Joint services military honor guard carry the flag-draped casket of the remains of President George H.W. Bush during a departure ceremony to Washington D. C at Ellington Field on December 3, 2018 in Houston, Texas. David J. Phillip | Getty Images

Ordinary Americans paid respects at the historic U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday to the late U.S. President George H.W. Bush, who died last week at the age of 94 after a life of service as a World War Two hero, head of the CIA and wartime president. Under the soaring Capitol dome, office workers and tourists walked silently past a flag-draped casket that bore Bush's body. It will be transported to the Washington National Cathedral early on Wednesday for a memorial service. Bush, the 41st U.S. president, was remembered as a patrician figure who represents a bygone era of bipartisan civility in American politics. President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican, planned to visit with the mourning family at Blair House, near the White House, on Tuesday, while first lady Melania Trump will give a tour to former first lady Laura Bush of the White House's holiday decorations.

Sully, a yellow Labrador service dog for former President George H. W. Bush, sits near the casket of the late former President George H.W. Bush as he lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, December 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer | Getty Images

"The elegance & precision of the last two days have been remarkable!" Trump wrote in a tweet of the Bush memorial events. Bush, father of the 43rd president, George W. Bush, will be buried on Thursday in Texas. Mourners lined up to enter the Capitol beginning Monday evening for the public viewing. The historic and ornate U.S. Capitol Rotunda was hosting mourners on Tuesday paying respects to the 41st U.S. president, George H.W. Bush, who died last week at the age of 94 and will be buried on Thursday in his home state of Texas. A casket bearing Bush's body arrived on the Capitol grounds at sunset on Monday for a ceremony led by congressional leaders who celebrated the life of the Republican president and father of the 43rd president, George W. Bush. The public was given 36 hours to file past the elder Bush's flag-draped coffin. Early on Wednesday, it will be transported to the Washington National Cathedral for a memorial service. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opened a session of the Senate on Monday heralding the "daring" World War Two aviator, former head of the Central Intelligence Agency and wartime president. "Year after year, post after post, George Bush stayed the course," McConnell said.

Former President George H.W. Bush lies in State at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images

Bush was elected president in 1988 after serving two terms as President Ronald Reagan's vice president. During his four years as president, Bush used U.S. military power to end Iraq's occupation of Kuwait, steered the United States through the end of the Cold War and condemned China's 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. He was dogged by domestic problems, including a sluggish economy. When he ran for re-election in 1992, he was pilloried by Democrats and many Republicans for violating his famous 1988 campaign promise: "Read my lips, no new taxes." Democrat Bill Clinton coasted to victory, ending Bush's presidency. A Connecticut Yankee from a wealthy family who moved to Texas to be an oilman, Bush has been eulogized as a president with a keen sense of civility and duty.

Stephen G. Leighton Jr. salutes as he pays his respects to former US President George H. W. Bush as he lies in state in the US Capitol's rotunda December 3, 2018 in Washington, DC. Brendan Smialoswski | AFP | Getty Images