State funeral of Rupert Gardner

State funeral of
Rupert Gardner
	Funeral procession of Rupert Gardner; passing through Manhattan
Date	October 28 – November 1, 1968
Location	Chicago, United Commonwealth
Organized by	Charles Acker
Participants	Eulogists Charles Acker; Raymond Beshear; Antonia Warren; Aelita Jones; ; Pallbearers Charles Acker; Jack Spruance; Christopher Yeager; John P. Fallon; Augustus Powell; Marlan A. Beltran; Ulysses Barrera; Enrico Nalta; Aeneas Lincoln Smith; ;
Burial	Crimson Square Necropolis
Lying in state	National Congress Assembly Building
Honor guard	9th InfantryDivision; Tecumseh Division

On 25 October 1968, Rupert Gardner, President and leader of the United Commonwealth, was assassinated at the age of 60 while in Miami, Florida. Gardner's body was brought north along the eastern coast for a procession through the streets of Gardner's native New York City, before being transported by train to Chicago and laying in state in the National Congress Assembly Building. After three full days of national mourning, he was buried in the Crimson Square Necropolis. Charles Acker, the incumbent General Secretary of the Continentalist Party and Gardner's eventual successor, served as chairman of the committee in charge of managing Gardner's funeral, held on 1 November 1968, six days after his death.

The funeral was attended by about 1,500 guests, as well as representatives from over 90 countries, including most of the world's Communist party-led nations; 44 Communist parties from countries where the party was not in power also sent representatives. From the Western Bloc, the funeral was attended by Prime Minister of Sierra Earl Warren, the first time a Sierran prime minister had attended a Continental state funeral. Eulogies were given by Charles Acker, fellow Presidium member Raymond Beshear, Antonia Warren, and People's Commissar for Social Welfare Aelita Jones. Although the funeral saw the coming together of those within the Continentalist Party, it served as a prelude to conflict between Acker and his conservative Michigan faction and the more liberal supporters of Gardner, such as Beshear.

Assassination

The foreign dignitaries who attended Gardner's funeral:

Blaise Touré · Equatorian president and general secretary of the African Revolutionary Front
??? · Equatorian foreign minister
??? · Equatorian Council of Ministers chairman

??? · Italian president
??? · Italian Senate of the Republic president and former prime minister
??? · Italian foreign minister
??? · Italian Communist Party general secretary and senator
??? · Italian Socialist Party general secretary
??? · Italian Socialist party member and member of the Chamber of People's Deputies