First inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt being administered the oath of office as president after President McKinley's death, September 14, 1901. | |
Date | September 14, 1901; 122 years ago (1901-09-14) |
---|---|
Location | Ansley Wilcox House, Buffalo, New York |
Participants | Theodore Roosevelt 26th president of the United States — Assuming office John R. Hazel Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York — Administering oath |
The first inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt as the 26th president of the United States, took place on Saturday, September 14, 1901, at the Ansley Wilcox House, at 641 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York, following the death of President William McKinley earlier that day. The inauguration – the fifth non-scheduled, extraordinary inauguration to ever take place and the first in the 20th century – marked the commencement of the first term (a partial term of 3 years, 171 days) of Theodore Roosevelt as president. John R. Hazel, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of New York, administered the presidential oath of office.[1]
Background
On September 6, Vice President Roosevelt had been at a luncheon of the Vermont Fish and Game League on Lake Champlain when he learned the news that McKinley had been shot. He rushed to Buffalo, but after being assured the president would recover, he went on a planned family camping and hiking trip to Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks. A week after the shooting, on the mountains, a runner notified him McKinley was on his death bed. Roosevelt pondered with his wife, Edith, how best to respond, not wanting to show up in Buffalo and wait on McKinley's death. Roosevelt was rushed by a series of stagecoaches to North Creek train station. At the station, Roosevelt was handed a telegram that said President McKinley died at 2:15 (September 14) that morning. The new president continued by train from North Creek to Buffalo. He arrived in Buffalo later that morning, accepting an invitation to stay at the home of Ansley Wilcox, a prominent lawyer and friend since the early 1880s when they had both worked closely with then-New York Governor Grover Cleveland on civil service reform.
Ceremony
At 3:00 PM on the afternoon of September 14, several members of President McKinley's cabinet arrived at the Wilcox house (now known as the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site). They were United States Secretary of War Elihu Root, Secretary of the Navy John D. Long, Attorney General Philander C. Knox, Secretary of the Interior Ethan Hitchcock, Postmaster General Charles Emory Smith, and Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson. With them were Judge Hazel, Judge Albert Haight of the New York Court of Appeals, and United States Senator from New York Chauncey Depew, among others. Roosevelt met with them informally in the Library and, at the last moment, the newspaper men were all let in, but were prohibited from taking any photographs.[a] Then, when asked whether he was ready to take the oath, he answered, "I will take the oath. And in this hour of deep and terrible national bereavement, I wish to state that it shall be my aim to continue, absolutely without variance, the policy of President McKinley, for the peace and honor of our beloved country." After his response, Judge Hazel administered the oath.[2]
Reaction
Expressing the fears of many old-line Republicans, Mark Hanna lamented "that damned cowboy is president now."[3]
See also
- Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt
- Second inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt
- Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
Notes
- ^ This was likely for safety reasons, as flash photography using the technology of the time in a lavishly decorated indoor setting was a serious fire hazard.
References
- ^ "The swearing in of Theodore Roosevelt, September 14, 1901". United States Senate. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
- ^ Wilcox, Ansley (1902). "Theodore Roosevelt, President" (PDF). National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
- ^ "Theodore Roosevelt".
External links
- Media related to Theodore Roosevelt 1901 presidential inauguration at Wikimedia Commons
- v
- t
- e
- 26th President of the United States (1901–1909)
- 25th Vice President of the United States (1901)
- 33rd Governor of New York (1899–1900)
- Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1897–1898)
- New York City Police Commissioner (1895–1897)
(timeline)
- First inauguration
- Second inauguration
- Foreign policy
- "Square Deal"
- Booker T. Washington dinner
- Conservation
- Northern Securities Company breakup
- Coal strike of 1902
- Pure Food and Drug Act
- Meat Inspection Act
- Expediting Act
- Elkins Act
- Hepburn Act
- Aldrich–Vreeland Act
- Tillman Act of 1907
- Federal Employers Liability Act
- Kinkaid Act
- Big stick ideology
- Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty
- Venezuelan crisis
- Occupation of Cuba
- Russo-Japanese War
- Army War College
- Roosevelt Hall
- College football meetings
- Bureau of Investigation
- Department of Commerce and Labor
- Keep Commission
- Inland Waterways Commission
- Bureau of the Census
- Great White Fleet
- Perdicaris affair
- Cabinet
- White House West Wing
- State of the Union Address, 1901
- 1906
- 1908
- White House desk
- Federal judiciary appointments
events
homes
and speeches
- Theodore Roosevelt bibliography
- The Naval War of 1812 (1882 book)
- "The Strenuous Life" (1899 speech)
- League to Enforce Peace
- "Citizenship in a Republic" (1910 speech)
- "Progressive Cause Greater Than Any Individual" (1912 post-assassination-attempt speech)
- Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography (1913 book)
- The Forum magazine articles
- Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia
- Archival collections
- Bibliography
- Mount Rushmore
- Theodore Roosevelt Center and Digital Library
- White House Roosevelt Room
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- Theodore Roosevelt Island
- Roosevelt National Forest
- Roosevelt Park (San Antonio)
- Roosevelt Study Center
- Theodore Roosevelt Association
- Mount Rushmore Anniversary coins
- Statues
- New York City
- Portland, Oregon
- Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park
- Theodore Roosevelt Monument
- Roosevelt Memorial, Portland, Oregon
- Proposed presidential library
- Theodore Roosevelt United States Courthouse
- Roosevelt River
- Theodore Roosevelt Bridge
- Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge
- Theodore Roosevelt Award
- USS Theodore Roosevelt (1906, 1961, 1984)
- Roosevelt Road
- U.S. postage stamps
culture
- Teddy bear
- "Speak softly, and carry a big stick"
- Books
- Films
- Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly King, 1901 film
- Roosevelt in Africa, 1910 documentary
- The Rough Riders, 1927 film
- Teddy, the Rough Rider, 1940 film
- Rough Riders, 1997 miniseries
- The Roosevelts, 2014 documentary
- Theodore Roosevelt, 2022 miniseries
- Elkhorn, 2024 series
- Alice Hathaway Lee (first wife)
- Edith Kermit Carow (second wife)
- Alice Lee Roosevelt (daughter)
- Theodore Roosevelt III (son)
- Kermit Roosevelt (son)
- Ethel Carow Roosevelt (daughter)
- Archibald Roosevelt (son)
- Quentin Roosevelt (son)
- Theodore Roosevelt IV (grandson)
- Cornelius V. S. Roosevelt III (grandson)
- Quentin Roosevelt II (grandson)
- Kermit Roosevelt Jr. (grandson)
- Joseph Willard Roosevelt (grandson)
- Edith Roosevelt Derby (granddaughter)
- Theodora Roosevelt (granddaughter)
- Theodore Roosevelt Sr. (father)
- Martha Bulloch Roosevelt (mother)
- Anna "Bamie" Roosevelt (sister)
- Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt (brother)
- Corinne Roosevelt (sister)
- Cornelius Roosevelt (grandfather)
- James Stephens Bulloch (grandfather)
- James Alfred Roosevelt (uncle)
- Robert Barnhill Roosevelt
- Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (niece)
- Gracie Hall Roosevelt (nephew)
- Pete (dog)