Question

What do the circumstances of Coolidge's first inauguration say about inaugurations in general?

Answer 1

Answer:

Vice President Coolidge was visiting his family homestead in Vermont, which did not have electricity or a telephone, when he received word by messenger of Harding's death.[3] As the new president, Coolidge intended to take the oath of office and greet reporters who had assembled outside. He dressed in an upstairs bedroom, said a prayer, and came downstairs.[3]

In front of a small group of observers, including Coolidge's wife Grace and United States Representative Porter H. Dale, his father, John Calvin Coolidge Sr., a Vermont notary public and justice of the peace,[4] administered the oath of office. The swearing in took place in John Coolidge's family parlor by the light of a kerosene lamp at 2:47 a.m. on August 3, 1923; President Coolidge then went back to bed.

Dale was campaigning for the United States Senate when he heard of Harding's death. He traveled to John Coolidge's home with reporter Joe Fountain, Herbert P. Thompson, the commander of Springfield's American Legion Post, and labor union official L. L. Lane.[5] Dale had intended to ensure that Calvin Coolidge was informed that Harding had died, and to offer any assistance he could provide. As a result, Fountain was the only reporter present for the oath-taking.[6] By most accounts, it was Dale who suggested persistently that Coolidge be sworn in immediately to ensure continuity in the presidency. Dale later wrote an account of this event which was published as a magazine article.[7][8][9] The ceremony was recreated for photographers the following morning.[10] The site is now a state park.

Albert W. Harvey, the United States Marshal for the District of Vermont, arrived in Plymouth about three hours after Coolidge was sworn in.[11] Swiftly deputizing several local residents, he took the initiative to provide a bodyguard detail for Coolidge.[11] The guards remained with Coolidge until Secret Service agents from Boston took over the duty after they caught up to his train in Rutland while he was returning to Washington, D.C.

Explanation: