The second
inauguration
In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...
of
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
as
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. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
was the 50th inauguration, marking the commencement of his second and final four-year term as president and of
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
as vice president. A private swearing-in ceremony took place on Sunday, January 20, 1985, at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
,
followed by a public inauguration ceremony on Monday, January 21, 1985, at the
Capitol's rotunda.
Public inauguration
As the
weather outside was harsh, with daytime temperatures of and
wind chills of , the event organizers were forced to move the public inaugural ceremony, which had been planned for the open air, inside to the
Capitol Rotunda.
Forty years later,
Donald Trump's second inauguration was also moved inside to the Capital rotunda due to cold weather.
Jessye Norman sang ''
Simple Gifts'' from
Aaron Copland's ''
Old American Songs''. As had officially happened the day before,
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered the
presidential oath of office to Reagan, and former
Associate Justice
An associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some ...
Potter Stewart administered the
vice-presidential oath to Bush. After Reagan's inaugural address and the pronunciation of the benediction by
Peter J. Gomes, the
U.S. Marine Band played
The Star Spangled Banner.
The weather necessitated that the outdoor parade be canceled. A replacement event was held in the
Capital Centre;
Coverage of the inauguration was provided throughout the United States by
NBC,
CBS,
ABC, and
CNN.
Inauguration committee
Former
UPI
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...
correspondent John Chambers, son of
Whittaker Chambers, served as executive director of the
Joint Congressional Committee on the Presidential Inauguration, for Reagan's second inauguration and again for the
first inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1993.
[
][
]
Aftermath
On May 27, 1985 (
Memorial Day), twenty of the more than fifty high school
marching bands that had been scheduled to perform in the cancelled inaugural
parade performed in the President's Inaugural Bands Parade held at
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
's
EPCOT Center theme park. The performance was preceded by a speech delivered by President Reagan.
See also
*
Presidency of Ronald Reagan
*
First inauguration of Ronald Reagan
The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, January 20, 1981, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the first inauguration to be held on the build ...
*
1984 United States presidential election
*
Ronald Reagan 1984 presidential campaign
*
1985 White House intrusion
References
External links
Text of Reagan's Second Inaugural AddressAudio of Reagan's Second Inaugural Address
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reagan, 2nd inauguration of Ronald
1985 speeches
1985 in American politics
1985 in Washington, D.C.
Inaug 2
United States presidential inaugurations
Inauguration 1985
January 1985 in the United States