Inauguration of Benjamin Harrison

Last updated
Presidential inauguration of Benjamin Harrison
Harrison-inauguration.jpg
Harrison takes the oath of office
DateMarch 4, 1889;135 years ago (1889-03-04)
Location United States Capitol,
Washington, D.C.
Participants Benjamin Harrison
23rd president of the United States
— Assuming office

Melville Fuller
Chief Justice of the United States
— Administering oath

Levi P. Morton
22nd vice president of the United States
— Assuming office

John James Ingalls
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
— Administering oath
  1885
1893  

The inauguration of Benjamin Harrison as the 23rd president of the United States took place on Monday, March 4, 1889, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 26th inauguration and marked the commencement of the only four-year term of Benjamin Harrison as president and Levi P. Morton as vice president. Chief Justice Melville Fuller administered the presidential oath of office as rain poured down. [1]

Contents

Harrison was 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) tall, he was only slightly taller than James Madison, the shortest president, but much heavier; he was the fourth (and last) president to sport a full beard. [2] Harrison's inauguration ceremony took place during a rainstorm in Washington D.C. Outgoing president Grover Cleveland attended the ceremony and held an umbrella over Harrison's head as he took the oath of office.

His speech was brief – half as long as that of his grandfather, William Henry Harrison, whose speech holds the record for the longest inaugural address of a U.S. president. [3] In his speech, Benjamin Harrison credited the nation's growth to the influences of education and religion, urged the cotton states and mining territories to attain the industrial proportions of the Eastern United States and promised a protective tariff. Concerning commerce, he said, "If our great corporations would more scrupulously observe their legal obligations and duties, they would have less call to complain of the limitations of their rights or of interference with their operations." [4] Harrison also urged early statehood for the territories and advocated pensions for veterans, a statement that was met with enthusiastic applause. In foreign affairs, Harrison reaffirmed the Monroe Doctrine as a mainstay of foreign policy, while urging modernization of the Navy and a merchant marine force. He gave his commitment to international peace through noninterference in the affairs of foreign governments.

John Philip Sousa's Marine Band played at the Inaugural Ball inside the Pension Building with a large crowd attending. [5] After moving into the White House, Harrison noted, quite prophetically, "There is only a door – one that is never locked – between the president's office and what are not very accurately called his private apartments. There should be an executive office building, not too far away, but wholly distinct from the dwelling house. For everyone else in the public service there is an unroofed space between the bedroom and the desk." [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1888 United States presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 6, 1888. Republican nominee Benjamin Harrison, a former U.S. senator from Indiana, defeated incumbent Democratic President Grover Cleveland of New York. It was the third of five U.S. presidential elections in which the winner did not win the national popular vote, which would not occur again until the 2000 US presidential election. Cleveland was the last incumbent Democratic president to lose reelection until Jimmy Carter in 1980.

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

Between seventy-three and seventy-nine 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 another term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Harrison</span> President of the United States from 1889 to 1893

Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison V, a Founding Father. A Union Army veteran and a Republican, he defeated incumbent Grover Cleveland to win the presidency in 1888.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidency of Benjamin Harrison</span> U.S. presidential administration from 1889 to 1893

Benjamin Harrison's tenure as the president of the United States lasted from March 4, 1889, until March 4, 1893. Harrison, a Republican, took office as the 23rd United States president after defeating Democratic incumbent President Grover Cleveland in the 1888 election. Four years later he was defeated for re-election by Cleveland in the 1892 presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian presidential inauguration</span>

The inauguration of the president of Brazil is composed of several ceremonies that happen in the same day. Through democratic elections or coups, resignations and deaths, presidential inaugurations have been important events in Brazilian history.

<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. 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">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 a precedent 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 George W. Bush</span> 55th United States presidential inauguration

The second inauguration of George W. Bush as 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. Weather conditions for 12 noon at Washington National Airport, located 3.1 miles from the ceremony, were: 35 °F, wind 14 mph, and cloudy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second inauguration of Bill Clinton</span> 53rd United States presidential inauguration

The second inauguration of Bill Clinton as president of the United States was held on Monday, January 20, 1997, at the West Front of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. This was the 53rd inauguration and marked the commencement of the second and final term of Bill Clinton as president and Al Gore as vice president. This was the last presidential inauguration to take place in the 20th century, the last in the 2nd millennium, and the first to be streamed live on the internet.

<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 the 50th inauguration, marking the commencement of his second and final four-year term as president and of George H. W. Bush as vice president. A private swearing-in ceremony took place on Sunday, January 20, 1985, at the White House, followed by a public inauguration ceremony on Monday, January 21, 1985, at the Capitol's rotunda. 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 in 2021, at the age of 78 years, 61 days. This was the last inauguration to be inside a government building until the second inauguration of Donald Trump forty years later in 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inauguration of Jimmy Carter</span> 48th United States presidential inauguration

The inauguration of Jimmy Carter as the 39th president of the United States was held on Thursday, January 20, 1977, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. This was the 48th inauguration and marked the commencement of Jimmy Carter's and Walter Mondale's single term as president and vice president. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered the presidential oath of office to Carter, and Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill administered the vice presidential oath of office to Mondale. This was the last inauguration held on the East Portico of the Capitol building as well as the last time the chief justice would stand to the left of the podium, with the audience facing them, while swearing in a president. Exactly forty years later, Carter attended the first inauguration of Donald Trump, becoming the first U.S. president to mark the 40th anniversary of his inauguration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower</span> 42nd United States presidential inauguration

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First inauguration of James Madison</span> 6th United States presidential inauguration

The first inauguration of James Madison as the fourth president of the United States was held on Saturday, March 4, 1809, in the chamber of the House of Representatives at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The inauguration marked the commencement of the first four-year term of James Madison as president and the second term of George Clinton as vice president. The presidential oath was administered by Chief Justice John Marshall. The President wore a 100% American-made wool suit, and the first official inaugural ball occurred at Long's Hotel, with ticket prices being $4. Clinton died 3 years, 47 days into this term, and the office remained vacant for the balance of it. Clinton was the first vice president to die in office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second inauguration of James Madison</span> 7th United States presidential inauguration

The second inauguration of James Madison as president of the United States was held on Thursday, March 4, 1813, at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The inauguration marked the commencement of the second four-year term of James Madison as president and the only term of Elbridge Gerry as vice president. The presidential oath was administered by Chief Justice John Marshall. Gerry died 1 year, 264 days into this term, and the office remained vacant for the balance of it.

<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 a 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">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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inauguration of John F. Kennedy</span> 44th United States presidential inauguration

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. This was the 44th inauguration and marked 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; this made Kennedy the first person born in the 20th century to serve as U.S. president and Johnson, born in 1908, first U.S. president born in the 20th century (chronologically).

<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">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">Second inauguration of Barack Obama</span> 57th United States presidential inauguration

The second inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States was the 57th inauguration, marking the commencement of his second and final term, with Joe Biden as vice president. This is the most recent presidential inauguration where the incumbent president was sworn in for a consecutive second term after winning reelection. A private swearing-in ceremony took place on Sunday, January 20, 2013, in the Blue Room of the White House, followed by a public inauguration ceremony on Monday, January 21, 2013, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

References

  1. "The 26th Presidential Inauguration: Benjamin Harrison, March 04, 1889". United States Senate. Archived from the original on January 20, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  2. Socolofsky & Spetter, p. 1.
  3. Socolofsky & Spetter, pp. 1–2.
  4. Socolofsky & Spetter, p. 3.
  5. Socolofsky & Spetter, pp. 5–6.
  6. Socolofsky & Spetter, p. 83.

Sources