Charlie Brotman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Charles Julian Brotman December 30, 1927 |
| Occupation | Announcer |
| Known for | Serving as announcer for US presidential inauguration parades |
Charles Julian Brotman (born December 30, 1927 [1] [2] ) is an American public relations specialist and public address announcer, known for his presentation of U.S. presidential inaugural parades of 12 presidents from Harry S. Truman to Joe Biden (excluding only Donald Trump). [3]
Brotman, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, grew up in Northeast Washington, D.C., graduated from McKinley Technology High School and studied at the University of Maryland. [2] He served in the U.S. Navy from 1946 to 1948, [4] then attended the National Academy of Broadcasting.
Following his graduation from the academy, Brotman worked as a disc jockey and sports announcer in Orlando, Florida. [5] [6] A 1956 meeting with Senators' owner Calvin Griffith led to him returning to his hometown of Washington to serve as the announcer at Griffith Stadium for the Washington Senators baseball team. He later became the team's promotions director as well. [1] [7]
In the 1960s, Brotman started his own public relations firm, Brotman|Winter|Fried, specializing in sports promotions. [8] (His firm was acquired by Sage Communications in 2011. [9] ) He continued to announce on Opening Day for the Senators each year until the team moved to Texas following the 1971 season. When the Washington Nationals relocated to the city in 2005, Brotman returned to his Opening Day duties. [10]
Brotman joined LINK Strategic Partners, a strategic communications and stakeholder engagement firm based in Washington, DC, as a senior advisor in 2015. He advises the firm on its hyperlocal engagement work in DC and around the country.
Brotman has been inducted into 11 different Halls of Fame during his more than 50 years in public relations and announcing, including the Washington Hall of Fame, the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Jock's Hall of Fame, the Public Relations Society of America Hall of Fame, the Advertising Club of Washington Hall of Fame, the Greater Washington Fastpitch Softball Hall of Fame. His most recent induction took place in 2014 at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts for the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation Hall of Fame. [11]
In 1949, while a student at the National Academy of Broadcasting, Brotman was recommended by his teacher to serve as an announcer for Harry S. Truman's second inauguration, which was the first presidential inauguration to be televised. [3] [2] [12]
Although he was not involved with Dwight D. Eisenhower's first inauguration, as the announcer for the Washington Senators baseball team, he did introduce Eisenhower when the president threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Griffith Stadium's Opening Day in 1956. [7] Later that year, a White House staffer called Brotman and said Eisenhower was impressed with his work, and he wanted Brotman to introduce him again at the president's second inauguration. [6]
The staffer asked Brotman, "Will you charge a fee? Because our parade budget is very minimal." Brotman responded, "No, as a matter of fact, to be honest, I'd pay you for the honor." [13]
Brotman was behind the microphone for every inaugural parade in Washington, D.C., from Eisenhower's second inauguration in 1957 to Barack Obama's second inauguration in 2013. [5] Obama's second inauguration was the 15th consecutive ceremony that Brotman has announced, and his 16th overall. [9]
During the presidency of George W. Bush, Brotman also served as the announcer at tee ball games on the South Lawn of the White House. [14]
President Donald Trump's Presidential Inauguration Committee ended Brotman's streak as announcer, instead picking Steve Ray, a Trump supporter, for the 58th Presidential Inauguration. [15] Brotman was, however, selected to welcome the National Organizers for the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 - the day following the Inauguration. [16]
Brotman was again selected to serve as announcer for Joe Biden's inaugural parade on January 20, 2021. [3]
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.
The inauguration of the president of the United States is a ceremony to mark the commencement of a new four-year term of the president of the United States. During this ceremony, between 73 to 79 days after the presidential election, the president takes 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.
McKinley Technology High School is a public citywide 9th–12th grade high school in the District of Columbia Public Schools in Northeast Washington, D.C. The school, an offshoot of Central High School, originally was called McKinley Technical High School and was located at 7th Street NW and Rhode Island Avenue NW in the District of Columbia. The United States Congress allocated $26 million in 1926 for the construction of the existing building at 2nd and T Streets NE, in the Eckington area. The school is named for William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States.
Booker T. Washington High School, also known as Booker T or BTW, is a public high school located in Norfolk, Virginia. It is administered by Norfolk Public Schools system. The school colors are maroon, white and gold. The school is called “The Mighty Booker T” and the “Fighting Bookers" in Norfolk, Virginia.
The first inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The 56th inauguration, which set a record attendance for any event held in the city, marked the commencement of the first term of Barack Obama as president and Joe Biden as vice president. Based on combined attendance numbers, television viewership, and Internet traffic, it was one of the most-observed events ever by the global audience.
Since 1937, the United States presidential inauguration has included one or more prayers given by members of the clergy. Since 1933 an associated prayer service either public or private attended by the president-elect has often taken place on the morning of the day. At times a major public or broadcast prayer service takes place after the main ceremony most recently on the next day.
