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Home > History > Chronology > President James Buchanan, 1857

President James Buchanan, 1857

Vice President John C. Breckinridge
Inauguration Date   Wednesday, March 4, 1857
Location   East Portico, U.S. Capitol
Oath Administered By:   Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice
Bible Used:   Bible purchased by William Carroll, Clerk of the Supreme Court. It is identical to the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln in 1861, and both are dedicated to Carroll's wife Sally.
Length of Inaugural Address:   2,822 words
Attire (what the president wore):   Unknown
Weather:   Sunny. Estimated noon temperature of 49°F.
Precedents, "firsts" or other interesting information:  

Buchanan's was the first known photographed Inaugural ceremony.

For more images of Buchanan's Inauguration, visit the Senate Curator's Inaugural exhibit.

 

 

Inauguration of James Buchanan, 1857 (Library of Congress)

Inauguration of James Buchanan at the U.S. Capitol's east front, 1857 (Library of Congress)

 

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