Inaugural History

On April 30, 1789, the hero of the American Revolution took the oath of office, making him the first head of a new federal government. The new Constitution required the president to deliver an annual State of the Union, but the inaugural address was Washington's own idea. He felt the occasion called for a few formal remarks, thus establishing a tradition that has been followed by all of his successors.

1801 - Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, the new federal city that had been built and named in honor of the first president. On the day of the ceremony, he refused a fancy carriage ride from his modest boarding house and simply walked over to the Capitol. That gesture was very much in keeping with Jefferson's easy, democratic manner.

1817 -- James Monroe

Monroe's inauguration was held outdoors for the first time since Washington's, in part because the Capitol had been burned down by the British in 1814. Monroe stood on a specially constructed inaugural platform (the first such edifice) to address the crowd of 5- to 8,000. He also broke with tradition by riding to his inauguration with his vice president, Daniel Tompkins.

1829 -- Andrew Jackson

Jackson was the first president from a frontier state (Tennessee), and he heartily embraced the cause of the farmers and laborers that later became known as the Common Man. He was such a populist that he insisted on opening the inaugural reception to the public. Among the guests were hundreds of frontiersmen who overindulged on the spiked punch and behaved in a rowdy fashion.

1841 - William Henry Harrison

Harrison, a military hero who first gained fame on the frontier, was 67 when he took the oath of office. Even though it was a bitterly cold day, he chose not to wear an overcoat, hat or gloves. To make matters worse, his speech ran over two hours - the longest in history. He caught a bad cold, which turned into pneumonia, and exactly one month after he was sworn in he became the first president to die in office.

1949 -- Zachary Taylor

James Polk's term ended on a Sunday, but Taylor wouldn't be sworn in on the Sabbath. For a day, there was no U.S. president. (Senate President Pro Tem David Atchison's term ended a day earlier.) On Monday, Taylor was sworn in. Guests departing one of the balls at dawn found their wraps were left in heaps by long-gone coat checkers, and a lanky Illinois congressman lost his hat. His name was Abraham Lincoln.

1861 -- Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln's first inaugural parade, pictured here on March 4, 1861 was especially symbolic. Cannons were placed at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue as the nation was on the verge of Civil War. Armed guards closed streets and riflemen dotted the rooftops overlooking the parade route.

1877 -- Rutherford B. Hayes

At 4 a.m. on March 2, Congress settled the disputed presidential election by awarding 185 electoral votes to Hayes and 184 to Samuel Tilden (who won 200,000 more popular votes than Hayes). Concerned that Tilden would mount a challenge, Hayes was secretly sworn in the next day. As Grant was still president until noon on the 4th, the country actually had two presidents for a short time.

1917 -- Woodrow Wilson

On the verge of entering World War I, Wilson reasoned that America should not be without a functioning president and opted for a quiet swearing-in for his second term on Sunday, March 4. Major security precautions were taken for the public ceremony the next day. For the first time, the parade included women, who protested for their right to vote (which they received in time for the next presidential election).

1933 -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Taking office in the depths of the Great Depression, Roosevelt rallied spirits with these stirring words: "Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Then, after noting that "this nation asks for action, and action now," FDR went on to declare that Americans, "have made me the present instrument of their wishes. In the spirit of the gift, I take it."

1952 -- Dwight Eisenhower

The Republicans recaptured the White House for the first time in 20 years, riding back into power on the sturdy shoulders of Eisenhower, the popular general who had led the Allies to victory in World War Two. At his inaugural, Ike broke with tradition when, instead of wearing the customary silk hat, he chose to wear a homburg. That started a fashion in headgear for men that prevailed through most of the '50s.

1961 -- John F. Kennedy

The theme of Kennedy's speech was a call to sacrifice and duty as he urged his fellow Americans to "ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." And to the other nations of the world, he vowed that his presidency would "pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

1965 -- Lyndon B. Johnson

Johnson's inauguration featured two first family firsts. His wife, Lady Bird Johnson, held the family bible for his swearing-in, marking the first time a first lady participated in the inaugural ceremony. And, during the parade, LBJ took his pet beagle into the reviewing stand - the first presidential dog known to have played such a role.

1969 -- Richard Nixon

Elected during the stormy Vietnam War, Nixon struck a conciliatory note by quoting a Biblical passage: " ... and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks." He continued by recalling a sign he'd seen on a campaign stop, urging him to "Bring Us Together." It was a far cry from the bitterly divisive Watergate scandal that would later destroy his presidency.

1977 -- Jimmy Carter

The high point of Carter's inauguration came after he delivered his speech, when he chose to walk hand-in-hand with his wife, Rosalynn, down Pennsylvania Avenue from Capitol Hill to the White House. That populist touch reminded historians of Jefferson's casual stroll from his boarding house to the Capitol.

1981 -- Ronald Reagan

In a dramatic turn of events, moments after Reagan was sworn in, the news came that 52 American hostages had been released from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, where they had been held in captivity for more than a year. It was joyous news for the country and for Reagan who - unlike Lincoln and FDR - was spared the ordeal of having to commence his presidency with the nation in crisis.

Ronald Reagan - 1985

First Lady Nancy Reagan watches as President Ronald Reagan is sworn in during ceremonies in the Rotunda beneath the Capitol Dome Jan. 21, 1985, in Washington. Reagan, forced indoors by a record inaugural freeze, reenacted his oath taking and sounded a second term dedication to his conservative principles.

1993 -- William Jefferson Clinton

Despite a reputation for wordiness, Clinton spoke for just 14 minutes - the third shortest inaugural address in history. The speech was reminiscent of Kennedy's. Clinton said, "It is time to break the bad habit of expecting something for nothing from our government or from each other. Let us all take more responsibility not only for ourselves and our families but for our communities and our country."

2001 - George W. Bush

Bush was sworn in following the most controversial and litigious election in U.S. history. Though freezing cold rain and crowds of demonstrators which brought about extra security measures prevented the President and first lady from walking down the parade route, the motorcade came to a stop before the end of the route to let the couple walk down about a block to the White House.