Global InformationInauguration of Andrew Johnson information
 Swearing-in ceremony in the Kirkwood House (published in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, January 6, 1866, almost eight months after the fact) | |
| Date | April 15, 1865 |
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| Location | Kirkwood House, Washington, D.C. |
| Participants | Andrew Johnson 17th president of the United States — Assuming office Salmon P. Chase Chief Justice of the United States — Administering oath |
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15th Governor of Tennessee
16th Vice President of the United States
17th President of the United States
Vice presidential and Presidential campaigns
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The inauguration of Andrew Johnson as the 17th president of the United States was held on April 15, 1865, on the third floor[1] of Kirkwood House in Washington, D.C., following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The inauguration marked the commencement of Andrew Johnson's only term (a partial term of 3 years, 323 days) as president. Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase administered the presidential oath of office.
This was the first extraordinary inauguration, in which the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in this case, Salmon P. Chase, administered the oath to the new president, Andrew Johnson.[2] This was the third non-scheduled, extraordinary inauguration to take place. News reports had it that the oath was administered at 11 a.m. that day.[3][4]
After the ceremony, President Johnson gave an impromptu inaugural address, which began with him begging the cabinet to remain with him and then attacking the Confederate States of America with such venom, that one witness remarked "It would have been better had he been struck dumb."[5][page needed]
As President Lincoln lay dying, Vice President Johnson visited the room where he lay. When Mrs. Lincoln saw him, she reportedly screamed and demanded he be removed, so he went back to his room at Kirkwood House.[citation needed]
According to newspaper reports, Johnson had gotten severely inebriated, and when aides to the now-dead Lincoln came to fetch the new president they were unable to wake him for several minutes. When he was finally awake, the accounts read, "he had puffy eyes and his hair was caked with mud from the street," and that a barber and doctor were summoned to clean him up for the 10 a.m. ceremony, which most accounts agree went smoothly.[5][page needed] However, there are other accounts, believed more reliable by some, that refute this claim.[6]
- ^ Stewart, William M.; Brown, George Rothwell (1908). Reminiscences of Senator William M. Stewart, of Nevada; ed. by George Rothwell Brown. New York: Neale Pub. Co. p. 194.
- ^ "The Swearing In of Chester A. Arthur, April 15, 1865". United States Senate. Archived from the original on January 20, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "Washington, April 15". The Leavenworth Times. 1865-04-16. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Kunhardt, Dorothy Meserve; Kunhardt, Philip B. (1965). Twenty days : a narrative in text and pictures of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the twenty days and night that followed--the Nation in mourning, the long trip home to Springfield. Internet Archive. New York : Castle Books.
- ^ Schroeder-Lein, Glenna; Zuczek, Richard (2001). Andrew Johnson: A Biographical Companion (illustrated ed.). ABC-CLIO, 2001. pp. 36 (Blair), 88, 271 (Speed), 306–307 (as VP). ISBN 9781576070307.