One million invitations to Barack Obama's inauguration were sent out in the first week of January 2009. Printed between December 11, 2008, and January 2, 2009, the invitations invited people to celebrate Barack Obama's inauguration as the forty-fourth President of the United States. The invitations have kept the same basic design of a gold seal and black script since the 1949 inauguration of Harry S. Truman, but this invitation was produced in a green manner, using recycled paper, by companies certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
The second inauguration of George W. Bush as the 43rd president of the United States took place on Thursday, January 20, 2005, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 55th inauguration and marked the beginning of the second and final term of George W. Bush as president and Dick Cheney as vice president. The ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist administered the presidential oath of office for the last time before his death on September 3 that year. Attendance at the inauguration has been reported as being around 100,000, 300,000, or 400,000.
The first inauguration of George W. Bush as the 43rd president of the United States took place on Saturday, January 20, 2001, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 54th inauguration and marked the commencement of the first term of George W. Bush as president and Dick Cheney as vice president. Chief Justice William Rehnquist administered the presidential oath of office at 12:01 p.m., after he administered the vice presidential oath of office as well. An estimated 300,000 people attended the swearing-in ceremony. This was the first presidential inauguration to take place in the 21st century, and the first in the 3rd millennium.
The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, January 20, 1981, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the first inauguration to be held on the building's west side. This was the 49th inauguration and marked the commencement of Ronald Reagan's and George H. W. Bush's first term as president and vice president. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered the presidential oath of office to Reagan, who placed his hand upon a family Bible given to him by his mother, open to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Associate Justice Potter Stewart administered the vice presidential oath to Bush.
The first inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower as the 34th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, January 20, 1953, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 42nd inauguration and marked the commencement of the first term of Dwight D. Eisenhower as president and of Richard Nixon as vice president. Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson administered the presidential oath of office to Eisenhower. The vice presidential oath was administered to Nixon by Senator William Knowland.
The second inauguration of Harry S. Truman as president of the United States was held on Thursday, January 20, 1949, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 41st inauguration and marked the commencement of the second and only full term of Harry S. Truman as president as well as the only term of Alben W. Barkley as vice president. Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson administered the presidential oath of office while Justice Stanley Forman Reed administered the vice-presidential oath of office.
The inauguration of John F. Kennedy as the 35th president of the United States was held on Friday, January 20, 1961, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It was the 44th inauguration, marking the commencement of John F. Kennedy's and Lyndon B. Johnson's only term as president and vice president. Kennedy was assassinated 2 years, 306 days into this term, and Johnson succeeded to the presidency.
The second inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant as president of the United States was held on Tuesday, March 4, 1873, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 22nd inauguration and marked the commencement of the second and final four-year term of Ulysses S. Grant as president and the only term of Henry Wilson as vice president. Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase administered the presidential oath of office. This was one of the coldest inaugurations in U.S. history with 16 °F (−9 °C) at noon, and the inaugural ball ended early when the food froze. Vice President Wilson died 2 years, 263 days into this term, and the office remained vacant since there was no constitutional provision to fill an intra-term vice-presidential vacancy until the Twenty-fifth Amendment in 1967.
United States presidential inaugural balls are large social gatherings, both white tie and black tie, held to celebrate the commencement of a new term of the President of the United States. Planned and sanctioned by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the official inaugural balls occur throughout the evening of Inauguration Day in the Washington D.C. area and are invitation-only, attended by guests who are issued pre-paid tickets. The President, First Lady, Vice-President and Second Lady or Second Gentleman, all make personal appearances at each of the inaugural balls held in their honor. Catered food, beverages, and live entertainment performed by national and globally acclaimed musicians are provided at the inaugural balls.
The second inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States was the 57th inauguration and marked the commencement of the second and final term of Barack Obama as president and Joe Biden as vice president. A private swearing-in ceremony took place on Sunday, January 20, 2013, in the Blue Room of the White House. A public inauguration ceremony took place on Monday, January 21, 2013, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States marked the commencement of Donald Trump's term as president and Mike Pence's term as vice president. An estimated 300,000 to 600,000 people attended the public ceremony held on Friday, January 20, 2017, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
DisruptJ20 was a far-left organization that protested and attempted to disrupt events of the presidential inauguration of the 45th U.S. President, Donald Trump, which occurred on January 20, 2017. The group was founded in July 2016 and publicly launched on November 11 after Trump won the 2016 United States presidential election. DisruptJ20's inauguration protests were a part of a wider array of protests organized both locally and nationally from a more extensive initial plan. The protests included efforts to blockade one bridge and to shut down security checkpoints. James O'Keefe and Project Veritas had some success infiltrating DisruptJ20's planned inauguration efforts.
The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States took place on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, marking the start of the four-year term of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president. The 59th presidential inauguration took place on the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Biden took the presidential oath of office, before which Harris took the vice presidential oath of office.