First inauguration of Abraham Lincoln

First presidential inauguration of Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln swearing-in at the partly finished Capitol building.
Date	March 2, 1861; 163 years ago (1861-03-02) (Hamlin)[1] March 4, 1861 (1861-03-04) (Lincoln)
Location	United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.
Participants	Abraham Lincoln 16th president of the United States — Assuming office Roger B. Taney Chief Justice of the United States — Administering oath Hannibal Hamlin 15th vice president of the United States — Assuming office John C. Breckinridge 14th vice president of the United States — Administering oath
← 1857 1865 →

This article is part of a series about Abraham Lincoln
Personal Early life and career Family Health Sexuality Patent Political Spot Resolutions Political career, 1849–1861 Lincoln–Douglas debates Views on slavery Views on religion Electoral history 16th President of the United States Presidency First term Transition 1st inauguration Hannibal Hamlin American Civil War The Union Emancipation Proclamation Ten percent plan 13th Amendment Second term 2nd inauguration Andrew Johnson Reconstruction Presidential elections 1860 Convention 1864 Convention Speeches and works Inaugural speeches First Second State of the Union 1861 1862 1863 1864 Lyceum Peoria Lost Speech House Divided Cooper Union Farewell address Gettysburg Poetry "The Suicide's Soliloquy" Bixby letter McCullough letter Assassination and legacy Assassination State funeral Historical reputation Memorials Depictions Bibliography Topical guide
v t e

The first inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as the 16th president of the United States was held on Monday, March 4, 1861, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 19th inauguration and marked the commencement of the first, and eventually only full term of Abraham Lincoln as president and the only term of Hannibal Hamlin as vice president. The presidential oath of office was administered to Lincoln by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney.^[2] John C. Breckinridge became the first outgoing vice president to administer the vice-presidential oath of office to his successor.

This was the first time Lincoln appeared in public with a beard, which he had begun growing after being elected president, in response to a written request by 11-year-old Grace Bedell. This effectively made him the first president to have any facial hair beyond sideburns.

On Inauguration Day, Lincoln's procession to the Capitol was surrounded by heavily armed cavalry and infantry, providing an unprecedented amount of protection for the President-elect as the nation stood on the brink of war. During the 16 weeks between Lincoln's victory in the 1860 presidential election and Inauguration Day, seven slave states had declared their secession from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America.

An entourage of family and friends left Springfield, Illinois, with Lincoln on February 11 to travel by train to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration. This group including his wife, three sons, and brother-in-law, as well as John G. Nicolay, John M. Hay, Ward Hill Lamon, David Davis, Norman B. Judd, Edwin Vose Sumner,^[3] as well as his African-American valet and bodyguard, William Henry Johnson.^[4] Just before leaving, he gave his farewell address, which was one of Lincoln's most emotional as he and the public knew that he might be killed before he could return to Springfield. Such fears would be realized in 1865 when he was assassinated; he never would return to Springfield alive after his address.^[5][6][7]

For the next ten days, he traveled widely throughout the country, with stops in Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, Albany, New York City, and south to Philadelphia, where on the afternoon of February 21, he pulled into Kensington Station. Lincoln took an open carriage to the Continental Hotel, with almost 100,000 spectators waiting to catch a glimpse of the President-elect. There he met Mayor Alexander Henry, and delivered some remarks to the crowd outside from a hotel balcony.^[3] Lincoln continued on to Harrisburg. Then, because of an alleged assassination conspiracy, Lincoln traveled through Baltimore, Maryland, on a special train in the middle of the night, transferring from the President Street Station to the Camden Station at 3:30 a.m.,^{[8][full citation needed][9][full citation needed][10][full citation needed]} before finally completing his journey in Washington. Johnson was the only person from the Illinois entourage to travel with Lincoln from Baltimore to Washington.^[4]

Stephen Douglas, Lincoln's rival from Illinois, who defeated him for Senator and was defeated by him in the 1860 U.S. presidential election, warned in January 1861 that "a widespread and intricate conspiracy" was planning to seize the District of Columbia and install Breckinridge as president (Lincoln having never arrived in Washington).

The most intense excitement exists in certain Congressional circles In consequence of the fact leaking out that the Howard Select Committee of the House have positive evidence before them of a conspiracy existing in this city and vicinity to overthrow the government, in which certain prominent officials and citizens in Washington and elsewhere flgure. Decisive action will be taken to relation to the matter, and every man, from ex-Cabinet officers down to the humblest department clerk or Senate employe[e], will be held to the strictest account. In this emergency it is gratifying to know that, while there may be many citizens in Maryland who, when they can honorably do it, if they cannot consistently remain In the Union will go out [leave it], [but] have determined that while they do remain in it they will be loyal citizens, and when they go out will not do so dishonorably.
The existence of the conspiracy has been known to certain officials in Washington for some time.^[11]

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

• Presidency of Abraham Lincoln
• Second inauguration of Abraham Lincoln
• 1860 United States presidential election
• Lincoln Bible
• Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address

• More documents from the Library of Congress
• Text of Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
• Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address public domain audiobook at LibriVox