The inauguration for the first U.S.
president, George Washington,
was held on April 30, 1789 in New
York City.
Inauguration Day was originally
set for March 4, giving electors
from each state nearly four
months after Election Day to cast
their ballots for president.
In 1937, the day of inauguration
was changed by the Twentieth
Amendment from March 4 to noon
on January 20, beginning with
Franklin D. Roosevelt's second
term in 1937.
Andrew Jackson’s Inauguration
March 4, 1829
In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became
the first to be sworn in as president
in Washington, D.C., which did not
officially become the federal capital
until that year.
Because January 20th falls on a
Sunday the next Inauguration Day,
will be January 21, 2013.
Abraham Lincoln’s – 2nd Inauguration
March 4, 1865
The Inaugural Parade on Pennsylvania
Avenue passes the Presidential reviewing
stand in front of the White House.
Since 1901, all inaugural ceremonies at
the United States Capitol have been
organized by the Joint Congressional
Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.
US Grant’s 2nd Inauguration – March 4, 1877
The U.S. military have participated in
Inauguration Day ceremonies since
George Washington, because the
president is commander-in-chief of the
armed forces.
Since the first inauguration of Dwight D.
Eisenhower in 1953, that participation has
been coordinated by the Joint Task
Force-Armed Forces Inaugural
Committee.
The oath of office is traditionally
administered on the steps of the United
States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The vice president-elect takes the oath of
office at the same ceremony as the
president-elect. This tradition began in
1937.
President U.S. Grants’
Inaugurational Ball - 1873
At noon, the president-elect becomes
president. At about that time, the
president-elect takes the oath of office,
traditionally administered by the Chief
Justice of the United States, using the
form mandated in Article II, Section 1 of
the United States Constitution:
“ I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I
will faithfully execute the office of
President of the United States, and will to
the best of my ability, preserve, protect,
and defend the Constitution of the United
States. ”
According to tradition, in the first
inauguration, President Washington
added the words "so help me God" when
reciting the oath.
Calvin Coolidge Inauguration March 4, 1925
Immediately following the oath, the bands
play four ruffles and flourishes and "Hail to
the Chief", followed by a 21-gun salute
from howitzers of the Presidential Salute
Battery, 3d United States Infantry
Regiment (The Old Guard).
The President delivers an inaugural
address, setting the tone for the new
administration.
George Washington's was the shortest
inaugural address at 135 words. (1793)
Thomas Jefferson was the only
president to walk to and from his
inaugural. He was also the first to be
inaugurated at the Capitol. (1801)
The first inaugural ball was held for
James Madison. (1809)
Franklin Roosevelt’s Inauguration
March 4, 1933
John Quincy Adams was the first
president sworn in wearing long trousers.
(1825)
Franklin Pierce was the first president to
affirm rather than swear the oath of office
(1853). Herbert Hoover followed suit in
1929.
William H. Harrison's was the longest
inaugural address at 8,445 words. (1841)
John F. Kennedy’s Inauguration
January 20, 1961
The first inauguration to be
photographed was James Buchanan's.
(1857)
Abraham Lincoln was the first to
include African-Americans in his
parade. (1865)
Lyndon Johnson taking the Oath of Office
November 22, 1963 – Dallas, Texas
James Garfield's mother was the first
to attend her son's inauguration.
(1881)
William McKinley's inauguration was
the first ceremony to be recorded by a
motion picture camera. (1897)
William Taft's wife was the first one to
accompany her husband in the
procession from the Capitol to the
White House. (1909)
Women were included for the first
time in Woodrow Wilson's second
inaugural parade. (1917)
Warren G. Harding was the first
president to ride to and from his
inaugural in an automobile. (1921)
Calvin Coolidge's oath was
administered by Chief Justice (and expresident) William Taft. It was also the
first inaugural address broadcast on
the radio. (1925)
Harry Truman's was the first to be
televised. (1949)
John Kennedy's inauguration had
Robert Frost as the first poet to
participate in the official ceremony.
(1961) The only other President to
feature poets was Bill Clinton. Maya
Angelou read at his 1993 inaugural,
and Miller Williams read at his second,
in 1997.
Lyndon Johnson was the first (and so
far) only president to be sworn in by a
woman, U.S. District Judge Sarah T.
Hughes. (1963)
Jimmy Carter's inaugural parade
featured solar heat for the reviewing
stand and handicap-accessible viewing.
(1977)
Ronald Reagan's second inaugural had
to compete with Super Bowl Sunday.
(1985)
The first ceremony broadcast on the
Internet was Bill Clinton's second
inauguration. (1997)
Barack Obama – 1st African American
President
Highest viewership ever
of the swearing-in
ceremonies on the
Internet.
Largest attendance of any
event in the history of
Washington, D.C.
Largest attendance of any
presidential inauguration in
U.S. history
First inaugural
webcast to
include
captioning
Complied and edited by Susan Ging Lent