As a country, we celebrate the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next every four or eight years. It’s one of the hallmarks of our democracy.
But just because Inauguration Day has witnessed a peaceful transfer doesn’t mean it has lacked drama, snubs, personal insults, bickering, and outright escape.
It’s important to put this day in historical context. Since 1933 and the passage of the 20th Amendment, January 20 has been Inauguration Day. For the prior 148 years, it was held on March 4. It took an Act of Congress and ratification by the states to shorten up the lame duck period once our transportation systems allowed for speedier transitions.
Let’s look at some of those dramas, snubs, and insults.
Our second President, John Adams, refused to attend the inauguration of his successor, Thomas Jefferson, in 1801. The brutal campaign and name calling by Jeffersonians apparently turned off Mr. Adams and he escaped town in his carriage just after midnight rather than see his rival take his place. Interestingly, Adams son, 6th President John Quincy Adams, also refused to watch his bitter rival, Andrew Jackson, sworn in as well.
The Adams men were crusty types, but John Quincy was not the last President to fail to show for the event.
In 1869, Andrew Johnson, having been defeated for re-election by war hero Ulysses Grant, did not attend, since he felt snubbed by Grant’s refusal to ride with him to the Capitol ceremony. Johnson, the first to be impeached, was despised by many, and Grant was one of them.
Andrew Jackson’s inauguration in 1829 and the following open house led to mayhem when 20,000 people descended on the White House to celebrate. They broke furniture, spilled food and drink, ripped curtains for souvenirs, and forced Jackson to escape the crush by exiting via a window while his butlers placed tubs of drinks on the lawn to lure the boisterous crowd outside.
Politics had much to do with Herbert Hoover’s frosty ride to the Capitol with Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. They didn’t say a word to each other the whole ride. Roosevelt was determined to hang the Great Depression around Hoover’s neck and had refused to discuss any federal initiatives to mitigate the economic suffering between election day and inauguration day. FDR was not about to toss Hoover a lifeline, preferring to let him take the fall instead.
As you might expect, there are several traditions that take place on inauguration day, including luncheons after the swearing in, parades, and nighttime balls. One of those traditions was broken by Dwight Eisenhower in 1953. The outgoing president and first lady host a small coffee and tea reception in the White House before motoring to the Capitol. Harry and Bess Truman had it all set up and ready to go, but the Eisenhower’s refused to come inside because they arrived late. Truman was insulted and they bickered back and forth the whole ride to the event.
Inauguration day requires a major speech by the president, and the timing and context of the transition has made for both dramatic and unfortunate history. For drama, it’s hard to beat FDR’s “All we have to fear is fear itself” with respect to the Great Depression, or JFK’s “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country”, as he called for the torch to be passed to a new generation.
Unfortunately, the longest inaugural address was given by William Henry Harrison in 1841. A monster at over 8,400 words and 2 hours, it’s said that he gave the speech without a coat in a sleet storm to show that at age 68 he was fit to handle the presidency. Sadly, he caught pneumonia and was dead within a month.
Our most recent inauguration was in January 2021. Joe Biden was sworn in; however, Donald Trump did not attend.
Those in the know will be looking for any insider drama this coming January 2025. It’s part of the fabric that endures to make the peaceful transfer of power a foundational principle for all time.
Interested in learning more about the presidents? Visit the Carolyn & James Millar Presidential Gallery on the upper level of the Booth Western Art Museum. The gallery features original letters and photographs of every U.S. president. Learn more at www.boothmuseum.org.
