53RD INAUGURAL CEREMONIES
PRESIDENT
WILLIAM J.
CLINTON
January 20, 1997
VICE PRESIDENT
ALBERT A.
GORE JR.
January 20, 1997
INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
Sen. John Warner (R-VA), Chair
Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS)
Sen. Wendell H. Ford (D-KY)
Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
Rep. Richard K. Armey (R-TX)
Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-MO)
ABOUT THE SWEARING-IN CEREMONIES
William J. Clinton was sworn-in for his second term as the 42nd President of the United States, and Albert A. Gore Jr. was sworn-in for his second term as the 45th Vice President of the United States.
Location:
West Front, U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.
Weather:
Partly sunny with a high overcast. Winds were from the south at 7 mph. Estimated noon temperature of 34°F.
Bible Used:
King James Bible, given to him by grandmother, open to Isaiah 58:12 (same Bible used at his 1993 Inauguration.)
FACTS, FIRSTS, & PRECEDENTS
First Inaugural Ceremony broadcast live on the Internet.
PRELUDE
Performed by the United States Marine Band
under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Foley
CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOMING REMARKS
The Honorable John Warner
WATCH HERE
MUSICAL SELECTION
“Let’s Build A Bridge Across America”
Children of the Gospel: The Next Generation;
Rickey Payton, Sr., Conductor
WATCH HERE
VICE PRESIDENTIAL OATH OF OFFICE
Administered to Albert A. Gore Jr.
by the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg,
Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
WATCH HERE
MUSICAL SELECTION
“O Freedom”
Performed by Jessye Norman
accompanied by the U.S. Army Chorus and Chorale
WATCH HERE
PRESIDENTIAL OATH OF OFFICE
Administered to William J. Clinton
by the Honorable William Rehnquist,
Chief Justice of the United States
WATCH HERE
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
“And once again, we have resolved for our time a great debate over the role of government. Today we can declare: Government is not the problem, and government is not the solution. We, the American people, we are the solution. Our founders understood that well and gave us a democracy strong enough to endure for centuries, flexible enough to face our common challenges and advance our common dreams in each new day.”
President William J. Clinton
WATCH HERE
Read full address in the Congressional Record
MUSICAL SELECTION
“Battle Hymn of the Republic”
Performed by the Immanuel Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra,
under the direction of The Reverend Lynn Madden
WATCH HERE
BENEDICTION
The Reverend Gardner C. Taylor
WATCH HERE
WATCH THE 53rd INAUGURAL CEREMONIES
THE SIGNING CEREMONY
President Clinton, surrounded by the JCCIC Members and Vice President Gore, signs his first official actions taken in his second term as President of the United States.
THE INAUGURAL LUNCHEON
Members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies hosted a luncheon in honor of the newly sworn-in President and Vice President. Approximately 200 guests including the new President, Vice President, members of their families, the Supreme Court, Cabinet designees, and members of Congressional leadership attended the event in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall.
LUNCHEON MENU
FIRST COURSE
Shrimp, Oyster, and Scallop Pie
SECOND COURSE
Beef a la Mode
THIRD COURSE
Beggars Pudding with Quince Ice Cream
INAUGURAL PAINTINGS
In recognition of the 200th anniversary of the Inauguration of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson as President and Vice President of the United States, portraits of the two statesmen were chosen to be displayed at the 1997 Inaugural Luncheon.
INAUGURAL PAINTING #1
John Adams
by Eliphalet Frazer Andrews
Oil on Canvas, 1881
In recognition of the 200th anniversary of the Inauguration of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson as President and Vice President of the United States, portraits of the two statesmen were chosen to be displayed at the 1997 Inaugural Luncheon.
The portrait of John Adams is by American artist Eliphalet F. Andrews. It is a reversed-image copy of the 1860 George P.A. Healy work now held by the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The Healy portrait was based on Gilbert Stuart’s life portrait that hung at the Adams’s Quincy, Massachusetts, homestead for many years. The Andrew’s portrait of Adams was purchased for the Capitol directly from the artist in 1881. The painting of Thomas Jefferson is by noted American artist Thomas Sully. In 1821 Sully traveled to Monticello to capture a likeness of Jefferson for the United States Military Academy at West Point. A copy of the West Point portrait, created by the artist, was purchased by Congress from the artist’s grandson in 1873. Both the Adams and Jefferson portraits are currently on view in the Lyndon B. Johnson Room in the Capitol.
INAUGURAL PAINTING #2
Thomas Jefferson
by Thomas Sully
Oil on Canvas, 1856
U.S. Senate Collection
Washington, D.C.
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s birth in 1743, a portrait of Thomas Jefferson by Thomas Sully was displayed at the Inaugural Luncheon.
In 1821 Thomas Sully visited Monticello, where he drew Thomas Jefferson from life. Over the years, Sully created numerous paintings of Jefferson based on the original sketch, including the Senate’s painting in 1856. Scholar Alfred L. Bush, writing in 1987 in The Life Portraits of Thomas Jefferson, called the Senate’s Sully portrait “one of the most notable.” Since its purchase in 1874, the portrait has continuously graced the walls of the Senate wing of the Capitol, and is currently on display in the Lyndon B. Johnson Room.
Presidential and VICE PRESIDENTIAL GIFTS
The President and Vice President received hand-cut crystal bowls from Lenox Crystal.
Guests received a polished brass magnifier of the Adams-Jefferson era.
PASS IN REVIEW
President William J. Clinton, First Lady Hillary Clinton, Vice President Gore, Second Lady Tipper Gore, and their families, along with Maj. Gen. Bradley A. Becker, U.S. Army, is commander of the Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region (JFHQ-NCR), stand on the steps of the East Front to participate in the Pass in Review prior to departing the Capitol for the Inaugural Parade to the White House.
