 President Truman being sworn in, following Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945 | |
| Date | April 12, 1945; 80 years ago (1945-04-12) |
|---|---|
| Location | Cabinet Room,White House, Washington, D.C. |
| Participants | Harry S. Truman 33rd president of the United States — Assuming office Harlan F. Stone Chief Justice of the United States — Administering oath |
The firstinauguration ofHarry S. Truman as the 33rdpresident of the United States was held at 7:09 pm on Thursday, April 12, 1945, at theCabinet Room inside theWhite House inWashington, D.C., following the death of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt earlier that day. The inauguration—the seventh non-scheduled, extraordinary inauguration to ever take place—marked the commencement of the first term (a partial term of 3 years, 283 days) of Harry S. Truman as president.
Truman, then serving asvice president of the United States, had just adjourned a session of theUnited States Senate and was on his way to share a drink withSam Rayburn, thespeaker of the House of Representatives, when he was summoned to the White House.
Upon his arrival, he was met byEleanor Roosevelt, who informed him that President Roosevelt was dead. Shocked, Truman asked her, "Is there anything I can do for you?", to which she replied: "Is there anythingwe can do foryou? For you are the one in trouble now."[1]
Chief Justice of the United StatesHarlan F. Stone administered thepresidential oath of office;[2] Stone began the oath "Do you, Harry Shipp Truman..." in the erroneous belief that Shipp was the president's mother's maiden name and, by extension, his middle name,[3] to which Truman replied, "I Harry S. Truman..."[4] before the oath was continued. At the end of the ceremony, which lasted about a minute, Truman kissed the Bible.[5]
Among witnesses of this ceremony were Truman's wifeBess Truman, daughterMargaret Truman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Speaker Rayburn, and members of the cabinet. This was the second presidential inauguration in 1945, after the regularly scheduledinauguration for Roosevelt's fourth term on January 20.
This event has the distinction of being the first extraordinary inauguration to be photographed and recorded on video: photographs were prohibited duringTheodore Roosevelt's1901 inauguration,[6] andCalvin Coolidge's1923 inauguration was during night time with no press or electric lighting.[7]
The next morning Truman told a group of reporters “There have been few men in all history the equal of the man into whose shoes I am stepping, I pray God I can measure up to the task."[5]
