Hundreds attend memorial service in Atlanta for U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell

Gov. Bush and his wife Laura attend a memorial service on Saturday for Coverdell at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta

July 22, 2000
Web posted at: 2:44 p.m. EDT (1844 GMT)

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Hundreds of mourners converged on an Atlanta church on Saturday to attend a memorial service for U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell, the Georgia Republican who died Tuesday at age 61 after a stroke.

Dozens of high-profile national politicians and Atlantans attended. Among the early arrivals were Texas Gov. George W. Bush; former Sen. Sam Nunn, a Democrat from Georgia; and Sen. John McCain, R.-Arizona, who arrived separately more than 40 minutes before the 1 p.m. start of the service.

The memorial was to be held at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Buckhead, a white brick building fronted by four Corinthian columns. Coverdell had not been a member of the church.

Buses pulled up to let out a steady stream of well-dressed mourners into the bright sunshine. Temperatures were expected to top 90 degrees in Atlanta Saturday.

McCain offers condolences at a memorial service for Coverdell in Atlanta

On Friday, Coverdell's body lay in state in the Georgia Capitol for public viewing.

Coverdell's political career began in 1970, when he was elected to the Georgia State Senate, where he served as Senate Minority leader for 15 years. In 1989, he served as director of the Peace Corps under President George Bush.

In 1992, Coverdell won his first term to the U.S. Senate. He was re-elected in 1998.

Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes is expected to appoint a Democrat to fill Coverdell's vacancy until a special election is held November 7.