Inauguration of John Quincy Adams

Presidential Inauguration of John Quincy Adams
ADAMS, John Q-President (BEP engraved portrait).jpg
Date March 4, 1825 (1825-03-04)
Location United States Capitol
Washington, D.C.
Participants John Quincy Adams

The inauguration of John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts as the sixth President of the United States took place on Friday, March 4, 1825, in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol.

The inauguration marked the commencement of the four-year term of John Quincy Adams as President and the first term of John C. Calhoun as Vice President. Adams was sworn in by John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States. Adams wore a black "homespun" suit with trousers instead of breeches.[1] He was the first to make the change of dress. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice John Marshall inside the Hall of House Representatives.[1] The weather that day was described as 'rainy' with a total rainfall of 0.79 inches. The estimated noon temperature was 47°F.[1] Adams recalled later that he had taken his oath of office on a book of law rather than the Bible itself.[1] This may have been common practice at the time; there is no concrete evidence that any president from John Adams to John Tyler used a Bible to swear the oath.[2][3] His inaugural address was 2,911 words long.[1] His father, John Adams, the second President of the United States, was alive when his son was sworn into office. John C. Calhoun of South Carolina was sworn into office as the nation's Vice President of the United States. Adams was 57 years of age and Calhoun was 43, one of the youngest vice presidents in the history of the United States of America.

The first son of a former President to be elected to the Nation's highest office,[4] John Quincy Adams was chosen by the United States House of Representatives after none of the four candidates secured a majority of the electoral college vote in the 1824 presidential election, in accordance with the Twelfth Amendment. The outcome was assured when Henry Clay, one of the front-runners, threw his support to Mr. Adams so that Andrew Jackson's candidacy would fail.[4] Jackson had polled more popular votes in the election, but he did not gain enough electoral votes to win outright. Adams ran for president again in the 1828 presidential election, but lost to Jackson.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Swearing-In Ceremony for President John Quincy Adams; Tenth Inaugural Ceremonies, March 4, 1825". Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  2. Malone, Noreen. "Why Doesn't Every President Use the Lincoln Bible?". Slate. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  3. McNamara, Robert. "The Five Worst Inaugural Addresses of the 19th Century". About.com. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (2008). Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States. Cosimo. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-60520-563-2.

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