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Oath of office of the president of the United States facts for kids

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The oath of office of the president of the United States is a very important promise that the president of the United States makes when they start their job. The exact words for this promise are written in the United States Constitution. A new president must say these words before they can officially begin their duties.

The Constitution has a few parts that mention oaths, but this is the only one that tells the president exactly what to say. The oath is a promise to do their best to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." This means they promise to keep the country's most important laws safe.

Text of the Oath

The words of the oath are written in Article II, Section One of the Constitution:

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

The Inauguration Ceremony

LBJOathOfOffice1963
Federal judge Sarah T. Hughes gives the presidential oath of office to Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963. This happened after President John F. Kennedy could no longer serve.

A new or re-elected president starts their four-year term on January 20th after the election. They take the oath of office during a big public event called the inauguration. Before 1937, this happened on March 4th.

If January 20 is a Sunday, the president takes the oath in a small, private ceremony. Then, they take it again in a public ceremony on Monday, January 21.

Sometimes, a vice president has to become president if the current president can no longer do the job. When this happens, the new president takes the oath as soon as possible. This ensures that the country always has a leader in charge.

Who Gives the Oath?

Flickr - USCapitol - Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inauguration
Franklin D. Roosevelt takes the oath of office from Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes on March 4, 1933.

The Constitution doesn't say who must give the oath to the president. However, it is usually the chief justice.

But there have been some interesting exceptions:

  • The first president, George Washington, was sworn in by a New York judge named Robert Livingston.
  • When President Warren Harding passed away, Calvin Coolidge was visiting his family in Vermont. His own father, who was a notary public, gave him the oath of office right there in his family's home!
  • Judge Sarah T. Hughes is the only woman who has ever given the oath. She did this for Lyndon B. Johnson on the presidential airplane, Air Force One.

In total, the oath has been given by 15 chief justices, one associate justice, and a few other judges and officials.

Swear or Affirm?

The Constitution gives the president a choice to either "swear" or "affirm." This is because some religious groups, like the Quakers, believe it is wrong to swear oaths.

So far, Franklin Pierce is the only president known for sure to have used the word "affirm" instead of "swear." Even though Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon were both Quakers, they chose to "swear."

How the Oath is Taken

There have been two ways of taking the oath.

  • In the past: The person giving the oath would ask it as a question. For example, "Do you, George Washington, solemnly swear...?" The president would then answer, "I swear."
  • Today: The person giving the oath says it in short phrases. The president then repeats each phrase. This is the method we see in modern inaugurations.

Using a Bible

President Biden taking oath of office (cropped)
Joe Biden takes the oath of office on his family's Bible on January 20, 2021.

Most new presidents raise their right hand and place their left hand on a Bible when taking the oath. This is a tradition, not a rule.

George Washington started this tradition in 1789. He used a Bible from a Masonic lodge and kissed it after taking the oath. Many presidents after him also kissed the Bible.

Some presidents have used two Bibles. Joe Biden used a large Bible that had been in his family since 1893.

A few presidents did not use a Bible. John Quincy Adams read the oath of office from a volume of laws. When Lyndon B. Johnson took the oath on Air Force One, he used a Catholic prayer book called a missal because it was the only book available that looked like a Bible.

The Famous Last Words: "So help me God"

George H. W. Bush inauguration
George H. W. Bush takes the oath of office from Chief Justice William Rehnquist on January 20, 1989.

The phrase "So help me God" is not actually part of the official oath in the Constitution. However, it has become a popular tradition for presidents to add these words at the end.

There is some debate about whether George Washington was the first president to add the phrase. We don't have a perfect record of what he said. The first clear newspaper reports of a president saying "So help me God" are from the inaugurations of Abraham Lincoln and Chester A. Arthur.

Today, almost every president says "So help me God" after finishing the official oath. It has become a well-known part of the ceremony.

When Things Go Wrong: Oath Mishaps

Second oath of office of Barack Obama
Barack Obama takes the oath of office for a second time from Chief Justice John Roberts on January 21, 2009, to make sure it was done correctly.

