First inauguration of Thomas Jefferson

Last updated
First presidential inauguration of Thomas Jefferson
Official Presidential portrait of Thomas Jefferson (by Rembrandt Peale, 1800)(cropped).jpg
DateMarch 4, 1801;222 years ago (1801-03-04)
Location United States Capitol,
Washington, D.C.
Participants Thomas Jefferson
3rd president of the United States
— Assuming office

John Marshall
Chief Justice of the United States
— Administering oath

Aaron Burr
3rd vice president of the United States
— Assuming office
James Hillhouse
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
— Administering oath
  1797
1805  

The first inauguration of Thomas Jefferson as the third president of the United States was held on Wednesday, March 4, 1801. The inauguration marked the commencement of the first four-year term of Thomas Jefferson as president and the only four-year term of Aaron Burr as vice president. Jefferson was sworn in by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall.

Contents

Background

Jefferson was the nation's second vice president, under President John Adams, and ran against him as a Democratic-Republican in the 1800 presidential election with campaign manager Aaron Burr. Back then, the person who came in first would be president and the person who came in second would be vice president. Burr and Jefferson tied in the Electoral College, so the choice was thrown to the House of Representatives, where Alexander Hamilton helped swing the vote in Jefferson's favor on the 36th ballot.

Inauguration

It was a mild day in Washington, D.C., the first time an inauguration had been held in the city, with a High Noon temperature estimated at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. [1] That morning an artillery company on Capitol Hill had shots fired to welcome the daybreak, and in a first for a newspaper, Jefferson gave a copy of his speech to the National Intelligencer for it to be published and available right after delivery. [2] The theme of his address was reconciliation after his bitterly partisan election. [3]

Jefferson was lodging at Conrad and McMunn's boarding house [4] on the south side of the Capitol building, and at roughly 10:00 am the Alexandria company of riflemen marched to the intersection of New Jersey Avenue and C Street. [2] Jefferson, dressed according to a reporter as "a plain citizen without any distinctive badge of office," became the first president to walk rather than ride a carriage to the ceremony, [1] setting off around noon with some congressmen, District marshals, and military officers from Alexandria, Virginia. [2] He delivered a 1,721-word speech in the United States Capitol's Senate chamber, and then took the oath of office, administered by Chief Justice John Marshall. [1]

In what would become standard practice, the Marine Band played for the first time at the inauguration. [1]

Outgoing President John Adams, distraught over his loss of the election as well as the death of his son Charles Adams to alcoholism, did not attend the inauguration. He left the President's House at 4 a.m. in the early morning on the early public stagecoach for Baltimore. This was the first time an outgoing president would not attend his successor's inauguration.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic-Republican Party</span> American political party (1792–1834)

The Republican Party, retroactively called the Democratic-Republican Party, and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s that championed republicanism, individual liberty, equal rights, decentralization, free markets, free trade, agrarianism, and sympathy with the French Revolution. The party became increasingly dominant after the 1800 elections as the opposing Federalist Party collapsed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federalist Party</span> First political party in the United States

The Federalist Party was a conservative and nationalist American political party and the first political party in the United States. Under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. Defeated by the Democratic-Republican Party in 1800, it became a minority party while keeping its stronghold in New England and made a brief resurgence by opposing the War of 1812. It then collapsed with its last presidential candidate in 1816. Remnants lasted for a few years afterwards. The party appealed to businesses and to conservatives who favored banks, national over state government, manufacturing, an army and navy, and in world affairs preferred Great Britain and strongly opposed the French Revolution. The party favored centralization, federalism, modernization, industrialization, and protectionism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1792 United States presidential election</span> 2nd quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 1792 United States presidential election was the second quadrennial presidential election. It was held from Friday, November 2, to Wednesday, December 5, 1792. Incumbent President George Washington was elected to a second term by a unanimous vote in the electoral college, while John Adams was re-elected as vice president. Washington was essentially unopposed, but Adams faced a competitive re-election against Governor George Clinton of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1796 United States presidential election</span> 3rd quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 1796 United States presidential election was the third quadrennial presidential election of the United States. It was held from Friday, November 4 to Wednesday, December 7, 1796. It was the first contested American presidential election, the first presidential election in which political parties played a dominant role, and the only presidential election in which a president and vice president were elected from opposing tickets. Incumbent vice president John Adams of the Federalist Party defeated former secretary of state Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1800 United States presidential election</span> 4th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 1800 United States presidential election was the fourth quadrennial presidential election. It was held from October 31 to December 3, 1800. In what is sometimes called the "Revolution of 1800", the Democratic-Republican Party candidate, Vice President Thomas Jefferson, defeated the Federalist Party candidate, incumbent president John Adams. The election was a political realignment that ushered in a generation of Democratic-Republican leadership. This was the first rematch in American history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1804 United States presidential election</span> 5th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 1804 United States presidential election was the fifth quadrennial presidential election, held from Friday, November 2, to Wednesday, December 5, 1804. Incumbent Democratic-Republican president Thomas Jefferson defeated Federalist Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina. It was the first presidential election conducted following the ratification of the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reformed procedures for electing presidents and vice presidents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Burr</span> Vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805

Aaron Burr Jr. was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. His legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexander Hamilton that culminated with Burr killing Hamilton in a duel in 1804, while Burr was vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Clinton (vice president)</span> Vice president of the United States from 1805 to 1812

George Clinton was an American soldier, statesman, and Founding Father of the United States. A prominent Democratic-Republican, Clinton served as the fourth vice president of the United States from 1805 until his death in 1812. He also served as the first Governor of New York from 1777 to 1795 and again from 1801 to 1804. Along with John C. Calhoun, he is one of two vice presidents to hold office under two consecutive presidents. He was also the first vice-president to die in office.

