Category: Inauguration

The 20th Amendment :  the obscure amendment that changed Inauguration Day

by Spencer Howard, posted in Inauguration, Presidential Elections, Presidents

Today we know Inauguration Day falls every four years on January 20, but for much of American history it was March 4, almost four months after election day.  Herbert Hoover was the last and perhaps most unfortunate President to serve four months as a “lame duck.”  What changed?  The ratification of the 20th Amendment to … Continue reading The 20th Amendment :  the obscure amendment that changed Inauguration Day

Herbert Hoover, President-Elect – a Florida vacation

by Spencer Howard, posted in Herbert Hoover, Inauguration

In January 1929, President-Elect Herbert Hoover returned from his seven-week trip to Latin America and began preparing for the Inauguration.  (At that time Inauguration Day was March 4, so he had an extra six weeks to work with.)  After a couple of weeks in Washington DC during which he chose most of his Cabinet, Hoover … Continue reading Herbert Hoover, President-Elect – a Florida vacation