Swearing-In Ceremony for President Franklin Pierce
Seventeenth Inaugural Ceremonies, March 4, 1853
Inaugural Address
‘My Countrymen: It is a relief to feel that no heart but my own can know the personal regret and bitter sorrow over which I have been borne to a position so suitable for others rather than desirable for myself.’
Read the address
(Words: 3329)
Presidential Oath of Office
Administered to Franklin Pierce by the Honorable Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Library of Congress
Library of Congress
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney administering the oath of office to Franklin Pierce on the east portico of the U.S. Capitol.
- Bible Used: Unknown
- Attire: Unknown
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Location
East Portico,
U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC -
Facts, Firsts & Precedents
Affirmed the oath of office rather than swear it
Pierce was the first President to recite his speech entirely from memory.
Cancelled the inaugural ball
Pierce's Vice President did not attend the Inaugural ceremonies. He was very ill and and had gone to Cuba to try to recover at the time of the Inauguration, and was sworn into office there on March 24, 1853. He died on April 18, 1853, one day after returning to his home in Alabama.
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Weather
Light snow and wind with heavier snow during the Inaugural address. Estimated noon temperature of 35°F.