Even in such an important ceremony, mistakes can happen! Here are a few examples:

  • In 1929, Chief Justice William Howard Taft (who had been president himself) mixed up the words when giving the oath to President Herbert Hoover. He said "preserve, maintain, and defend" instead of "preserve, protect, and defend."
  • When Harry S. Truman took the oath in 1945, the Chief Justice thought his middle initial "S" stood for a name, "Shipp." He started to say, "Do you, Harry Shipp Truman..." but Truman corrected him, saying "I, Harry S. Truman..."
  • In 2009, Chief Justice John Roberts and President Barack Obama stumbled over the words. To make sure the oath was taken perfectly, they did it again the next day at the White House.

List of Oath Ceremonies

Since 1789, there have been 59 public inauguration ceremonies for a new four-year presidential term. There have also been nine other ceremonies for presidents who took office after a president passed away or left office.

With the 2021 inauguration of Joe Biden, the presidential oath has been taken 76 different times by 45 people. Why the different numbers? Because presidents take the oath for each term they serve. Also, some presidents have taken the oath twice for one term: once in private and once in public.

Date Type Event Location Oath administered by
April 30, 1789
(Thursday)
Public First inauguration of George Washington Balcony,
Federal Hall
New York, New York
Robert Livingston
Chancellor of New York
March 4, 1793
(Monday)
Second inauguration of George Washington Senate Chamber,
Congress Hall
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
William Cushing
Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
March 4, 1797
(Saturday)
Inauguration of John Adams House Chamber,
Congress Hall
Oliver Ellsworth
Chief Justice of the United States
March 4, 1801
(Wednesday)
First inauguration of Thomas Jefferson Senate Chamber,
U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.
John Marshall
Chief Justice of the United States
March 4, 1805
(Monday)
Second inauguration of Thomas Jefferson Senate Chamber,
U.S. Capitol
March 4, 1809
(Saturday)
First inauguration of James Madison House Chamber,
U.S. Capitol
March 4, 1813
(Thursday)
Second inauguration of James Madison
March 4, 1817
(Tuesday)
First inauguration of James Monroe Front steps,
Old Brick Capitol
March 5, 1821
(Monday)
Second inauguration of James Monroe House Chamber,
U.S. Capitol
March 4, 1825
(Friday)
Inauguration of John Quincy Adams
March 4, 1829
(Wednesday)
First inauguration of Andrew Jackson East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
March 4, 1833
(Monday)
Second inauguration of Andrew Jackson House Chamber,
U.S. Capitol
March 4, 1837
(Saturday)
Inauguration of Martin Van Buren East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
Roger B. Taney
Chief Justice of the United States
March 4, 1841
(Thursday)
Inauguration of William Henry Harrison
April 6, 1841
(Tuesday)
Private Inauguration of John Tyler Brown's Indian Queen Hotel,
Washington, D.C.
William Cranch
Chief Judge, U.S. Circuit Court of the District of Columbia
March 4, 1845
(Tuesday)
Public Inauguration of James K. Polk East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
Roger B. Taney
Chief Justice
March 5, 1849
(Monday)
Inauguration of Zachary Taylor
July 10, 1850
(Wednesday)
Inauguration of Millard Fillmore House Chamber,
U.S. Capitol
William Cranch
Circuit Court Judge
March 4, 1853
(Friday)
Inauguration of Franklin Pierce East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
Roger B. Taney
Chief Justice
March 4, 1857
(Wednesday)
Inauguration of James Buchanan
March 4, 1861
(Monday)
First inauguration of Abraham Lincoln
March 4, 1865
(Saturday)
Second inauguration of Abraham Lincoln Salmon P. Chase
Chief Justice of the United States
April 15, 1865
(Saturday)
Private Inauguration of Andrew Johnson Kirkwood House Hotel,
Washington, D.C.
March 4, 1869
(Thursday)
Public First inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
March 4, 1873
(Tuesday)
Second inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant
March 3, 1877
(Saturday)
Private Inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes Red Room,
White House
Morrison Waite
Chief Justice of the United States
March 5, 1877
(Monday)
Public East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
March 4, 1881
(Friday)
Inauguration of James A. Garfield
September 20, 1881
(Tuesday)
Private Inauguration of Chester A. Arthur Chester A. Arthur Home,
New York, New York
John R. Brady
Justice of the New York Supreme Court
September 22, 1881
(Thursday)
Public The Vice President's Room,
U.S. Capitol
Morrison Waite
Chief Justice
March 4, 1885
(Wednesday)
First inauguration of Grover Cleveland East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
March 4, 1889
(Monday)
