Presidential inaugural ceremonies are perhaps the most widely known of the numerous ceremonies held at the U.S. Capitol.
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The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) erects the inaugural platform, sets up the necessary seating and fencing on the grounds, and coordinates other activities with the Joint Congressional Committee on the Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) regarding all of the physical arrangements that are necessary to accommodate this event.
The 20th amendment to the Constitution specifies that the term of each elected President of the United States begins at noon on January 20 of the year following the election. Each president must take the oath of office before assuming the duties of the position.
With the 2025 inauguration of Donald J. Trump, the oath has been taken 74 different times by the 47 Presidents of the United States. This numerical discrepancy results chiefly from two factors: a president must take the oath at the beginning of each term of office, and, because Inauguration Day has sometimes fallen on a Sunday, four Presidents (Hayes [1877], Wilson [1917], Eisenhower [1957], and Reagan [1985]) have taken the oath privately before the public inaugural ceremonies. In addition, President Arthur took the oath privately following the death of President Garfield and again two days later in the Capitol. Grover Cleveland is considered the 22nd and 24th presidents, having served two nonconsecutive terms (1885-1889 and 1893-1897); Donald Trump is considered the 45th and 47th presidents having served two nonconsecutive terms (2017-2021 and 2025-present).
Inaugural Ceremony Dates and Details
2000s
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Donald J. Trump takes the oath as 47th President of the United States of America in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
| Date | President | Location |
|---|---|---|
| January 20, 2025 | Donald J. Trump | Rotunda, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 2021 | Joseph R. Biden Jr. | West Front, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 2017 | Donald J. Trump | West Front, U.S. Capitol |
| January 21, 2013 | Barack Obama | West Front, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 2009 | Barack Obama | West Front, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 2005 | George W. Bush | West Front, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 2001 | George W. Bush | West Front, U.S. Capitol |
1900s
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President Ronald Reagan's inauguration at the U.S. Capitol 1981.
| Date | President | Location |
|---|---|---|
| January 20, 1997 | William J. Clinton | West Front, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1993 | William J. Clinton | West Front, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1989 | George H.W. Bush | West Front, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1985 & January 21, 1985 | Ronald Reagan | Rotunda, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1981 | Ronald Reagan | West Front, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1977 | Jimmy Carter | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| August 4, 1974 | Gerald R. Ford | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1973 | Richard M. Nixon | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1969 | Richard M. Nixon | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1965 | Lyndon B. Johnson | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| November 22, 1963 | Lyndon B. Johnson | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1961 | John F. Kennedy | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1957 & January 21, 1957 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1953 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1949 | Harry S. Truman | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| April 12, 1945 | Harry S. Truman | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1945 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | South Portico, White House |
| January 20, 1941 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| January 20, 1937 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1933 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1929 | Herbert Hoover | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1925 | Calvin Coolidge | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| August 3, 1923 | Calvin Coolidge | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1921 | Warren G. Harding | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1917 & March 5, 1917 | Woodrow Wilson | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1913 | Woodrow Wilson | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1909 | William H. Taft | Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1905 | Theodore Roosevelt | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| September 14, 1901 | Theodore Roosevelt | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1901 | William McKinley |
1800s
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Abraham Lincoln's second presidential inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in 1865.
| Date | President | Location |
|---|---|---|
| March 4, 1897 | William McKinley | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1893 | Grover Cleveland | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1889 | Benjamin Harrison | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1885 | Grover Cleveland | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| September 20, 1881 & September 22, 1881 | Chester A. Arthur | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1881 | James Garfield | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 3, 1877 & March 5, 1877 | Rutherford B. Hayes | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1873 | Ulysses S. Grant | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1869 | Ulysses S. Grant | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| April 15, 1865 | Andrew Johnson | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1865 | Abraham Lincoln | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1861 | Abraham Lincoln | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1857 | James Buchanan | In front of the Original Senate Wing, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1853 | Franklin Pierce | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| July 10, 1850 | Millard Filmore | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 5, 1849 | Zachary Taylor | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1845 | James Polk | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| April 6, 1841 | John Tyler | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1841 | William H. Harrison | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1837 | Martin Van Buren | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1833 | Andrew Jackson | House of Representatives Chamber, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1829 | Andrew Jackson | East Portico, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1825 | John Q. Adams | House of Representatives Chamber, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1821 | James Monroe | House of Representatives Chamber, U.S. Capitol |
| March 5, 1817 | James Monroe | The Front, Old Brick Capitol (current site of the Supreme Court of the United States Building) |
| March 4, 1813 | James Madison | House of Representatives Chamber, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1809 | James Madison | House of Representatives Chamber, U.S. Capitol |
| March 5, 1805 | Thomas Jefferson | Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol |
| March 4, 1801 | Thomas Jefferson | Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol |
1700s
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Cox Corridors mural in the U.S. Capitol depicting Washington's Inauguration, 1789.
| Date | President | Location |
|---|---|---|
| March 4, 1797 | John Adams | House of Representatives Chamber, Congress Hall; Philadelphia, PA |
| March 4, 1793 | George Washington | Senate Chamber, Congress Hall; Philadelphia, PA |
| April 30, 1789 | George Washington | Balcony, Federal Hall; New York, NY |