Second inauguration of Ronald Reagan

The second inauguration of Ronald Reagan as President of the United States was held in a small televised ceremony[1] on Sunday, January 20, 1985, at the Grand Foyer of the White House,[2] and was to be repeated the following day, January 21, 1985 at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., before being moved to the Capitol's rotunda. This was the 50th inauguration and marked the commencement of the second and final four-year term of both Ronald Reagan as President and of George H. W. Bush as Vice President. At 73 years, 349 days of age on Inauguration Day, Reagan was the oldest U.S. president to date to be sworn in.[3]

Second Presidential Inauguration of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan re-takes the oath of office for his second term.
DateJanuary 20, 1985 (1985-01-20) (official)
January 21, 1985 (1985-01-21) (public)
LocationEntrance Hall, White House (official)
United States Capitol,
Washington, D.C. (public)
Organized byJoint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
ParticipantsRonald Wilson Reagan
40th President of the United States
— Assuming office
Warren Earl Burger
Chief Justice of the United States
— Administering oath
George Herbert Walker Bush
43rd Vice President of the United States
— Assuming office
Potter Stewart
Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
— Administering oath

Inauguration day

As the weather outside was harsh, with daytime temperatures of 7 °F (−14 °C) and wind chills of −25 °F (−32 °C), the event organizers were forced to move the public inaugural ceremony, which had been planned for the open air, inside to the Capitol Rotunda.[4][5][6] There, as they had the day before officially, Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered the presidential oath of office to Reagan, and former Associate Justice Potter Stewart administered the vice-presidential oath to Bush. Jessye Norman sang Simple Gifts from Aaron Copland's Old American Songs at the ceremony.[7]

Due to the inclement weather, the parade was canceled a replacement event was put on in the Capitol Center sports arena.[3] 96 people attended the first ceremony and thousands on the second.

Inauguration committee

Former UPI correspondent John Chambers, son of Whittaker Chambers, served as executive director of the Joint Congressional Committee on the Presidential Inauguration, for Reagan's second inauguration and again in 1993 first inauguration of Bill Clinton.[8][9]

See also

References
  1. https://www.whitehousehistory.org/reagans-second-inauguration
  2. Putzel, Michael (January 21, 1985). "Inaugural put on ice". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. A1.
  3. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-21-mn-14177-story.html
  4. Hunt, Terence (January 21, 1985). "Reagan sees 'a new America'". Free Lance-Star. (Fredericksburg, Virginia). Associated Press. p. 1.
  5. "Reagan: Peace with mighty defense". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 22, 1985. p. A1.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2018-03-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "The 50th Presidential Inauguration: Ronald W. Reagan, January 21, 1985". United States Senate. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  8. "President's Oath Will Be Taken Twice Next Year". Washington Post. 26 September 1984. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  9. "The Super Rumor". New York Times. 18 September 1984. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
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