Inauguration of Benjamin Harrison Melville Fuller
Chief Justice of the United States
March 4, 1893
(Saturday)
Second inauguration of Grover Cleveland
March 4, 1897
(Thursday)
First inauguration of William McKinley Front of original Senate Wing
U.S. Capitol
March 4, 1901
(Monday)
Second inauguration of William McKinley East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
September 14, 1901
(Saturday)
Private First inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt Ansley Wilcox Home,
Buffalo, New York
John R. Hazel
Judge, U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
March 4, 1905
(Saturday)
Public Second inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
Melville Fuller
Chief Justice
March 4, 1909
(Thursday)
Inauguration of William Howard Taft Senate Chamber,
U.S. Capitol
March 4, 1913
(Tuesday)
First inauguration of Woodrow Wilson East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
Edward D. White
Chief Justice of the United States
March 4, 1917
(Sunday)
Private Second inauguration of Woodrow Wilson The President's Room,
U.S. Capitol
March 5, 1917
(Monday)
Public East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
March 4, 1921
(Friday)
Inauguration of Warren G. Harding
August 3, 1923
(Friday)
Private First inauguration of Calvin Coolidge Coolidge Homestead,
Plymouth Notch, Vermont
John Calvin Coolidge
Vermont Justice of the peace
August 21, 1923
(Tuesday)
Willard Hotel
Washington, D.C.
Adolph A. Hoehling Jr.
Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
March 4, 1925
(Wednesday)
Public Second inauguration of Calvin Coolidge East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
William H. Taft
Chief Justice of the United States
March 4, 1929
(Monday)
Inauguration of Herbert Hoover
March 4, 1933
(Saturday)
First inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt Charles E. Hughes
Chief Justice of the United States
January 20, 1937
(Wednesday)
Second inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt
January 20, 1941
(Monday)
Third inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt
January 20, 1945
(Saturday)
Fourth inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt South Portico,
White House
Harlan F. Stone
Chief Justice of the United States
April 12, 1945
(Thursday)
Private First inauguration of Harry S. Truman Cabinet Room,
White House
January 20, 1949
(Thursday)
Public Second inauguration of Harry S. Truman East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
Fred M. Vinson
Chief Justice of the United States
January 20, 1953
(Tuesday)
First inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower
January 20, 1957
(Sunday)
Private Second inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower East Room,
White House
Earl Warren
Chief Justice of the United States
January 21, 1957
(Monday)
Public East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
January 20, 1961
(Friday)
Inauguration of John F. Kennedy
November 22, 1963
(Friday)
Private First inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson Air Force One,
Dallas Love Field,
Dallas, Texas
Sarah T. Hughes
Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
January 20, 1965
(Wednesday)
Public Second inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
Earl Warren
Chief Justice
January 20, 1969
(Monday)
First inauguration of Richard Nixon
January 20, 1973
(Saturday)
Second inauguration of Richard Nixon Warren Burger
Chief Justice of the United States
August 9, 1974
(Friday)
Inauguration of Gerald Ford East Room,
White House
January 20, 1977
(Thursday)
Inauguration of Jimmy Carter East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
January 20, 1981
(Tuesday)
First inauguration of Ronald Reagan West Front,
U.S. Capitol
January 20, 1985
(Sunday)
Private Second inauguration of Ronald Reagan Entrance Hall,
White House
January 21, 1985
(Monday)
Public Rotunda,
U.S. Capitol
January 20, 1989
(Friday)
Inauguration of George H. W. Bush West Front,
U.S. Capitol
William Rehnquist
Chief Justice of the United States
January 20, 1993
(Wednesday)
First inauguration of Bill Clinton
January 20, 1997
(Monday)
Second inauguration of Bill Clinton
January 20, 2001
(Saturday)
First inauguration of George W. Bush
January 20, 2005
(Thursday)
Second inauguration of George W. Bush
January 20, 2009
(Tuesday)
First inauguration of Barack Obama John Roberts
Chief Justice of the United States
January 21, 2009
(Wednesday)
Private Map Room,
White House
January 20, 2013
(Sunday)
Second inauguration of Barack Obama Blue Room,
White House
January 21, 2013
(Monday)
Public West Front,
U.S. Capitol
January 20, 2017
(Friday)
First inauguration of Donald Trump
January 20, 2021
(Wednesday)
Inauguration of Joe Biden
January 20, 2025
(Monday)
Second inauguration of Donald Trump Rotunda,
U.S. Capitol
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