50TH INAUGURAL CEREMONIES
RONALD W.
REAGAN
January 21, 1985
GEORGE H.W.
BUSH
INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr. (R-TN), Chair
Sen. Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. (R-MD)
Sen. Wendell H. Ford (D-KY)
Rep. Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. (D-MA)
Rep. Jim Wright (D-TX)
Rep. Robert H. Michel (R-IL)
THE SWEARING-IN CEREMONIES
The Swearing-In Ceremony:
Ronald Reagan was sworn-in for his second term as the 40th President of the United States, and George H. W. Bush was sworn-in for his second term as the 43rd Vice President of the United States.
Location:
Rotunda, U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC
Weather:
It was sunny, but bitter cold. Wind chill temperatures fell into the -10°F to -20°F range in the afternoon. Estimated noon temperature of 7°F.
Bible:
Family Bible, given to him by his mother, open to II Chronicles 7:14. (Same Bible used at his 1981 Inauguration)
FACTS, FIRSTS, AND PRECEDENTS
Coldest Inauguration day on record, with a noon temperature of 7°F; January 20th fell on Sunday, so Reagan was privately sworn in that day at the White House; public Inauguration on January 21st took place in the Capitol Rotunda, due to freezing weather.
CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOMING REMARKS
The Honorable Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr.
INVOCATION
Reverend Timothy S. Healy
MUSICAL SELECTION
“Simple Gifts” from Aaron Copland’s “Old American Songs” performed by Jessye Norman, soprano
PRAYER
Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk, president of Hebrew Union College of Cincinnati
Vice Presidential oath of office
Administered to George H. W. Bush by the Honorable Potter Stewart, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
MUSICAL SELECTION
“The God Who Gave Us Life” from the first section of “The Testament of Freedom” by Randall Thompson performed by the University of Maryland Chorus under the direction of Dr. Paul Traver.
PRAYER
The Reverend Donn Moomaw of Bel Air Presbyterian Church
PRESIDENTIAL OATH OF OFFICE
Administered to Ronald W. Reagan by the Honorable Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice of the United States.
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
President Ronald W. Reagan
BENEDICTION
The Reverend Peter Gomes, minister in the Memorial Church of Harvard University
THE NATIONAL ANTHEM
The United States Marine Band
THE INAUGURAL LUNCHEON
Members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies hosted a luncheon in honor of the newly sworn-in President and Vice President. Approximately 200 guests including the new President, Vice President, members of their families, the Supreme Court, Cabinet designees, and members of Congressional leadership attended the event in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall.
INAUGURAL PAINTING
Autumn on the Hudson River
Jasper Francis Cropsey
Oil on canvas, 1854-1855
Courtesy of the Saint Louis Art Museum
By the middle of the nineteenth century, Americans found special meaning in the unspoiled freshness, magnitude, and breathtaking beauty of the American landscape. In contrast to the cities of Europe, nature became the symbol of American identity, and landscape painting became America’s national art.
The Hudson River valley above New York City inspired many landscape artists and gave rise to the Hudson River School of painting. Jasper Cropsy, one of the most successful members of this group, painted Autumn – On the Hudson River in 1860. It is his largest and most significant work.
Autumn – On the Hudson River captures several American ideals: the raw power and grand scale of the landscape and the strength of human enterprise. On the canvas, the Hudson River, depicted at its widest point, moves through the majestic valley. Along the river’s banks are several villages, signs of man’s peaceful and profitable interaction with nature. Hunters and their dogs occupy the foreground as well as a log cabin, grazing sheep, wading cattle, and children at play, enhancing this pastoral scene. The bright, autumnal colors have no seasonal counterpart. All of these elements serve as a visual declaration of America’s divinely sanctioned purpose.
PRESIDENTIAL GiftS
The President and Vice President received Steuben crystal bowls with engraved silver bases; guests received crystal paperweights in the form of a tetrahedron, also made by Steuben.
PRESENTATIONS AND TOASTS
The Honorable Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr.
REMARKS AND TOAST
President Ronald W. Reagan
REMARKS
The Honorable Robert H. Michel
LUNCHEON MENU
FIRST COURSE
Hot mousse of sole, sauteed spinach with lobster, shrimp, and truffle sauce
SECOND COURSE
Medallions of veal with morel sauce, glazed vegetables and wild rice with chestnuts
THIRD COURSE
Cold praline souffle with raspberry sauce
ENTERTAINMENT
The Smithsonian Chamber Players have provided music for the inaugural luncheon since 1981.
Directed by Kenneth Slowik, the group specializes in performing historical masterworks of the seventeenth through early twentieth centuries. The music they perform today is a mixture of American repertoire pieces written for early nineteenth-century presidents, as well as some of the European compositions found in the extensive music library of Thomas Jefferson.
