Inauguration of Zachary Taylor

Last updated
Presidential inauguration of Zachary Taylor
The inauguration of Gen. Zachary Taylor-Dedicated to the Various Rough and Ready Clubs throughout the Union LCCN00650921 (cropped).jpg
Engraving of the inauguration of Zachary Taylor by Wm. Croome
DateMarch 5, 1849;174 years ago (1849-03-05)
Location United States Capitol,
Washington, D.C.
Participants Zachary Taylor
12th president of the United States
— Assuming office

Roger B. Taney
Chief Justice of the United States
— Administering oath

Millard Fillmore
12th vice president of the United States
— Assuming office

David Rice Atchison
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
— Administering oath

The inauguration of Zachary Taylor as the 12th president of the United States was held on Monday, March 5, 1849, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., and was the second instance of an inauguration being rescheduled due to March 4 falling on a Sunday, the Christian sabbath. This was the 16th regular inauguration and marked the commencement of the only four-year term of both Zachary Taylor as president and Millard Fillmore as vice president. Taylor died 1 year, 126 days into this term, and Fillmore succeeded to the presidency. The presidential oath of office was administered by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. Inauguration Day started off being cloudy with snow flurries, but turned to heavy snow during the inaugural balls. [1]

Contents

Inaugural festivities

Three inaugural balls were held later that day. To accommodate the large numbers of guests anticipated to be at one of them, a temporary wooden building was built in the Judiciary Square plaza. [2] The ticket price for the event was $10 cash; the menu included: terrapins, Charlotte Russe, oysters and Roman punch. [3]

The "presidency" of David Rice Atchison

Due to the postponement of the swearing-in ceremony until March 5, various friends and colleagues of Senator David Atchison asserted that on March 4–5, 1849, he was acting president of the United States. [4] They argued that, since both President James K. Polk and Vice President George Dallas ceased to hold their offices at noon on March 4, and since neither Taylor nor Fillmore had yet sworn their prescribed oath of office, both offices were vacant. As a result, they claimed, in accordance with the Presidential Succession Act of 1792, Atchison, by virtue of being the president pro tempore of the United States Senate, was the nation's acting chief executive during the interregnum. Historians, constitutional scholars and biographers all dismiss the claim. [5] [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Rice Atchison</span> American politician (1807–1886)

David Rice Atchison was a mid-19th century Democratic United States Senator from Missouri. He served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate for six years. Atchison served as a major general in the Missouri State Militia in 1838 during Missouri's Mormon War and as a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War under Major General Sterling Price in the Missouri Home Guard. Some of Atchison's associates claimed that for 24 hours—Sunday, March 4, 1849 through noon on Monday—he may have been Acting President of the United States. This belief, however, is dismissed by nearly all scholars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States presidential line of succession</span> Order of assuming powers of US presidency

The United States presidential line of succession is the order in which the vice president of the United States and other officers of the United States federal government assume the powers and duties of the U.S. presidency upon an elected president's death, resignation, removal from office, or incapacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oath of office of the president of the United States</span> Oath taken by a new president of the United States

The oath of office of the president of the United States is the oath or affirmation that the president of the United States takes upon assuming office. The wording of the oath is specified in Article II, Section One, Clause 8, of the United States Constitution, and a new president must take it before exercising or carrying out any official powers or duties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">31st United States Congress</span> 1849-1851 U.S. Congress

The 31st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1849, to March 4, 1851, during the 16 months of the Zachary Taylor presidency and the first eight months of the administration of Millard Fillmore's. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1840 United States census. The Senate had a Democratic majority, while there was a Democratic plurality in the House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States presidential inauguration</span> Ceremony marking the start of a new presidential term

Between 73 and 79 days after the presidential election, the president-elect of the United States is inaugurated as president by taking the presidential oath of office. The inauguration takes place for each new presidential term, even if the president is continuing in office for a second term.

Atchison County Historical Society Museum is a museum dedicated to preserving the history of Atchison County, Kansas. Both the city of Atchison and Atchison County, Kansas, are named after United States Senator and legendary "President for a day" David Rice Atchison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First inauguration of George Washington</span> 1st United States presidential inauguration

The first inauguration of George Washington as the first president of the United States was held on Thursday, April 30, 1789, on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, New York. The inauguration was held nearly two months after the beginning of the first four-year term of George Washington as president. Chancellor of New York Robert Livingston administered the presidential oath of office. With this inauguration, the executive branch of the United States government officially began operations under the new frame of government established by the 1787 Constitution. The inauguration of John Adams as vice president was on April 21, 1789, when he assumed his duties as presiding officer of the United States Senate; this also remains the only scheduled inauguration to take place on a day that was neither January nor March.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second inauguration of Ronald Reagan</span> 50th United States presidential inauguration

The second inauguration of Ronald Reagan as president of the United States was held in a televised ceremony on January 20, 1985, at the White House, and was repeated the following day, January 21, 1985, at the Capitol's rotunda. This was the 50th presidential inauguration and marked the commencement of the second and final four-year term of both Ronald Reagan as president and of George H. W. Bush as vice president. At 73 years, 349 days of age on Inauguration Day, Reagan was the oldest U.S. president to be inaugurated, until Joe Biden's inauguration as president on January 20, 2021, at the age of 78 years, 61 days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second inauguration of Richard Nixon</span> 47th United States presidential inauguration

