The Inauguration of President Harry S. Truman | January 20, 2026
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
The Inauguration of President Harry S. Truman
January 20, 1949
“EACH PERIOD OF OUR NATIONAL HISTORY HAS HAD ITS SPECIAL CHALLENGES. THOSE THAT CONFRONT US NOW ARE AS MOMENTOUS AS ANY IN THE PAST.”
President Harry S. Truman | 1949 Inaugural Address
ON JANUARY 20, 1949, Harry S. Truman delivered his Inaugural Address on the U.S. Capitol’s East Portico.
More than 100,000 people were gathered in the Capitol Plaza when he began his 2,272-word address with these words:
“Mr. Vice President, Mr. Chief Justice, fellow citizens:
“I accept with humility the honor which the American people have conferred upon me. I accept it with a resolve to do all that I can for the welfare of this Nation and for the peace of the world.
“In performing the duties of my office, I need the help and the prayers of every one of you. I ask for your encouragement and for your support. The tasks we face are difficult. We can accomplish them only if we work together.”
On that historic day, in the face of rising totalitarianism, Harry Truman shared the promise of our democracy and asked Americans to commit courageously to the ideals of liberty.
He loved this democracy and worked tirelessly to safeguard it for future generations. He showed us what it means to be Americans.
Harry Truman’s legacy of principled and decisive leadership is the standard that U.S. presidents have aspired to. It is an honor to work with you to preserve and advance that legacy. Not just for Harry, but for this great nation we love.
Read on for Truman’s historic inaugural message and fun facts from the inaugural celebration and ceremony.
EXPLORE THIS DAY IN HISTORY
THE FIRSTS
FIRST Inauguration to Include a Rabbi
Rabbi Samuel Thurman offered the Inauguration Day Prayer, calling on the divine to keep Truman’s “heart steadfast…and may this Nation, under his leadership, hold fast to its …ideals of freedom and justice for all.” Rabbi Thurman’s prayer
FIRST to Be Broadcast on Television
An estimated 10 million people tuned in. By some calculations, the 1949 inauguration had more witnesses than all previous presidential inaugurations combined. Historic footage
FIRST with an Air Parade
The inaugural parade, attended by an estimated 1.3 million people, included 600 warplanes that flew overhead.
FIRST Official Inaugural Ball
Correction: first in a very long time. Truman restarted the tradition of a ball, which had disappeared after the inauguration of William Howard Taft in 1909.
FIRST Racially Integrated Inauguration
President Truman ensured that all events and D.C. hotels were open to Black Americans. American soprano Dorothy Maynor, singer and actress Lena Horne, and jazz vibraphonist and pianist Lionel Hampton (pictured above, left to right) were the first Black American artists in our nation’s history to perform at an inaugural event.
THE CELEBRATION
“SPLENDIFEROUS!”
In 1949, the inaugural celebration spanned an entire week, January 16-23. The New York Times described it as “the most splendiferous since Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to lift the pall of gloom of 1933 with brave words proclaiming the New Deal.”
So sure had the Republican Congress been of Dewey’s victory that they allocated $80,000 for the festivities. In today’s dollars, that’s a whopping $1,031,200. The Democrats decided to spend every cent, including $3,950 for fireworks, $7,600 for commemorative medals and souvenirs, and $29,000 for the Inaugural Ball.
More than pomp, circumstance and celebration, Inauguration Day is a crucial moment in American democracy that allows for a peaceful transfer of power.
ABOVE, RIGHT TO LEFT: President Harry S. Truman; Vice President Alben Barkley and his daughter, Marian Barkley Truitt; Margaret Truman; and First Lady Bess Wallace Truman
Click above, then scroll for more inauguration photos on TrumanLibrary.gov.
THE OATH
ALL HAIL PRESIDENT . . . BARKLEY?
For six minutes, on January 20, 1949, Alben W. Barkley was America’s commander in chief, not Harry Truman.
What happened? Blame members of Congress, according to one analysis.
The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that a president’s term ends at noon on January 20, following a presidential election.
On January 20, 1949, several members of Congress arrived 10 minutes late for the ceremony, then took another 10 minutes to take their seats. The hold-up pushed Vice President Barkley’s swearing-in to 12:23 p.m. Technically, Barkley served as president for six minutes until Truman took the oath office, administered by Chief Justice Fred Vinson, at 12:29 p.m.
Two Bibles were used—the Bible used at the swearing-in of President Truman on April 12, 1945, and a replica of the Gutenberg Bible, presented for the occasion by the citizens of Truman’s hometown, Independence, Missouri.
The Gutenberg was open at Exodus 20:3-17 (the Ten Commandments), and the inaugural Bible to Matthew 5:3-11 (“blessed are the poor in spirit”), with its reminder to approach life and others without pride, self-righteousness and self-conceit.
THE SPEECH
Click the video above for highlights.
FOR A BETTER WORLD
During President Harry Truman’s inaugural address, also known as the Four Points Speech, he asked Americans to “embark on a bold new program for making the benefits of our scientific advances and industrial progress available for the improvement and growth of underdeveloped areas.”
In 1949 the need for American aid in the world was great. European and Asian nations were still recovering from the destruction left behind by WWII. Other areas in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia were gaining their independence after centuries of control by European countries. Harry Truman knew that when people struggle and suffer they are more likely to be dominated by stronger powers. He also knew that United States was the only country in the world positioned to help.
READ TRUMAN’S INAUGURAL ADDRESS
“TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING NOT ONLY OF A NEW ADMINISTRATION, BUT OF A PERIOD THAT WILL BE EVENTFUL, PERHAPS DECISIVE, FOR US AND THE WORLD.”
President Harry S. Truman | 1949 Inaugural Address