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

The oath of office of the vice president of the United States is a special promise the vice president of the United States makes. They take this promise before they officially start their job. It's the same promise that members of Congress and the President's cabinet make.

Before the new President takes their oath on Inauguration Day, the Vice President-elect takes theirs. The United States Constitution tells us the exact words for the President's oath. But it doesn't give specific words for the Vice President's oath.

Instead, the Constitution says that all U.S. officers must promise to support the Constitution. Because of this, the very first U.S. Congress passed a law. This law said that the Vice President, who also leads the Senate, must take an oath.

Since 1937, Inauguration Day has been January 20. Before that, it was March 4. This change happened because of the 20th Amendment. The Vice President's swearing-in ceremony also moved in 1937. It used to be inside the Senate chamber at the United States Capitol. Now, it happens outside on the presidential platform.

The words of the oath are:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

How the Vice President's Oath Started

The very first U.S. Congress created a law about oaths in May 1789. This law first allowed only U.S. senators to give the oath to the Vice President. Later that year, new laws allowed courts to give oaths too.

The words of the oath have changed a few times over the years. The oath that the Vice President, senators, and other government officials say today has been used since 1884.

When the Vice President's job began in 1789, and for about 100 years after, the Vice President was sworn in on the same day as the President, March 4. But they were in a different place. This was usually in the United States Senate, where the Vice President serves as the leader.

Until the mid-1900s, the Vice President-elect was almost always sworn in by the highest-ranking officer of the U.S. Senate. This was usually the outgoing Vice President or the president pro tempore of the United States Senate. Sometimes, the new Vice President would give a short speech to the Senate.

Who Administers the Vice President's Oath?

The "president pro tempore of the United States Senate" has given the oath the most times, 20 times in total. The last time was in 1925.

Other people who have given the oath include:

• The outgoing Vice President (12 times, last in 1945).
• An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (11 times, last in 2025).
• The chief justice of the United States (6 times, last in 2001).
• Other U.S. senators (5 times, last in 1969).
• The speaker of the United States House of Representatives (4 times, last in 2005).
• A U.S. judge (twice).
• A U.S. consul (once).
• One time, the person who gave the oath was not recorded.

Former Chief Justice Warren E. Burger gave the oath three times, more than anyone else.

Where the Oath Ceremonies Take Place

Most of the 59 times the oath has been given, it happened at the United States Capitol. This happened 47 times.

The White House has hosted the oath 3 times. Congress Hall in Philadelphia hosted it twice. Other places where the oath was given once include Federal Hall, the Old Brick Capitol, Havana, Cuba, a private home in New York, and Number One Observatory Circle.

In the early 1800s, the Vice President's job was not seen as very important. There are two times when we don't know where the Vice President's oath of office took place.

In 1853, Vice President-elect William R. King was very sick. A special law was passed to allow him to take the oath in Havana, Cuba. This is the only time a Vice Presidential or Presidential oath has been given in a foreign country.

List of Vice President Oath Ceremonies

Notes: Entries with an asterisk (*) mean the official oath happened on a Sunday. The public ceremony was the next day.

Times the Oath Had Small Mistakes

Sometimes, small mistakes happen when the oath is given or repeated. Here are a few examples:

• In 1953, Richard Nixon changed a few words when he repeated the oath.
• In 1961, Lyndon B. Johnson said "without any mental reservation whatever" instead of "without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion."
• In 1974, Gerald Ford accidentally said "of the office" twice.
• In 1985, Justice Potter Stewart said "this oath-- this obligation." When George H.W. Bush repeated, he just said "That I take this obligation freely."
• In 1989, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor skipped the line "against all enemies, foreign and domestic" when swearing in Dan Quayle.
• In 1993, Justice Byron White said "well and faithfully perform" instead of "well and faithfully discharge."
• In 2005, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert said "defend and support the constitution." Dick Cheney corrected it when he repeated.
• In 2021, Justice Sonia Sotomayor mispronounced Kamala Harris's first name. Harris said her own name correctly when she repeated the oath.
  

  JD Vance being sworn in as the 50th vice president of the United States on January 20, 2025