Presidential Oaths of Office: Dates and Locations

Updated January 12, 2021 | Infoplease Staff

Assuming the office

Each presidential term begins with an inaugural ceremony in which the president swears an oath of duty as prescribed in the Constitution. Every president in the last 80 years has been sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on January 20 or January 21, with the exception of Lyndon Johnson in 1963 (after the assassination of JFK) and Gerald Ford (following Nixon's resignation). 

This information pertains to the inauguration of U.S. Presidents, from George Washington in 1789 to Joseph Biden in 2021.

Date President Location Oath administered by
April 30, 1789 George Washington Balcony of Federal Hall, New York City Robert Livingston, Chancellor of State of New York
March 4, 1793 George Washington Senate Chamber, Congress Hall, Philadelphia William Cushing, Associate Justice of Supreme Court
March 4, 1797 John Adams House of Representatives Chamber, Congress Hall, Philadelphia Oliver Ellsworth, Chief Justice
March 4, 1801 Thomas Jefferson Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol John Marshall, Chief Justice
March 4, 1805 Thomas Jefferson Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol John Marshall, Chief Justice
March 4, 1809 James Madison House Chamber, U.S. Capitol John Marshall, Chief Justice
March 4, 1813 James Madison House Chamber, U.S. Capitol John Marshall, Chief Justice
March 4, 1817 James Monroe In front of Old Brick Capitol (1st & A Sts., N.E.); now site of the Supreme Court Building John Marshall, Chief Justice
March 5, 1821 James Monroe House Chamber, U.S. Capitol John Marshall, Chief Justice
March 4, 1825 John Q. Adams House Chamber, U.S. Capitol John Marshall, Chief Justice
March 4, 1829 Andrew Jackson East Portico, U.S. Capitol John Marshall, Chief Justice
March 4, 1833 Andrew Jackson House Chamber, U.S. Capitol John Marshall, Chief Justice
March 4, 1837 Martin Van Buren East Portico, U.S. Capitol Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice
March 4, 1841 William H. Harrison East Portico, U.S. Capitol Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice
April 6, 1841 John Tyler Brown's Hotel, 6th St. & Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. William Cranch, Chief Judge of U.S. Circuit Court
March 4, 1845 James K. Polk East Portico, U.S. Capitol Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice
March 5, 1849 Zachary Taylor East Portico, U.S. Capitol Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice
July 10, 1850 Millard Filmore House Chamber, U.S. Capitol William Cranch, Chief Judge of U.S. Circuit Court
March 4, 1853 Franklin Pierce East Portico, U.S. Capitol Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice
March 4, 1857 James Buchanan East Portico, U.S. Capitol Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice
March 4, 1861 Abraham Lincoln East Portico, U.S. Capitol Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice
March 4, 1865 Abraham Lincoln East Portico, U.S. Capitol Salmon P. Chase, Chief Justice
April 15, 1865 Andrew Johnson Kirkwood Hotel, 12th St. & Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. Salmon P. Chase, Chief Justice
March 4, 1869 Ulysses S. Grant East Portico, U.S. Capitol Salmon P. Chase, Chief Justice
March 4, 1873 Ulysses S. Grant East Portico, U.S. Capitol Salmon P. Chase, Chief Justice
March 3, 1877 Rutherford B. Hayes Privately in Red Room, White House Morrison R. Waite, Chief Justice
March 5, 1877 Rutherford B. Hayes Publicly on East Portico, U.S. Capitol Morrison R. Waite, Chief Justice
March 4, 1881 James A. Garfield East Portico, U.S. Capitol Morrison R. Waite, Chief Justice
September 20, 1881 Chester A. Arthur Privately at his residence, 123 Lexington Avenue, New York City John R. Brady, Justice of the New York State Supreme Court
September 22, 1881 Chester A. Arthur Publicly in the Office of the Vice President, U.S. Capitol Morrison R. Waite, Chief Justice
March 4, 1885 Grover Cleveland East Portico, U.S. Capitol Morrison R. Waite, Chief Justice
March 4, 1889 Benjamin Harrison East Portico, U.S. Capitol Melville W. Fuller, Chief Justice
March 4, 1893 Grover Cleveland East Portico, U.S. Capitol Melville W. Fuller, Chief Justice
March 4, 1897 William McKinley In front of the Original Senate Wing, U.S. Capitol Melville W. Fuller, Chief Justice
