The inauguration of William Howard Taft as the 27th

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 on Thursday, March 4, 1909, at the Senate chamber inside the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

, Washington, D.C. instead of the regular East Portico due to

blizzard A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling ...

. This was the 31st

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 inaugu ...

and marked the commencement of

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

's only term as president and James S. Sherman's only term 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 on ...

. As Sherman died into this term, the office remained vacant for the balance: he was the last vice president to leave office intra-term prior to the ratification of the Twenty-fifth Amendment in 1967 (excluding

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Ma ...

, Harry S. Truman and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

, who ascended to the presidency after the deaths of their predecessors), which constitutionally allows for filling a vacancy in the office of vice president, and as of , is also the most recent vice president to die in office.

Inaugural ceremonies and festivities

Due to a blizzard the night before that covered Washington, D.C. with 10 inches of snow, the inauguration was moved indoors, into the Senate chamber. The presidential oath of office was administered by Chief Justice

Melville Fuller Melville Weston Fuller (February 11, 1833 – July 4, 1910) was an American politician, attorney, and jurist who served as the eighth chief justice of the United States from 1888 until his death in 1910. Staunch conservatism marked his ...

, who was doing so for his sixth and final time. The Chief Justice flubbed his lines. The new President took his oath on a century-old Bible belonging to the Supreme Court, which he used again in 1921 to take his oath as the Chief Justice of the United States. Despite the adverse weather conditions, the inaugural parade was not cancelled. 6,000 city workers used 500 wagons to remove 58,000 tons of snow to clean the parade route. For the first time in inauguration history, the incoming First Lady (in this case

Helen Herron Taft Helen Louise Taft (née Herron; June 2, 1861 – May 22, 1943), known as Nellie, was the wife of President William Howard Taft and the first lady of the United States from 1909 to 1913. Born to a politically well-connected Ohio family, Nel ...

) joined her husband in leading the parade from the Capitol to 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 NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. Probably during the parade, the choral march "Our Country" by Arthur Whiting was played."Whiting, Arthur". Clippings file. Music Division. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. An inaugural ball that evening was held at the Pension Building. It was the last official inaugural ball until 1949, as Taft's successor as president,

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

, asked the city of Washington not to hold it, thereby putting a temporary end to the practice. The tradition of inaugural balls was revived in 1949 as part of the

second inauguration of Harry S. Truman 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 ...

.Inaugural Ball
, ''The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies''

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taft, William Howard 1909 in Washington, D.C. 1909 in American politics United States presidential inaugurations

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 inaugu ...

March 1909 events

Inaugural ceremonies and festivities

See also

References

External links