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*Special Edition* Inauguration Day: January 20, 2021
Press Release Number CB21-SFS.007
APRIL 30, 1789 - President Washington's Inauguration - 2:00 PM Taking the Oath:
“Finally, Adams informed the president-elect that both houses were ready to attend him to take the oath of office. Washington was escorted to the outer balcony in front of the Senate chamber, overlooking Broad Street. The balcony was bedecked with a canopy and curtains of red and white.
“Robert Livingston, Chancellor of New York, administered the oath. Samuel Otis, Secretary of the Senate, held the ceremonial Bible, which was a Masonic Bible acquired at the last minute from St. John's Lodge.
“Washington took the oath with his hand on the Bible, and kissed the Bible after taking the oath. From the portico overlooking Wall and Broad Streets, Livingston turned to the teeming streets below and shouted, ‘Long live George Washington, President of the United States!’”
Key Stats:
Sources: Census.gov > History > Through the Decades > Fast Facts; The Library of Congress, U.S. Presidential Inaugurations
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Source: 2019 American Community Survey (ACS), 1-Year Estimates.
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Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021
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