The inauguration of John Quincy Adams as the sixth

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

took place on Friday, March 4, 1825, in the House Chamber of the

U.S. Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill at ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The inauguration marked the commencement of the only four-year term of

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...

as president and the first term of John C. Calhoun as

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

. Adams was the first president to have been the son of a former president–

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

; and Calhoun, at age 42 on Inauguration Day, was the second-youngest vice president (after

Daniel D. Tompkins Daniel D. Tompkins (June 21, 1774 – June 11, 1825) was an American politician. He was the fifth governor of New York from 1807 to 1817, and the sixth vice president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. Born in Scarsdale, New York, Tompkins ...

, who was 3 months younger when inaugurated into office in 1817). Chief Justice of the United States John Marshall administered the Oath of office to the new president. Adams, as he recalled later, placed his hand upon on a book of law rather than the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

itself as he recited the oath. This may have been common practice at the time; there is no concrete evidence that any president from John Adams to John Tyler used a Bible to swear the oath upon. His inaugural address was 2,915 words long. Adams wore a short haircut instead of long hair tied in a queue and long

trousers Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and ...

instead of knee breeches, and was the first to make the change of dress. The weather that day was described as 'rainy' with a total rainfall of . The estimated noon temperature was .

Background

John Quincy Adams was elected president by the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

after none of the four candidates secured a majority of votes in the electoral college in the 1824 presidential election, as prescribed by the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution. The outcome was assured when Henry Clay, one of the front-runners, threw his support to Adams so that

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

's candidacy would fail. Jackson had polled more popular votes in the election, but he did not gain enough electoral votes to win outright. Adams ran for re-election in

1828 Events January–March * January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France. * January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organized. * January 22 – Arth ...

, but lost to Jackson.

Background

See also

References

External links