Inauguration of Gerald Ford
The swearing in of President Gerald Ford by Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger
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| Date | August 9, 1974 |
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| Location |
Washington, D.C. East Room, White House |
| Participants |
President of the United States, Gerald Ford |
The inauguration of Gerald Ford as the 38th President of the United States was held on August 9, 1974, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., following the resignation of President Richard Nixon. The inauguration marked the commencement of Gerald Ford's only term (a partial term of 2 years, 164 days) as President. Chief Justice Warren Burger administered the oath of office. The Bible upon which Ford recited the oath was held by his wife, Betty Ford, open to Proverbs 3:5-6.
While this was the ninth non-scheduled, extraordinary inauguration to take place since the presidency was established in 1789, it was the first to take place because the incumbent had resigned from office. Ford had become Vice President on December 6, 1973, after the resignation of Spiro Agnew. He was the first person appointed to the vice presidency under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment. Thus, when he succeeded Nixon, Ford became the first (and to date only) person to have held both the office of Vice President and President without having been elected to either.
In a televised Oval Office speech on August 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon, who was facing impeachment proceedings for his role in the Watergate scandal and alleged cover-up, announced to the nation that he would resign the Presidency of the United States "effective at noon tomorrow [August 9]." At 9:00 am the following morning, Nixon gave a farewell talk to an East Room assembly of White House staff and selected dignitaries, including the Cabinet and Vice President Ford. It was an emotional event, with President Nixon nearly breaking down a number of times. When it was finished, Vice President Ford escorted the President and First Lady to an Army helicopter, where the President waved his famous "v-sign" before flying off to Air Force One and a flight to "exile" in California. The nuclear codes were left with Ford.
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