Harry Truman Taking the Oath of Office
4/12/1945
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This photograph shows Harry S. Truman taking the oath of office as President of the United States in the Cabinet Room of the White House, following the death of President Roosevelt.
Presidents do not need to be inaugurated. In case of the death of a President, the oath of office can be administered by a nearby official. Vice Presidents John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, and Chester A. Arthur were all sworn in after the death of a President. Theodore Roosevelt took the oath in Buffalo, NY, after the assassination of William McKinley. In 1923, Calvin Coolidge was at home in Vermont when Warren Harding died and had to be sworn in by his father, a notary public and justice of the peace. Truman was sworn in at the White House in the Cabinet Room. Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in aboard Air Force One after President Kennedy’s death. And Gerald Ford took the oath of office in the East Room of the White House after President Nixon resigned.
Presidents do not need to be inaugurated. In case of the death of a President, the oath of office can be administered by a nearby official. Vice Presidents John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, and Chester A. Arthur were all sworn in after the death of a President. Theodore Roosevelt took the oath in Buffalo, NY, after the assassination of William McKinley. In 1923, Calvin Coolidge was at home in Vermont when Warren Harding died and had to be sworn in by his father, a notary public and justice of the peace. Truman was sworn in at the White House in the Cabinet Room. Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in aboard Air Force One after President Kennedy’s death. And Gerald Ford took the oath of office in the East Room of the White House after President Nixon resigned.
This primary source comes from the Collection HST-AVC: Audiovisual Collection.
National Archives Identifier: 199062
Full Citation: Photograph AVC-PHT-73(1909); Harry S. Truman taking the oath of office as President of the United States in the Cabinet Room of the White House, following the death of President Roosevelt; 4/12/1945; Photographs Relating to the Administration, Family, and Personal Life of Harry S. Truman, 1957 - 2004; Collection HST-AVC: Audiovisual Collection; Harry S. Truman Library, Independence, MO. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/truman-oath, April 27, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.