Second presidential inauguration of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan takes the oath of office for his second term publicly.
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 Reagan
40th president of the United States
— Assuming office
Warren E. Burger
Chief Justice of the United States
— Administering oath
George H. W. 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

The second inauguration of Ronald Reagan as president of the United States was held in a televised ceremony[1] on January 20, 1985, at the White House,[2] and was repeated the following day, January 21, 1985, at the Capitol's rotunda. This was the 50th presidential 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 be inaugurated, until Joe Biden's inauguration as president on January 20, 2021, at the age of 78 years, 61 days.[3]

Inauguration day

President Reagan is sworn in "privately" on television, January 20, 1985

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 and a replacement event was put on in the Capital Centre;[3] 96 people attended the first ceremony and thousands attended the second.

Coverage of the event was provided by NBC, CBS, ABC, and CNN[8][9][10] and the ceremony was televised throughout the United States.

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 for the first inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1993.[11][12]

Aftermath

On May 27, 1985 (Memorial Day), twenty of the more than fifty high school marching bands that had been scheduled to perform in the cancelled inaugural parade performed in the President's Inaugural Bands Parade held at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center theme park. The performance was preceded by a speech delivered by President Reagan.[13][14][15][16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Reagan's Second Inauguration".
  2. ↑ Putzel, Michael (January 21, 1985). "Inaugural put on ice". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. A1.
  3. 1 2 "Reagan Sworn in; Inaugural Parade Canceled by Cold : Health Threat to Thousands Feared; Public Ceremony Today to be Indoors". Los Angeles Times. 21 January 1985.
  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. ↑ "Inauguration of President Ronald Wilson Reagan, 1985". Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  7. ↑ "50TH INAUGURAL CEREMONIES". United States Senate. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  8. ↑ Television Archive Project. "1985 US Presidential Inauguration - NBC Coverage - 10:00AM-3:58PM". Youtube.
  9. ↑ Television Archive Project. "1985 US Presidential Inauguration - CBS Coverage - 11:00AM-3:35PM". Youtube.
  10. ↑ Television Archive Project. "1985 US Presidential Inauguration - ABC Coverage - 11:00AM-3:58PM". Youtube.
  11. ↑ "President's Oath Will Be Taken Twice Next Year". Washington Post. 26 September 1984. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  12. ↑ "The Super Rumor". New York Times. 18 September 1984. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  13. ↑ "Remarks to Participants in the President's Inaugural Bands Parade at Walt Disney's EPCOT Center Near Orlando, Florida". Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  14. ↑ "Remarks to Participants in the President's Inaugural Bands Parade at Walt Disney's EPCOT Center Near Orlando, Florida | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  15. ↑ Groer, Anne (15 May 1985). "INAUGURAL BANDS GET 2ND SHOT AT EPCOT". Sun-Sentinel.com. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  16. ↑ Wicks, Kathy (2016-02-09). "May 27, 1985 - A Special One-Day Parade at Walt Disney World". WDW Radio. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
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