History and Events of the Presidential Inauguration

Black and white photo of the dais at JFK's inauguration
The inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.

Hulton Archive / Getty Images

History surrounds the rituals and practices that take place during the presidential inauguration. Here is a compendium of historical events surrounding the presidential inauguration through the ages. 

From the First Inauguration to the Present

George W. Bush being sworn in for the second time at the US Capitol in 2005.
George W. Bush being sworn in for the second time at the US Capitol in 2005. White House Photo

At noon on January 20, 2021, during the 59th presidential inauguration, Donald Trump's term expired and Joe Biden took the oath of office. With this oath, President Biden officially began his first term as president of the United States. 

The history of presidential inaugurations can be traced back to that of George Washington on April 30, 1789. However, much has changed from that first administration of the presidential oath of office. Following is a step-by-step look at what happens during a presidential inauguration.

The Morning Worship Service

John F Kennedy shakes hands with Father Richard Casey after attending mass before his inauguration.
John F Kennedy shakes hands with Father Richard Casey after attending mass before his inauguration. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Ever since President Franklin Roosevelt attended a service at St. John Episcopal Church the morning of his presidential inauguration in 1933, president-elects have attended religious services before taking the oath of office. The only apparent exception to this was the second inauguration of Richard Nixon. He did, however, attend church services the next day. Of the presidents since Roosevelt, four of them also attended services at St John's: Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush. The other services attended were:

The Procession to the Capitol

Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt Riding to the Capitol for the Roosevelt's Inauguration.
Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt Riding to the Capitol for the Roosevelt's Inauguration. Architect of the Capitol.

The president-elect and vice-president-elect along with their wives are escorted to the White House by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Then, by tradition began in 1837 with Martin Van Buren and Andrew Jackson, the president and president-elect ride together to the swearing-in ceremony. This tradition has only been broken four times including the inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant when Andrew Johnson did not attend but instead stayed back in the White House to sign some last-minute legislation. In 2021, Donald Trump also declined to attend the inauguration of Joe Biden; instead, he left Washington, D.C., hours before the inauguration began.

The outgoing president sits to the right of the president-elect on the trip to the capitol. Since 1877, the vice president and vice president-elect ride to the inauguration directly behind the president and president-elect. A few interesting facts:

  • Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were the only two presidents to walk to their inaugurations.
  • In 1917, Edith Wilson became the first First Lady to accompany her husband to the capitol.
  • The first president-elect to ride to the inauguration in an automobile was Warren G. Harding in 1921.
  • Lyndon B. Johnson was the first president-elect to ride to the inauguration in a bullet-proof limousine in 1965.

The Vice President's Swearing-In Ceremony

Kamala Harris takes the oath of office as Doug Emhoff holds her Bibles
Kamala Harris is sworn in as vice president.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Before the president-elect is sworn in, the vice-president takes his or her oath of office. Until 1981, the vice-president was sworn in at a different location than the new president.

The text of the vice-presidential oath of office is not written in the Constitution as it is for the president. Instead, the wording of the oath is set by Congress. The current oath was approved in 1884 and is also used to swear-in all senators, representatives, and other government officers. It is:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

The Presidential Oath of Office

Dwight Eisenhower takes the Oath of Office as the President during his Inauguration
Dwight D. Eisenhower takes the Oath of Office as the President of the United States during his Inauguration January 20, 1953 in Washington D.C. Also pictured is former president Harry S. Truman and Richard M. Nixon. National Archive/Newsmakers

After the vice-president is officially sworn in, the president takes the oath of office. The text, as set down in Article II, Section 1, of the US Constitution, reads:

"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."

Franklin Pierce was the first president to choose the word "affirm" instead of "swear." Additional oath of office trivia:

  • 1797 - John Adams was the first to receive the oath of office from the Chief Justice.
  • 1817 - James Monroe was the first to take the oath-of-office out of doors in Washington, D.C.
  • 1853 - Franklin Pierce was the first to use the word "affirm" rather than "swear" when taking the oath.
  • 1901 - John Quincy Adams, Franklin Pierce, and Theodore Roosevelt were the only presidents not to use a bible while taking the oath of office.
  • 1923 - Calvin Coolidge's father administered the oath of office to his son.
  • 1963 - Lyndon Johnson became the first president whose oath was administered in an airplane and by a woman.

The President's Inaugural Address

William McKinley Giving His Inaugural Address in 1901.
William McKinley Giving His Inaugural Address in 1901. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-22730 DLC.

After taking the oath of office, the president delivers an inaugural address. The shortest inaugural address was delivered by George Washington in 1793. The longest was given by William Henry Harrison. One month later he died of pneumonia and many believe this was brought on by his time outside on inauguration day. In 1925, Calvin Coolidge became the first to deliver his inaugural address over the radio. By 1949, Harry Truman's address was televised.

