The
oath of office of the President of the United States is the
oath or
affirmation prescribed by the
United States Constitution before the President begins the execution of the office. The wording is specified in
Article II, Section One, Clause 8:
Administration of the oath
While the Constitution does not mandate that anyone in particular should administer the presidential oath of office, it is typically administered by the
Chief Justice. There have been several exceptions, however.
George Washington was sworn into office during his
first inauguration, on April 30, 1789, by
Chancellor of New York Robert Livingston.
William Cranch, chief judge of the U.S. Circuit Court, administered the oath to
Millard Fillmore on July 10, 1850, when he became president after the death of
Zachary Taylor. Upon being informed of
Warren Harding's death, while visiting his
family home in
Plymouth Notch, Vermont,
Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as president by his father,
John Calvin Coolidge, Sr., a
notary public. Most recently,
Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes administered the oath of office to
Lyndon B. Johnson aboard
Air Force One after
John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963.