Hail to the chief! MARION McMULLEN looks at how US presidents stepped up to the mark at their inaugurations
Peanut farmer Jimmy Carter’s 1977 parade featured a giant peanut balloon while Aretha Franklin sang God Bless America.
Bill Clinton was the first “baby boomer” to become president in 1993 and the day included a two-hour outdoor music concert with a bill that included Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, LL Cool J, Michael Bolton and Aretha Franklin. His procession also included an Elvis Presley impersonator on a float.
His second inauguration in 1997 was the first to be streamed live on the internet and the national anthem was sung by Santita Jackson, the daughter of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson. The ceremony was followed by 14 official galas.
George H W Bush pledged in his 1989 speech “a moment rich with promise” and his son George W Bush followed him in 2001. Meatloaf and Chuck Norris were among the Hollywood celebrities at the ceremony.
Singer Macy Gray sang at his second inaugural in 2005 where VIP guest packages could cost you up to $50,000. He said in his speech “we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom”.
Franklin D Roosevelt became president in 1933 during the Great Depression and nearly two inches of rain fell on Washington during his second inaugural speech in 1937 when he said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.
He travelled to the White House with outgoing President Herbert Hoover for the two mile trip and they both wore the traditional top hat for the ceremony which attracted an estimated crowd of 150,000.
Meanwhile, bad weather proved the death of US president William Henry Harrison. The 68-year-old was the ninth US president and holds the record for the longest inaugural speech in history at nearly 8,500 words long.
He delivered his address in Ohio in the cold and pouring rain without a scarf or overcoat to protect him against the elements.
It took him nearly two hours to deliver his speech and he developed pneumonia. He died just 31 days later, becoming the shortest serving president in history and the first to die in office.