Inauguration

All right, I admit, it's a little harder than expected to blog about ALL the current events as soon as they are current, but...I managed to scrape together some facts about the Inauguration!


First, in case I don't explain well enough, or if you want to check my sources, here are the websites that I used: inaugural.senate.gov/history and merriam-webster.com. In addition, throughout the post, there are links that will take you to a page with more information when clicked, these are the underlined words/phrases.


Let's start with the derivation of the word "Inauguration"
The word "inauguration" is derived from the Latin word inauguratus (the perfect passive participle of inaugurare). Inaugurare, in turn, is literally "to practice augury" - the combination of in and augurare (to augur - an official diviner of ancient, one held to foretell events by omens) from merriam-webster.com.


Next, we'll take a look at the Inauguration Day activities.
Inauguration Day has many sides to it. Not only the publicized events, but also the private ones that go on behind the scenes at the White House.
We'll start with publicized events.
Morning Worship Service
Started by FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, the day begins with morning worship service. St. John's Church in DC is a favorite due to its proximity to the White House and Capitol.

Procession to the Capitol
Next, the outgoing President accompanies the president elect to the Capitol for the inauguration. Following the presidents are the Vice President and the vice-president elect. All are accompanied by their wives.

Vice President's Swearing In
Once they reach the Capitol, the vice-president elect will take his oath of office. The current oath of office that is used by the Vice President of the US (in use since 1884) is as follows:

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.

President's Swearing In
Following the Vice President's swearing in, the president-elect takes his oath of office. The oath of office that is used by the President of the US was set out in the Constitution (Article II, Section I) as follows:

"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."

President's Inaugural Address
Following the President's swearing in, he gives an inaugural address. Most inaugural addresses present the President's vision of America by setting forth their goals for the nation.

Departure of the outgoing President and Vice President
The new President and the new Vice President (and their wives) escort the outgoing president and vice president (and their wives). However, this is a relatively recent formality. Earlier outgoing presidents and vice presidents have left quietly without formalities before the luncheons.

Inaugural Luncheon
The President and the Vice President (and wives) attend the Inaugural Luncheon hosted by the JCCIC (Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies) since 1953. The luncheons actually started in 1897 (President McKinley), but was not as big of a deal as since 1953.

Inaugural Parade
The parade has became more and more elaborate over the years featuring high school bands, military bands, foreign dignitaries, and many more. The President and his family are accompanied by the Vice President and his family and special guests review the parade from a special viewing stand. This tradition dates back to the very first inauguration.

Inaugural Ball
The President and his wife are accompanied by the Vice President and his wife to the Inaugural Ball, which began in 1809 following James Madison's inauguration. This year, President Obama visited 10 Inaugural Balls held in his honor, each with a different theme. Clinton's 2nd inauguration (1997) had 14 Inaugural Balls, an all time high. The Inaugural Balls are planned by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.


Finally, we'll take a look at the inaugurations themselves.
Chronology
The inaugurations (until Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 when a Constitutional amendment changed the date) took place on March 4th - unless circumstances, such as March 4th falling on a Sunday, prevented it. Following 1937, the inaugurations took place on January 20th - once again, unless circumstances prevented it. It was changed due to the fact that there was a 4 month wait before the president-elect became the president: December, January, February, and then finally March. During these months, the sitting president could sign as many bills into laws as he wanted, granted that they were passed through Congress.

Facts and Firsts
The very first inauguration was on April 30th, 1789 - the inauguration of George Washington. This inauguration was the precedents for the phrase, "So help me God," and kissing the Bible after taking the oath (just to name a few precedents). On March 4th, 1793, at his inauguration in Philadelphia, George Washington's inaugural speech was the shortest yet at only 135 words!

On March 4th, 1797, John Adams became the first to be sworn into office by the Chief Justice of the USA. John Adams was also the first president to have lived in the White House (built during George Washington's presidency). The first inauguration in Washington, D.C. was Thomas Jefferson's on March 4th, 1801.

James Madison's inauguration was the first to be followed by an inaugural ball (singular for this inauguration) on March 4th, 1809. Previously, the inaugurations took place inside, however on March 4th, 1817, James Monroe was the first to take the oath of office and deliver his inaugural address outside.

To speed things up a bit, I will stop detailing each president's inaugurations and skip to those that were firsts. Martin Van Buren (1837) was the first to have both the president and president-elect ride together to the inauguration. William Harrison (1841) was the first to ride a train to Washington for the inauguration and also had the longest inaugural address yet (8,455 words). On April 6, about 1 month after Harrison became president, John Tyler became the first president to assume Presidency upon the death of the current President.

James K. Polk (1845) had the first inauguration covered by telegraph. Franklin Pierce (1853) affirmed the oath of office rather than swearing it and canceled the inaugural ball. James Buchanan (1857) had the first inauguration to be photographed (at least, the first known photographed inauguration). Abraham Lincoln's inaugurations (1861 and 1865) were the first to have a heavily guarded president elect and the first to have African-Americans participate in the inaugural parade, respectively.

Ulysses S. Grant (1873) had the coldest March 4th inauguration with a temperature of 16 degrees Fahrenheit. William McKinley (1897) was the first to have his inauguration recorded by a motion picture camera and the first to have a glass-enclosed viewing stand. It was also the first inauguration that Congress hosted a luncheon for the new President (and his wife) and the new Vice President (and his wife). Woodrow Wilson's 1917 inauguration was the first where women participated in the inaugural parade and the first time the First Lady accompanied the President to and from the Capitol.

In 1921, Warren G. Harding was the first president to ride to and from his inauguration in an automobile. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933) and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, began the tradition of morning worship by attending St. John's Church. The following term for FDR was the first time a president was inaugurated on the 20th of January and the first time a vice president was inaugurated on the outdoors platform with the president. For FDR's 4th term (the only president to have 4 terms) in 1945, he had a simple inauguration ceremony at the White House.

Harry S. Truman (1949) had the first televised Inauguration. In 1913, Woodrow Wilson's 1st term, he suspended the Inaugural ball. Harry Truman (1949 still) reinstated the ball. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953) recited his own prayer after taking the oath rather than kissing the bible. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963) was sworn in on Air Force One by a woman (US District Judge, Sarah T. Hughes) while flying back from Kennedy's assassination. Richard Nixon (1969) took the oath of office on two bibles (both of which were heirlooms). I guess he just wasn't religious enough to follow the oath - I'm definitely referring to the Watergate Scandal.

Gerald Ford (1974) was the first (and only - so far) unelected vice president to become president. Ronald Reagen (1981 - first term) was the first to have his inauguration take place on the west front of the US Capitol. Ronald Reagen's 2nd term (1985) was privately sworn in on Sunday Jan. 20th in the White House. On Jan. 21st, he had his public inauguration in the Capital Rotunda due to the temperature which was not only the coldest Jan. 20th (or around the 20th) inauguration, but also the coldest inauguration ever with a temperature of 7 degrees...at noon. In 1997, William Clinton's inauguration was the first to be broadcasted live on the Internet.