The inaugural address is a time for the president to set forth his vision for the United States. Many great inaugural addresses have been delivered throughout the years. One of the most stirring was delivered by Abraham Lincoln in 1865, shortly before Lincoln's assassination. In it he said, “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

The Departure of the Outgoing President

George W. Bush looks out a window from a plane, the Capitol visible
George W. Bush departs Washington, D.C.

The White House / Getty Images

Once the new president and vice-president have been sworn in, the outgoing president and first lady leave the Capitol. Over time, the procedures around this departure have changed. In recent years, the outgoing vice-president and his wife are escorted by the new vice-president and his wife through a military cordon. Then the outgoing president and his wife are escorted by the new president and first lady. Since 1977, they have departed from the capitol by helicopter.

The Inaugural Luncheon

President Ronald Reagan is shown speaking at his inaugural luncheon in the U.S. Capitol.
President Ronald Reagan is shown speaking at his inaugural luncheon in the U.S. Capitol on January 21, 1985. Architect of the Capitol

After the new president and vice-president have seen the outgoing executives leave, they then return to Statuary Hall within the capitol to attend a luncheon given by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. During the 19th century, this luncheon was typically hosted at the White House by the outgoing president and first lady. However, since the early 1900's the luncheon location was moved to the Capitol. It has been given by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies since 1953.

The Inaugural Parade

The Presidential reviewing stand during the inaugural parade on January 20, 2005
Spectators watch from the Presidential reviewing stand as a marching band passes during the inaugural parade in front of the White House January 20, 2005 in Washington, DC. Jamie Squire/Getty Images

After the luncheon, the new president and vice-president travel down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. They then review the parade given in their honor from a special reviewing stand. The inaugural parade actually dates back to George Washington's first inauguration. However, it wasn't until Ulysses Grant in 1873, that the tradition was begun of reviewing the parade at the White House once the inaugural ceremony was complete. The only parade that was canceled was Ronald Reagan's second owing to extremely low temperatures and dangerous conditions.

Inaugural Balls

President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy at the inaugural ball January 20, 1961
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy attend the inaugural ball January 20, 1961 in Washington, DC. Getty Images

Inauguration Day ends with the inaugural balls. The first official inaugural ball was held in 1809 when Dolley Madison hosted the event for her husband's inauguration. Almost every inauguration day has ended in a similar event since that time with a few exceptions. Franklin Pierce asked that the ball be canceled because he had recently lost his son. Other cancellations included Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding. Charity balls were held for the inaugurations of presidents Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The inaugural ball tradition began anew with Harry Truman. Starting with Dwight Eisenhower, the number of balls increased from two to an all-time high of 14 for Bill Clinton's second inauguration.

The Inauguration Onboard Air Force One

Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in to the office of the Presidency aboard Air Force One in Dallas, Texas, hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in to the office of the Presidency aboard Air Force One in Dallas, Texas, hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

With no parades, speeches, or galas, and certainly without celebration, the first inauguration of President Lyndon B. Johnson was held aboard Air Force One on Friday, November 22, 1963, at Love Field, Dallas, Texas, hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy earlier that day.

In what amounted to more of an impromptu swearing-in than a traditional inauguration ceremony, twenty-seven people crowded into a hot and unairconditioned sixteen-square-foot Air Force One conference room. As the plane’s engines were warming up to carry Kennedy’s body back to Washington, Johnson’s long-time friend, federal district Judge Sarah T. Hughes, administered the oath of office. The event became the only time the presidential oath has been administered by a woman to date.

Rather than a traditional Bible, Johnson recited the oath while holding a Catholic missal retrieved from a bedside table in Kennedy’s Air Force One stateroom. After taking the oath as the nation’s 36th president, Johnson kissed his beloved wife Lady Bird on the forehead. Mrs. Johnson then took Jackie Kennedy's hand, whispering to her, “The whole nation mourns your husband.”

As Air Force One flew back to Andrews Air Force Base, Johnson used its radiotelephone to call Kennedy’s mother Rose and Texas Governor John Connally’s wife Nellie. He also asked all of Kennedy’s Cabinet members to remain in their posts and requested to meet with both Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress as soon as possible.

Johnson went on to be elected to his only full term as president on November 3, 1964 and enjoyed a far more festive second inauguration ceremony under the East Portico of the United States Capitol Building on Wednesday, January 20, 1965.

Updated by Robert Longley 

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Kelly, Martin. "History and Events of the Presidential Inauguration." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/history-and-events-of-presidential-inauguration-105456. Kelly, Martin. (2021, February 16). History and Events of the Presidential Inauguration. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/history-and-events-of-presidential-inauguration-105456 Kelly, Martin. "History and Events of the Presidential Inauguration." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/history-and-events-of-presidential-inauguration-105456 (accessed March 19, 2024).