The Midnight Judges Act represented an effort to solve an issue in the U.S. Supreme Court during the early 19th century. There was concern, beginning in 1789, about the system that required the Justices of the Supreme Court to "ride circuit" and reiterate decisions made in the appellate level courts. The Supreme Court Justices had often expressed concern and suggested that the judges of the Supreme and circuit courts be divided. The Act was repealed by Congress on January 22, 1802.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidency of Thomas Jefferson</span> U.S. presidential administration from 1801 to 1809

Thomas Jefferson served as the third president of the United States from March 4, 1801, to March 4, 1809. Jefferson assumed the office after defeating incumbent John Adams in the 1800 presidential election. The election was a political realignment in which the Democratic-Republican Party swept the Federalist Party out of power, ushering in a generation of Jeffersonian Republican dominance in American politics. After serving two terms, Jefferson was succeeded by Secretary of State James Madison, also of the Democratic-Republican Party.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidency of John Adams</span> 2nd presidential administration and cabinet of the USA (1797–1801)

The presidency of John Adams, began on March 4, 1797, when John Adams was inaugurated as the second president of the United States, and ended on March 4, 1801. Adams, who had served as vice president under George Washington, took office as president after winning the 1796 presidential election. The only member of the Federalist Party to ever serve as president, his presidency ended after a single term following his defeat in the 1800 presidential election. He was succeeded by Thomas Jefferson of the opposition Democratic-Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inauguration of William Henry Harrison</span> 14th United States presidential inauguration

The inauguration of William Henry Harrison as the ninth president of the United States was held on Thursday, March 4, 1841, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 14th inauguration and marked the commencement of the only four-year term of both William Henry Harrison as president and John Tyler as vice president. The presidential oath of office was administered to Harrison by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. Harrison died 31 days into his term, the first U.S. president to die in office and has the shortest presidential term in American history. Tyler then succeeded to the presidency, creating precedence which would be followed seven more times before it was officially regulated through the Twenty-fifth Amendment in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second inauguration of Thomas Jefferson</span> 5th United States presidential inauguration

The second inauguration of Thomas Jefferson as president of the United States took place on Monday, March 4, 1805 in the Senate Chamber of the United States Capitol. The inauguration marked the commencement of the second four-year term of Thomas Jefferson as president and the first four-year term of George Clinton as vice president. Giving the oath of office was Chief Justice John Marshall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inauguration of John Quincy Adams</span> 10th United States presidential inauguration

The inauguration of John Quincy Adams as the sixth president of the United States took place on Friday, March 4, 1825, in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The inauguration marked the commencement of the only four-year term of John Quincy Adams as president and the first term of John C. Calhoun as vice president. Adams was the first president to have been the son of a former president–John Adams; and Calhoun, at age 42 on Inauguration Day, was the second-youngest vice president.

Events from the year 1801 in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1800 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania</span> Election in Pennsylvania

The 1800 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place on December 1, 1800 during a special session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Members of the bicameral state legislature chose 15 electors to represent Pennsylvania in the Electoral College as part of the 1800 United States presidential election. Eight Democratic-Republican electors and seven Federalist electors were selected. Unlike in the previous election, when one elector split his ballot between Republican Thomas Jefferson and Federalist Thomas Pinckney, all 15 electors followed the party line, with the Republicans voting for Jefferson and the Federalists for incumbent President John Adams. This was the first and only U.S. presidential election in which Pennsylvania's electors were not chosen by popular vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1800 United States elections</span>

The 1800 United States elections elected the members of the 7th United States Congress. The election took place during the First Party System, and is generally considered the first realigning election in American history. It was the first peaceful transfer of power between parties in American history. The Democratic-Republican Party won control of the Presidency and both houses of Congress for the first time. Conversely, the Federalist Party would never again control the Presidency or either house of Congress. Ohio was admitted as a state during the 7th Congress.

In the United States, a contingent election is used to elect the president or vice president if no candidate receives a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed. A presidential contingent election is decided by a special vote of the United States House of Representatives, while a vice-presidential contingent election is decided by a vote of the United States Senate. During a contingent election in the House, each state delegation votes en bloc to choose the president instead of representatives voting individually. Senators, by contrast, cast votes individually for vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral history of John Adams</span>

Electoral history of John Adams, who served as the second president of the United States (1797–1801) and the first vice president of the United States (1789–1797). Prior to being president, he had diplomatic experience as the second United States envoy to France (1777–1779), the first United States minister to the Netherlands (1782–1788), and the first United States minister to the United Kingdom (1785–1788). After losing the 1800 presidential election to Thomas Jefferson, he would mostly retire from political life, with his second youngest son, John Quincy Adams (1767–1848), being elected as the sixth President of the United States (1825–1829) in the 1824 presidential election against Tennessee Senator Andrew Jackson.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Inauguration of President Thomas Jefferson, 1801". Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Archived from the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  2. 1 2 3 Hayes, Kevin J. (2008). "The First Inaugural Address". The Road to Monticello: The Life and Mind of Thomas Jefferson . Oxford University Press US. ISBN   978-0-19-530758-0.
  3. Jenkinson, Clay S. "Jefferson Watch: The Inauguration." Audio podcast. The Thomas Jefferson Hour. The Thomas Jefferson Hour, 26 Jan. 2017. Web. 27 Jan. 2017.
  4. "Conrad and McMunn Hotel Plaque". The Architect of the Capitol (AOC).