Maggie Thatcher, an idol of mine, became Prime Minister of the UK on my 13th birthday.
Since then, history has seen eight others take on that role. Having spent the first half of my adult life in London, I was accustomed to seeing a “changing of the guard” of a new government in the very low-key, under-stated way that is very British in my opinion. Following a general election, the leader of the winning party is driven to Buckingham Palace to meet the reigning monarch, previously Queen Elizabeth II but today, King Charles II.
The monarch formally asks that party leader to form a government, and he or she then goes away and does so, becoming Prime Minister in the process. It occupies the news headlines for a couple of days, and there might be a short speech and photo op standing outside of 10 Downing Street (the Prime Minister’s official office and residence), and that is that. No one takes off work to watch it or goes to the capital for a parade. It is a pretty boring process that, although steeped in history and tradition, doesn’t carry much fanfare or drama along the way. The presidential inauguration bears zero resemblance to this. In the US, an inauguration is much more like the coronation of a new monarch in the UK, with parades, street parties, wall-to-wall media coverage, hundreds of thousands in attendance and tens of millions watching on television.
When Donald Trump becomes the 47th president on Monday, it will be the United States’ 60th inauguration ceremony.
The first one was on April 30,1789 and was held on the front balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, featuring the kick-off of George Washington’s first term and the establishment and commencement of our executive branch of government.
Despite the significance of this event, Washington had to borrow money for the trip to New York. Like many other landowners at the time, he was land rich but cash poor. But he was a war hero, a man of unshakeable character and principle, and the only obvious choice to be the country’s first president. Some wanted him to become King of our new country, but Washington clearly and definitively rejected the idea. So, the concept of a modern presidency was born.
From 1793 until 1933, inaugurations were generally held on March 4th to allow for travel time between the election and the swearing in of a new president. However, starting in 1937, the ceremony was moved to January 20th as outlined in the newly adopted 20th amendment to the US Constitution. After a few early inaugurations in New York and Philadelphia, the ceremony has taken place in Washington DC since 1801. These are traditionally public events held outdoors.
Leading up to inauguration day, the president-elect names a Presidential Inaugural Committee. This becomes the separate, privately funded, legal entity charged with fundraising, planning and coordination of many events and activities surrounding the inauguration of president, except for the oath of office itself.
The only requirement from the US constitution is that the incoming president take the presidential oath of office, which can be taken anywhere and at any time before the actual term begins. However, several other traditions have developed over the past 236 years, including military participation, attendee lists, who administers the oath of office to the incoming president, and more. Immediately following the oath, the US Marine Band plays “Hail, Columbia”, once one of America’s unofficial national anthems, and then “Hail to the Chief ”.
This is followed by a 21-gun salute fired by the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment from nearby Taft Park. Then comes the inaugural address from the incoming president, considered by many to be the highlight of the ceremony. Dozens, probably hundreds, of books have been written about these speeches, the shortest of which was George Washington’s 2nd inauguration, weighing in at just 135 words and two minutes long. The gist of it was Washington promising to uphold his duties as President and asked citizens to hold him accountable if he failed to do so. On the other hand, the longest speech was by our 9th president, William Henry Harrison, in 1841 with a whopping 8,445 words and taking almost two hours to deliver.
Despite having the longest inauguration speech, he had the shortest presidency since he died of pneumonia a month later. It is commonly assumed that he got sick due to not wearing a coat, hat or scarf during the cold, wet weather during his inauguration.
When the formalities of inauguration are complete, then comes a congressional luncheon, an inaugural parade, prayer services, and several inaugural balls.
There is a lot more information at www.history.com.
I say goodbye this week with a quote from the Father of our Country, George Washington himself, from his first inaugural address: “I was summoned by my Country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love.”
God bless America and enjoy the peaceful transition of power on Monday…. our 60th since 1789!
Lesley grew up in London, England and made Georgia her home in 2009. She can be contacted at lesley@francis. com or via her full-service marketing agency at www. lesleyfrancispr.com.