Franklin D. Roosevelt Takes the Oath of Office at his First Inauguration

Franklin D. Roosevelt takes the oath of office at his first inauguration. The now famous line from his first Inaugural Address, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” actually received little reaction from the crowd. It was also during his first Inaugural Address that FDR proclaimed, “This nation asks for action, and action now.”

In 1933, the 20th Amendment was passed to shorten the transition time between administrations. As a result, the official inaugural date was changed to January 20. Franklin D. Roosevelt became the last President to be sworn-in on March 4 for his first inauguration in 1933, and the first to take the oath on January 20 in 1937.