Presidential Fun Fact of the Day

Some tidbits about Thomas Jefferson's inaugurals:

1. John Marshall swore Jefferson in. He was the first of nine presidents Marshall would swear in while Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

2. Jefferson walked to Capitol Hill for his first inauguration. After taking the Oath of Office, he returned to his boardinghouse and had lunch with the other boarders like any other day.

3. Due to his unorthodox views on religion, Jefferson was called an atheist by some. Even so, he did incorporate God into his inaugural addresses. In the first he referred to "that infinite Power which rules the destinies of the universe." For the second, he used "that Being in whose hands we are."

4. Like John Adams, widower Jefferson opted not to have an inaugural ball. He too had fireworks and went to bed early.

5. Federalists were so unhappy with Jefferson's election that on the day he took office, Boston's Columbian Centinel newspaper printed an obituary to "The Federal Administration".

Posted by Jennifer at February 23, 2004 01:00 PM

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