeral. In a eulogy, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky referred to Helms' modest background and kindness. "Anyone who passed by Jesse Helms in the Capitol or worked in his office would remember him as one of the kindest men they ever knew," McConnell said. "No matter who they were, he always had a kind word and gentle smile." He said that Helms showed tenacity in the face of criticism. "Jesse Helms always stood his ground," McConnell said. Helms, an uncompromising conservative Republican and a divisive figure in North Carolina politics, served five terms in the U.S. Senate.
About 900 people attended the service at Hayes-Barton Baptist Church, where Helms worshiped for decades. The front rows of the church were crowded with more than a dozen U.S. senators, including Republicans Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, Richard Lugar of Indiana, Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Orrin Hatch and Robert Bennett of Utah, Jon Kyl of Arizona, Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby of Alabama and Sam Brownback of Kansas. Those in attendance also included Vice President Dick Cheney; Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain; Democratic U.S. Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Joe Biden of Delaware; former U.S. Sens. Bob Dole of Kansas, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Don Nickles of Oklahoma; GOP North Carolina U.S. Sen. Richard Burr; Democratic Gov. Mike Easley; Erskine Bowles, University of North Carolina president; state Sens. Fred Smith, R-Johnston, and Janet Cowell, D-Wake; state Reps. Paul Stam, R-Wake, and Leo Daughtry, R-Joh! nston; and Republican consultant Jack Hawke. (Rob Christensen and Jim Morrill, MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS, 7/09/08; THE NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/08/08).