41ST INAUGURAL CEREMONIES
PRESIDENT
HARRY S.
TRUMAN
January 20, 1949
VICE PRESIDENT
ALBEN W.
BARKLEY
January 20, 1949
INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
Sen. Carl T. Hayden (D-AZ), Chair
Sen. J. Howard McGrath (D-RI)
Sen. Kenneth S. Wherry (R-NE)
Rep. Harry R. Sheppard (D-CA)
Rep. John W. McCormack (D-MA)
Rep. Charles A. Halleck (R-IN)
ABOUT THE SWEARING-IN CEREMONIES
Harry S. Truman was sworn-in for his first full term as the 33rd President of the United States, and Alben W. Barkley was sworn-in as the 35th Vice President of the United States.
Location:
East Portico, U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.
Weather:
Mostly sunny and windy. Estimated noon temperature of 38°F.
Bible Used:
Truman used two Bibles: the first was the same Bible he used in 1945 when he was sworn-in upon the death of Franklin Roosevelt, open to Matthew 5 (Beatitudes). The second was a Gutenberg facsimile given to him by the Independence, Missouri Chamber of Commerce, opened to Exodus 20 (the Ten Commandments).
FACTS, FIRSTS, AND PRECEDENTS
First televised Inaugural Ceremony; Truman reinstated the Inaugural Ball.
TIMELINE
PRAYER
Reverend Edward Hughes
Minister, First Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Performed by Phil Regan of Brooklyn, NY
accompanied by the United States Marine Band,
led by Maj. William F. Santelmann.
VICE PRESIDENTIAL OATH OF OFFICE
Administered to Alben W. Barkley
by the Honorable Stanley F. Reed,
Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
PRAYER
Rabbi Samuel Thurman,
United Hebrew Temple, St. Louis, MO
PRESIDENTIAL OATH OF OFFICE
Administered to Harry S. Truman
by the Honorable Frederick Vinson,
Chief Justice of the United States.
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
“The American people stand firm in the faith which has inspired this Nation from the beginning. We believe that all men have a right to equal justice under law and equal opportunity to share in the common good. We believe that all men have the right to freedom of thought and expression. We believe that all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God.”
President Harry S. Truman
Read full address in the Congressional Record
BENEDICTION
The Most Reverend Patrick A. O’Boyle,
Archbishop of Washington