Originally, Inauguration Day took place in a completely different month. Here's when and why it changed.
Here’s Why Inauguration Day Is on January 20
Updated on Jan. 03, 2025
Even though we vote in November, the newly elected president and other politicians don’t take office right away. In order to start serving the public officially, they first have to be inaugurated. This involves a ceremony where a politician takes an oath and is sworn into office, promising to faithfully execute their duties. Inaugurations happen on the national, state and local levels, but the most famous ceremony, by far, is the one for the President of the United States of America. So, when is Inauguration Day? And why does it take place so long after we’ve voted? Read on to find out the history of Inauguration Day.
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Why do we vote in November?
The best way to start answering this question is first to explain why we vote on a Tuesday in November. The short answer is that in 1845, Congress chose this day of the week to best accommodate churchgoers and farmers. The harvest would be over by November, and winter wouldn’t have arrived in full force, so November was deemed the best choice. With that set, Inauguration Day was another matter.
Why was Inauguration Day in March?
American presidents used to be inaugurated on March 4 out of necessity: back in the 1700s and 1800s, we didn’t have the technology to quickly tabulate votes like we do today. People had to count every vote by hand, report the results (which took a while in an era without phones and the Internet) and travel to the capital. So, a pretty lengthy lame-duck period was necessary to provide ample time for all of that to happen.
In fact, Inauguration Day was set as March 4, even before Election Day was specified. When the last Congress convened under the Articles of Confederation on Sept. 12, 1788, the body designated the first Wednesday in March as Inauguration Day—which, in 1789, when George Washington was sworn in, was March 4. However, because of winter weather, Washington wasn’t inaugurated until April 30, 1789. A few years later, in 1792, Congress passed legislation that established Inauguration on March 4. This date was officially codified with the ratification of the 12th Amendment on June 15, 1804.
Why was Inauguration Day moved up from March to January 20?
Because voting tabulation, communications and travel moved a lot faster in the 20th century. In 1933, Congress ratified the 20th Amendment, which moved Inauguration Day from March to January 20. The one exception to this rule is when January 20 falls on a Sunday. When that happened (in 1957, 1985 and 2013) it was an incumbent president being sworn in (Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, respectively), and they took the Oath of Office in the White House on the Sunday. However, the public inauguration took place on Monday, January 21.
In addition to the improvements in technology, the flaws of a four-month lame-duck period came into focus in late 1860 and early 1861, when lame-duck James Buchanan did nothing about the secession of southern states and escalating pre–Civil War conflict. Meanwhile, then-president-elect Abraham Lincoln couldn’t take action as he had not yet been officially inaugurated.
However, it was clear that there was still a need for some time between the election and the inauguration. Time was needed for the new administration to choose a cabinet and otherwise prepare for a peaceful transfer of power. Additionally, the struggles of the Great Depression had further proven the need for a shorter lame-duck period—between November 1932 and March 1933, Americans had to wait that much longer for Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s relief action as he and lame-duck Herbert Hoover barely even communicated. In 1937, after FDR was elected to a second term, he became the first president to be inaugurated on January 20.
Is Inauguration Day a federal holiday?
No, Inauguration Day is not a federal holiday. However, employees of the federal government who work in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area have the day off of work. Additionally, public schools in Washington, D.C. and the surrounding suburbs are also closed on Inauguration Day.
That said, 2025 is a little bit different: Inauguration Day happens to coincide with Martin Luther King Day—which is a federal holiday—so many people will have the day off this time around.
Sources:
- The White House Association. “The Origins of the March 4 Inauguration”
- UMKC School of Law: “The Constitution and the Inauguration of the President”
- US Office of Personnel Management. “Holidays Work Schedules and Pay”
- District of Columbia Public Schools. “Inauguration Day”
