Joshua Paschal

The image above is from the restored Old Senate Chamber (From the Architect of the Capitol’s Office), but what does the Old Senate Chamber have to do with the inauguration of the U.S. President?

Our story for today is about the first inauguration of James Monroe (5th President of the United States) in 1917. For those that are unaware, the U.S. Capitol has been razed only a few years earlier by the British in the War of 1812. During the war, the conflict had not been popular, often being referred to as “Mr. Madison’s War.” But the war had also made James Monroe a hero: as both Secretary of State and acting Secretary of War from around 1814, Monroe had rallied the defense of the Capitol and helped turn the tide of the war from a likely crushing defeat to an armistice (largely considered by the U.S. population then and now as a victory). As the American public often looked at the War of 1812 as the Second Revolutionary War (it is where we get the national anthem), in some ways James Monroe was a Second George Washington (only a mild exaggeration). This is why Monroe had defeated Federalist Rufus King by more than 2-to-1 in the popular vote: the Federalists had not even launched a national campaign due to the insurmountable challenge of defeating Monroe.

A witty reader may assume, now, that the inauguration was outside out of necessity. If the House of Representatives Chamber had been scorched, of course they moved outside! But this is not why: the Congress had moved into a temporary building, the “Old Brick Capitol,” where Monroe’s inauguration ended up being, albeit outside. For more on that building, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Brick_Capitol

The reason why Monroe’s inauguration was held outside was political spite–some would even call it plain pettiness. As the Speaker of the House, Henry Clay had the authority to dictate what the temporary House Chamber, the only room large enough to host the inauguration, was used for. By proxy, Monroe and Clay entered into an also proxy dispute: Clay refused to allow the nicer chairs of the Senate Chamber (likely like those in the featured picture) to be brought into the House Chamber for use.

This was merely an excuse: Henry Clay had supported the war effort and was thus one of Monroe’s closest allies when the war was being lost and thus unpopular. So, Henry Clay had expected to be made the Secretary of State: a position, at the time, many treated as leading to the Presidency. Indeed, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe had all been Secretaries of State. But Monroe snuffed Clay of the position: a move that would later lead Henry Clay into being one of the first leaders of the new National Republic Party (which later become the Whig Party). Indeed, Clay would mount three unsuccessful bids for the Presidency: in 1824 in a crowded field of 4 as a National Republican (4th at 13%), in 1832 as a National Republican (2nd at 37.4%), and in 1844 as a Whig, losing to James K. Polk by 1.4% of the popular vote, his best performance. Had Monroe made Clay his Secretary of State over John Quincy Adams, Clay would have likely been the 6th President of the United States, and likely would have also denied Andrew Jackson the Presidency (that or Jackson would have won in 1824 and been 6th, not 7th).

So, because Henry Clay was being petty, James Monroe’s camp hosted the inauguration outside. The tradition has since stuck, for the most part, even in spite of a President getting pneumonia following a multiple-hour speech and dying a month later (Henry Harrison).

I was made aware of this story by the podcast “Wicked Game,” so consider this a credit to them and a recommendation. It covers the story of every U.S. Presidential election, focusing in on the party dynamics. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys stories about history, as it focuses in more on the narrative than on the details of dates and numbers, plus it is an easy listen.

And that is why Biden’s inauguration will be held outside, to keep a tradition that started out of spite to Congress. Truly American in that sense.