Presidential Trivia #106
- pete_prbell
- Mugwump53
- Mugwump53
- pete_prbell
- ossining
- Mugwump53
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» pete_prbell - Presidential Trivia #106
There has only been one occassion when the Senate pro-tempore has been technically acting president due to vacancies in the office of President and Vice President. Name the Senate pro-tempore involved, the date and the circumstances that lead to this.-- posted by pete_prbell
» Mugwump53 - Other Sundays
For the record, there were two other times when a President-elect declined to take the oath of office on the appointed date because it was a Sunday.
In 1821, James Monroe declined to be inaugurated on a Sunday, and did not take the oath until the following day. According to the idea that the President Pro Tempore of the Senate was acting Presiden for that one day, it would have been Senator John Gaillard of South Carolina.
In 1917, Woodrow Wilson declined to be inaugurated for his second term on a Sunday. the acting-President-for-a-day would have been Senator Willard Saulsbury of Delaware.
Rutherford B. Hayes also declined to be inaugurated on a Sunday, but President U.S. Grant had him to dinner on Saturday night and had him take the oath of office at midnight. He took the oath again, publicly, on Monday March 5th.
Just thought someone might be interested.
-- posted by Mugwump53
» pete_prbell - Re: Other Sundays
Indeed you are correct in saying that the circumstance that lead to this Presidents late inauguration was the fact that they did not inaugurate on a Sunday. However all the Presidents you mentioned were in fact inaugurated in private at the correct time and then inaugurated in public the following dayIn fact both Eisenhower and Reagan both followed this pattern when their inauguration fell on a Sunday. (The next to fall on a Sunday is 2013)
However, there was one President who declined to privately take the oath of office and waited till the Monday.
-- posted by pete_prbell
» ossining - Re: Re: Other Sundays
In response to message posted by pete_prbell:
March 4, 1849 fell on a Sunday. The outgoing president was James K. Polk. His Vice-President George M. Dallas stepped down from his position as president of the US Senate at the close of business day, Friday, March 2, 1849. US Senator David Rice Atchison from Missouri, president pro tempore of the Senate technically became president of the United States as the incoming president and vice-president, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore, did not take their oaths of office until Monday, March 5, 1849. I am told that Atchison's homestate of Missouri appropriated $15,000 for his gravestone monument that declares that he was, indeed, president for one day.
-- posted by ossining
» Mugwump53 - Re: Re: Other Sundays
In response to message posted by pete_prbell:Thank you for pointing out that the others took the oath in private on the correct date. I had never read that the others had taken the oath early, but you are correct. that leaves the one man in your question.
-- posted by Mugwump53
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