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US presidential inaugurations: A timeline in pictures

EL PAÍS looks back at the swearing-in ceremony, which is held every four years at the Capitol in Washington

El País

Jan 20, 2025 - 12:56CET

Franklin D. Roosevelt took office on March 4, 1933. He is the longest serving president: 12 years and 39 days. Roosevelt broke the unwritten tradition of not running for a third term in 1940 because of the war in Europe. He died a natural death in office on April 12, 1945 (already in his fourth term). In 1947, Congress enacted the 22nd Amendment to limit presidential terms to two. This reform was ratified in 1951. In the picture, Roosevelt arrives at the White House accompanied by his mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt.ASSOCIATED PRESS

Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his inaugural address on January 20, 1937, following his first re-election. During Roosevelt’s second term, the date of the inauguration was moved from March 4 to January 20. Previously, the ceremony was held in March to allow attendees time to arrive after the winter months. However, advancements in transportation, particularly railroads, made it possible to move the swearing-in to January.AP

Marian Anderson sings the U.S. national anthem during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s inauguration ceremony for his second term on January 21, 1957. The opera singer became the first Black woman to participate in a presidential inauguration. Since January 20 fell on a Sunday that year, the public ceremony was moved to Monday. However, the president was sworn in privately the day before, as required by law.Anonymous (AP)

Bill Clinton was re-elected in the 1996 elections. In 1998, he was impeached for lying in the Lewinsky scandal, becoming the second president in history, after Andrew Johnson in 1868, to face impeachment. He was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice but was acquitted by the Senate. In the photograph, Clinton and his wife, Hillary, dance during the inauguration celebration on January 20, 1997.Cynthia Johnson (Getty Images)