The second inauguration of Richard Nixon as president of the United States was held on Saturday, January 20, 1973, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 47th inauguration and marked the commencement of the second and final term of both Richard Nixon as president and Spiro Agnew as vice president. Both Agnew and Nixon resigned within two years of this term. In December 1973, Gerald Ford replaced Agnew as vice president and in the following year, replaced Nixon as president. This made Nixon the first and, as of 2023, only person to be inaugurated four times as both president and vice president. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered both the presidential and vice presidential oaths of office. During the ceremony, Look With Pride On Our Flag, a song dedicated to President Nixon and composed by Hank Fort, was played.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First inauguration of Richard Nixon</span> 46th United States presidential inauguration

The first inauguration of Richard Nixon as the 37th president of the United States was held on Monday, January 20, 1969, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 46th inauguration and marked the commencement of the first and eventually only full term of both Richard Nixon as president and Spiro Agnew as vice president. Chief Justice Earl Warren administered the presidential oath of office to Nixon, and Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen administered the vice presidential oath to Agnew. Nixon was the first non-incumbent vice president to be inaugurated as president. This was also the last presidential oath administered by Chief Justice Warren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower</span> 43rd United States presidential inauguration

The second inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower as president of the United States was held privately on Sunday, January 20, 1957, at the White House and publicly on the following day, Monday, January 21, 1957, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol; both located in Washington, D.C. This was the 43rd inauguration and marked the commencement of the second and final four-year term of both Dwight D. Eisenhower as president and Richard Nixon as vice president. Chief Justice Earl Warren administered the presidential oath of office after the Senate Minority Leader William Knowland swore in the vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inauguration of William Howard Taft</span> 31st United States presidential inauguration

The inauguration of William Howard Taft as the 27th president of the United States was held on Thursday, March 4, 1909, at the Senate chamber inside the United States Capitol, Washington, D.C., instead of the regular East Portico due to blizzard. This was the 31st inauguration and marked the commencement of William Howard Taft's only term as president and James S. Sherman's only term as vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second inauguration of William McKinley</span> 29th United States presidential inauguration

The second inauguration of William McKinley as president of the United States was held on Monday, March 4, 1901, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 29th inauguration and marked the commencement of the second and final term of William McKinley as president and the only term of Theodore Roosevelt as vice president. McKinley died 194 days into this term, and Roosevelt succeeded in the presidency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inauguration of Millard Fillmore</span> 2nd United States intra-term presidential inauguration

The inauguration of Millard Fillmore as the 13th president of the United States, was held on Wednesday, July 10, 1850, at the House chamber inside the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., following the death of President Zachary Taylor the previous day. This inauguration – the second non-scheduled, extraordinary inauguration to ever take place – marked the commencement of Millard Fillmore’s only term as president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes</span> 23rd United States presidential inauguration

The inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes as the 19th president of the United States took place publicly on Monday, March 5, 1877, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 23rd inauguration and marked the commencement of the only four-year term of Rutherford B. Hayes as president and William A. Wheeler as vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inauguration of Chester A. Arthur</span> 4th United States intra-term presidential inauguration

At 2:15 a.m. Eastern Time on September 20, 1881, Chester A. Arthur was inaugurated the 21st president of the United States. The inauguration marked the commencement of Chester A. Arthur's only term as president. The presidential oath of office was administered by New York Supreme Court Justice John R. Brady at Arthur's private residence in New York City. Two days later, Arthur underwent a second inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C., with the oath administered by Morrison Waite, the Chief Justice of the United States. Arthur became president following the death of his predecessor James A. Garfield, who had been assassinated by a troubled office seeker, Charles J. Guiteau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First inauguration of Woodrow Wilson</span> 32nd United States presidential inauguration

The first inauguration of Woodrow Wilson as the 28th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, March 4, 1913, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 32nd inauguration and marked the commencement of the first four-year term of Woodrow Wilson as president and Thomas R. Marshall as vice president. Chief Justice Edward D. White administered the presidential oath of office to Wilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inauguration of Warren G. Harding</span> 34th United States presidential inauguration

The inauguration of Warren G. Harding as the 29th president of the United States was held on Friday, March 4, 1921, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 34th inauguration and marked the commencement of Warren G. Harding's only term as president and of Calvin Coolidge's only term as vice president. Harding died 2 years, 151 days into this term, and Coolidge succeeded to the presidency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine presidential inauguration</span> Swearing into office of the President-elect of the Philippines

The inauguration of the president of the Republic of the Philippines is a ceremony marking the commencement of the six-year term of a president of the Philippines, who is both head of state and head of government. The inauguration is performed on June 30, as mandated by the 1987 Constitution. Under the older 1935 Constitution, the date was December 30, which is also Rizal Day; the last inauguration held on the older date was Ferdinand Marcos' second one on December 30, 1969. The most recent public presidential inauguration ceremony was that of President Bongbong Marcos, who began his six-year term in office on Thursday, June 30, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oath of office of the vice president of the United States</span>

The oath of office of the vice president of the United States is the oath or affirmation that the vice president of the United States takes upon assuming the vice-presidency but before beginning the execution of the office. It is the same oath that members of the United States Congress and members of the president's cabinet take upon entering office.

References

  1. "The 16th Presidential Inauguration: Zachary Taylor, March 05, 1849". United States Senate. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  2. "Inaugural Ball". Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  3. "1849 Inauguration of President Zachary Taylor". HistoryGallery.com. Newspaper report, "Taylor Republicanism", the Daily Morning Star, New London, Connecticut, February 20, 1849. Retrieved June 28, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. "President for a Day: March 4, 1849". Washington, D.C.: Office of the Secretary, United States Senate. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  5. Feerick, John D.; Freund, Paul A. (1965). From Failing Hands: the Story of Presidential Succession. New York City: Fordham University Press. pp. 100–101. LCCN   65-14917.
  6. Klein, Christopher (February 18, 2013). "The 24-Hour President". History Stories. History and A+E Networks. Retrieved June 28, 2018.