On Friday, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. It will mark the 58th inauguration ceremony in the nation’s history.
Some ceremonies go smoothly and others may not go exactly as planned.
Transition
The transferring of power from one president to the next is not always amicable.
Five of our presidents did not attend the inaugurations of their successors.
1801: John Adams didn’t attend Jefferson’s inauguration.
1829: John Quincy Adams did not attend Andrew Jackson’s inauguration.
1837: Jackson did not attend Van Buren’s inauguration.
1869: Andrew Johnson did not attend Ulysses S. Grant’s inauguration.
1974: Richard Nixon did not attend Gerald Ford’s inauguration.
Bible
No one remembered to bring a Bible for George Washington to be sworn in on at America’s first presidential inauguration. The judge who administered Washington’s oath had to send for a Bible from the local Masonic lodge.
Inauguration Day
With the exception of Washington’s first inauguration that took place on April 30, 1789, inaugurations use to take place on March 4th.
Inaugurations on January 20th started with Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953.
The four-month gap was needed in part because of the time it took to count and report votes. In 1933, the 20th Amendment was crafted to cut down the time “lame duck” lawmakers held office following Election Day. Lame duck lawmakers are those that lost re-election or chose to step down from their post following their term. However, during the period of time between Election Day and Inauguration Day, lame duck lawmakers still hold their authority and can make changes.
Protests
Most will remember that two presidents had demonstrations against their inaugurations. Both of Nixon’s inaugurations saw antiwar protests. In 2005, protests at George W. Bush ceremony focused on the disputed election between Bush and Gore.
In 1913 about 8,000 suffragists marched on Washington D.C. to coincide with Woodrow Wilson’s ceremony, to bring attention to giving women the right to vote.
Speech
The shortest speech was given by George Washington at his second inauguration in 1793, 135 words. The longest was William Henry Harrison’s in 1841, 8,445 words. He delivered the 1 hour 45 minute oration without wearing a hat or coat in a howling snowstorm. He came down with pneumonia, and died one month later. His was the shortest tenure in the White House.
Today in Washington D.C. some of the inaugural festivities are underway. Here is a quick look at the major events.
Whitehousehistory.org, Britannica.com, inaugural.senate.gov, istock.com