Inaugural Ceremonies

Inaugural Ceremonies - 1789-2005

An historical look at the Inaugural Ceremonies from 1789-2005:

Inauguration Date	President	Facts and Firsts
April 30, 1789	George Washington	First Inauguration; precedents set include the phrase, "So help me God," and kissing the Bible after taking the oath.
March 4, 1793	George Washington	First Inauguration in Philadelphia; delivered shortest Inaugural address at just 135 words.
March 4, 1797	John Adams	First to receive the oath of office from the Chief Justice of the United States.
March 4, 1801	Thomas Jefferson	First Inauguration in Washington, D.C.
March 4, 1809	James Madison	Inauguration held in the House chamber of the Capitol; first Inaugural Ball held that evening.
March 4, 1817	James Monroe	First President to take the oath of office and deliver the Inaugural address outdoors; ceremony took place on platform in front of the temporary Brick Capitol (where Supreme Court now stands).
March 5, 1821	James Monroe	March 4, 1821 fell on a Sunday, so Monroe's Inauguration occurred the next day.
March 4, 1829	Andrew Jackson	First President to take the oath of office on the east front portico of the U.S. Capitol.
March 4, 1833	Andrew Jackson	Last time Chief Justice John Marshall administered the oath office; he presided over nine Inaugurations, from Adams to Jackson.
March 4, 1837	Martin Van buren	First President who was not born a British subject; first time the President-elect and President rode to the Capitol for the Inauguration together.
March 4, 1841	William H. Harrison	First President to arrive in Washington by railroad; delivered the longest Inaugural address (8,445 words).
April 6, 1841	John Tyler	First Vice President to assume Presidency upon the death of the President.
March 4, 1845	James K. Polk	First Inauguration covered by telegraph; first known Inauguration featured in a newspaper illustration (Illustrated London News).
March 4, 1853	Franklin Pierce	Affirmed the oath of office rather than swear it; cancelled the Inaugural ball.
March 4, 1857	James Buchanan	First Inauguration known to have been photographed.
March 4, 1861	Abraham Lincoln	Lincoln's cavalry escort to the Capitol was heavily armed, providing unprecedented protection for the President-elect.
March 4, 1865	Abraham Lincoln	African Americans participated in the Inaugural parade for the first time.
March 4, 1873	Ulysses S. Grant	Coldest March 4 Inauguration Day; the noon temperature was 16°F, with wind gusts up to 40 mph.
March 3, 1877	Rutherford B. Hayes	March 4, 1877 fell on Sunday, so Hayes took oath of office on Saturday, March 3 to ensure peaceful transition of power; public Inauguration on March 5.
March 4, 1881	James Garfield	First President to review the Inaugural parade from a stand built in front of the White House.
March 4, 1897	William McKinley	First Inaugural ceremony recorded by a motion picture camera; first President to have a glass-enclosed reviewing stand; first Inauguration at which Congress hosted a luncheon for the President and Vice President
March 4, 1901	William McKinley	First time the U.S. House joined with the U.S. Senate, creating the JCCIC, to make Inaugural arrangements
March 4, 1909	William H. Taft	Inauguration took place in the Senate chamber because of blizzard; first time President's wife rode with President in the procession from the Capitol to the White House after Inauguration.
March 4, 1913	Woodrow Wilson	Inaugural ball was suspended for the first time since 1853.
March 4, 1917	Woodrow Wilson	First President to take the oath of office on Sunday; public Inauguration held on Monday, March 5, 1917; first time First Lady accompanied President both to and from the Capitol; first time women participated in the Inaugural parade.
March 4, 1921	Warren G. Harding	First President to ride to and from his Inauguration in an automobile.
March 4, 1925	Calvin Coolidge	First Inaugural ceremony broadcast nationally by radio; first time a former President (William Taft) administered the oath of office as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
March 4, 1929	Herbert Hoover	First Inaugural ceremony recorded by talking newsreel.
March 4, 1933	Franklin D. Roosevelt	FDR and Eleanor begin tradition of morning worship service by attending St. John's Church.
January 20, 1937	Franklin D. Roosevelt	First President Inaugurated on January 20th, a change made by the 20th Amendment to the Constitution; first time the Vice President was Inaugurated outdoors on the same platform with the President.
January 20, 1945	Franklin D. Roosevelt	First and only President sworn in for a fourth term; had simple Inaugural ceremony at the White House.
January 20, 1949	Harry S. Truman	First televised Inaugural ceremony; Truman reinstated the official Inaugural ball.
January 20, 1953	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Broke precedent by reciting his own prayer after taking the oath, rather than kissing the Bible; first time the JCCIC hosted the Inaugural luncheon at the Capitol.
January 20, 1961	John F. Kennedy	First time a poet participated in the Inaugural program; first Catholic to become President of the United States.
November 22, 1963	Lyndon B. Johnson	First time a woman administered the oath of office (U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes swore in Johnson on Air Force One).
January 20, 1969	Richard M. Nixon	Took the oath of office on two Bibles; both family heirlooms.
August 9, 1974	Gerald R. Ford	First unelected Vice President to become President.
January 20, 1981	Ronald Reagan	First Inauguration held on the west front of the U.S. Capitol.
January 21, 1985	Ronald Reagan	January 20th fell on Sunday, so Reagan was privately sworn in that day at the White House; public Inauguration on January 21st took place in the Capitol Rotunda, due to freezing weather; coldest Inauguration day on record, with a noon temperature of 7°F
January 20, 1997	William J. Clinton	First Inaugural ceremony broadcast live on the Internet.

Source: U.S. Senate Website

Inaugural Ceremonies - 1789-2005

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