The Five Most Unusual Incidents in the History of Presidential Inaugurations

The recent inauguration of President Barak H. Obama was replete with unusual characteristics and historical firsts. Despite this fact, it should be noted that many presidents have had incident, accidents and circumstances that rival those of President Obama’s. So, in honor of the garbled oath, the ticketed spectators turned away, and the “purple tunnel of doom”, I present the 5 Most Unusual Incidents in Presidential Inaugurations. To forestall any debate on the order of these events, I have cleverly stuck to “chronological”. Unless one bends the laws of physics, this standard is reasonable objective.

Andrew Jackson: Party Like a  Rock Star (March 4th, 1829)

The worst part about being a “Man of the People”, like Andrew Jackson, is having to hang around with “The People.” Jackson’s inauguration bash featured about 29,000 of “America’s Finest” who proceeded to get drunk and trash the White House. Jackson was nearly pressed to death by the crowd before escaping the scene and several thousand dollars worth of damage was done to the White House and its contents as revelers tried to make off with the refreshments provided for the inauguration pre-party. After the President slipped off to his temporary residence at the Gadsby hotel, White House employees tried to lure the mob away from the White House with tubs of wine and ice cream placed on the White House lawn.

Fun Fact: Jackson himself comported himself with a great deal of dignity, performing the rituals of inauguration with a somber mien. He was dressed in black, not to mark the occasion, but to mourn the passing of his wife Rachel. Rachel died, in large part, from the stress of the hard-fought campaign, in which she was accused of adultery with Jackson. Jackson blamed the smear and his wife’s death on Henry Clay.

William Harrison: Inaugurated to Death (March 4th, 1841)

Not in the best of health to begin with, Harrison marked his inauguration with a two-hour speech. “Old Tippecanoe” (emphasis on old: he was the oldest to ever take the presidency at the time (68 years), a record he would hold until Ronald Reagan took office in 1980.) gave a speech (edited down by Daniel Webster), of nearly 8,500 words outdoors on a cold, windy March day, and rode in the streets for the parade afterwards. The speech outlined his party’s (Whig) agenda, which was at least as boring as it sounds like it would be. While the inauguration did not actually kill him, it did not make him stronger, either. Harrison developed a respiratory ailment at the end of March, and died nine days later on April 4th.