The second
inauguration
In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaug ...
of
Ronald Reagan as
president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...
was held in a televised ceremony on January 20, 1985, at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...
,
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
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is o ...
. 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.
Inauguration day
As the
weather outside was harsh, with daytime temperatures of and
wind chills of , the event organizers were forced to move the public inaugural ceremony, which had been planned for the open air, inside to the
Capitol Rotunda.
There, as they had the day before officially,
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered the
presidential oath of office to Reagan, and former
Associate Justice
Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some sta ...
Potter Stewart
Potter Stewart (January 23, 1915 – December 7, 1985) was an American lawyer and judge who served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1958 to 1981. During his tenure, he made major contributions to, among other areas ...
administered the
vice-presidential oath to Bush.
Jessye Norman sang ''
Simple Gifts'' from
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...
's ''
Old American Songs
''Old American Songs'' are two sets of songs arranged by Aaron Copland in 1950 and 1952 respectively, after research in the Sheet Music Collection of the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays, in the John Hay Library at Brown Universit ...
'' at the ceremony.
Due to the inclement weather, the parade was canceled and a replacement event was put on in the
Capital Centre Capitol Center or Capitol Centre or Capital Center or Capital Centre may refer to:
Singapore
*Capitol Centre, Singapore
United Arab Emirates
*Capital Centre (Abu Dhabi)
United Kingdom
*Capitol Centre, Cardiff, a shopping mall
United States
* Ca ...
;
[ 96 people attended the first ceremony and thousands attended the second.
]
Inauguration committee
Former UPI correspondent John Chambers, son of Whittaker Chambers, served as executive director of the Joint Congressional Committee on the Presidential Inauguration, for Reagan's second inauguration and again in 1993 first inauguration of Bill Clinton.[
][
]
Aftermath
On May 27, 1985 (Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
), twenty of the more than fifty high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ...
s that had been scheduled to perform in the cancelled inaugural parade performed in the President's Inaugural Bands Parade held at Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...
's EPCOT Center theme park. The performance was preceded by a speech delivered by President Reagan.
See also
*Presidency of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 40th president of the United States began with First inauguration of Ronald Reagan, his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a R ...
*First inauguration of Ronald Reagan
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 bui ...
* Timeline of the Ronald Reagan presidency (1985)
* 1984 United States presidential election
* Ronald Reagan 1984 presidential campaign
* 1985 White House intrusion
References
External links
Text of Reagan's Second Inaugural AddressAudio of Reagan's Second Inaugural Address
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reagan, 2nd inauguration of Ronald
1985 speeches
1985 in American politics
1985 in Washington, D.C.
Inaug 2
United States presidential inaugurations
Inauguration 1985
January 1985 events in the United States