March 4, 1901 William McKinley East Portico, U.S. Capitol Melville W. Fuller, Chief Justice
September 4, 1901 Theodore Roosevelt Ansley Wilcox residence, Buffalo, New York John R. Hazel, U.S. District Judge for Western District of New York
March 4, 1905 Theodore Roosevelt East Portico, U.S. Capitol Melville W. Fuller, Chief Justice
March 4, 1909 William H. Taft Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol Melville W. Fuller, Chief Justice
March 4, 1913 Woodrow Wilson East Portico, U.S. Capitol Edward D. White, Chief Justice
March 4, 1917 Woodrow Wilson Privately in President's Room, U.S. Capitol Edward D. White, Chief Justice
March 5, 1917 Woodrow Wilson Publicly on East Portico, U.S. Capitol Edward D. White, Chief Justice
March 4, 1921 Warren G. Harding East Portico, U.S. Capitol Edward D. White, Chief Justice
August 3, 1923 Calvin Coolidge His father's residence, Plymouth, Vermont John C. Coolidge, his father, a Notary Public
March 4, 1925 Calvin Coolidge East Portico, U.S. Capitol William H. Taft, Chief Justice
March 4, 1929 Herbert C. Hoover East Portico, U.S. Capitol William H. Taft, Chief Justice
March 4, 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt East Portico, U.S. Capitol Charles E. Hughes, Chief Justice
January 20, 1937 Franklin D. Roosevelt East Portico, U.S. Capitol Charles E. Hughes, Chief Justice
January 20, 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt East Portico, U.S. Capitol Charles E. Hughes, Chief Justice
January 20, 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt South Portico, White House Harlan F. Stone, Chief Justice
April 12, 1945 Harry S. Truman Cabinet Room, White House Harlan F. Stone, Chief Justice
January 20, 1949 Harry S. Truman East Portico, U.S. Capitol Frederick Vinson, Chief Justice
January 20, 1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower East Portico, U.S. Capitol Frederick Vinson, Chief Justice
January 20, 1957 Dwight D. Eisenhower Privately in East Room, White House Earl Warren, Chief Justice
January 21, 1957 Dwight D. Eisenhower Publicly on East Portico, U.S. Capitol Earl Warren, Chief Justice
January 20, 1961 John F. Kennedy East Portico, U.S. Capitol Earl Warren, Chief Justice
November 22, 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson Conference room aboard Air Force One at Love Field, Dallas, Texas Sarah T. Hughes, U.S. District Judge, Northern District of Texas
January 20, 1965 Lyndon B. Johnson East Portico, U.S. Capitol Earl Warren, Chief Justice
January 20, 1969 Richard M. Nixon East Portico, U.S. Capitol Earl Warren, Chief Justice
January 20, 1973 Richard M. Nixon East Portico, U.S. Capitol Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice
August 4, 1974 Gerald R. Ford East Room, White House Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice
January 20, 1977 James E. Carter East Portico, U.S. Capitol Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice
January 20, 1981 Ronald W. Reagan West Front, U.S. Capitol Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice
January 20, 1985 Ronald W. Reagan Privately in North Entrance Hall, White House Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice
January 21, 1985 Ronald W. Reagan Publicly in Rotunda, U.S. Capitol Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice
January 20, 1989 George H. W. Bush West Front, U.S. Capitol William Rehnquist, Chief Justice
January 20, 1993 William J. Clinton West Front, U.S. Capitol William Rehnquist, Chief Justice
January 20, 1997 William J. Clinton West Front, U.S. Capitol William Rehnquist, Chief Justice
January 20, 2001 George W. Bush West Front, U.S. Capitol William Rehnquist, Chief Justice
January 20, 2005 George W. Bush West Front, U.S. Capitol William Rehnquist, Chief Justice
January 20, 2009 Barack H. Obama West Front, U.S. Capitol John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice
January 20, 2013 Barack H. Obama West Front, U.S. Capitol John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice
January 20, 2017 Donald J. Trump West Front, U.S. Capitol John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice
January 20, 2021 Joseph R. Biden West Front, U.S. Capitol John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice
Source: Architect of the Capitol, Office of the Curator.
The Presidential Oath of Office U.S. Presidents Presidential Inaugural Addresses:
Length and Date of Speech
Sources +
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