--- title: Presidential Inaugurations: Rare and Classic LIFE Photos, 1933 - 1969 description: On the occasion of Barack Obama's second inauguration, LIFE.com offers a series of pictures — some classic, some that never ran in LIFE — of inaugural ceremonies from Roosevelt through Nixon. canonical: https://time.com/3875609/life-at-the-inaugurations-rare-and-classic-photos-1933-1969/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-01-21T20:49:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:03:53.844Z og:title: Presidential Inaugurations: Rare and Classic LIFE Photos, 1933 - 1969 og:description: On the occasion of Barack Obama's second inauguration, LIFE.com offers a series of pictures — some classic, some that never ran in LIFE — of inaugural ceremonies from Roosevelt through Nixon. og:url: https://time.com/3875609/life-at-the-inaugurations-rare-and-classic-photos-1933-1969/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ab001e7e548601b/69884914524fc07296df1df9/28_269444.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: Kennedy 1961 Inauguration og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Presidential Inaugurations: Rare and Classic LIFE Photos, 1933 - 1969 twitter:description: On the occasion of Barack Obama's second inauguration, LIFE.com offers a series of pictures — some classic, some that never ran in LIFE — of inaugural ceremonies from Roosevelt through Nixon. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ab001e7e548601b/69884914524fc07296df1df9/28_269444.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # LIFE at Inaugurations: Rare and Classic Photos, 1933 - 1969 > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Jan 21, 2013 8:49 PM UTC  President John Kennedy watches former President Harry Truman sign an autograph for him at the inaugural luncheon, 1961. President John Kennedy watches former President Harry Truman sign an autograph for him at the inaugural luncheon, 1961. Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Jan 21, 2013 8:49 PM UTC An American presidential inauguration might not carry the same drama and suspense that election night sometimes does, but even for those who have been through it all before — Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Ike, Clinton, Obama and others who were re-elected — the inaugural ceremonies offer, at the very least, a chance to set the tone for the four years to come. In fact, several inaugural addresses (FDR’s first, Lincoln’s first and his second, JFK’s in 1961) are now considered among the greatest American political speeches in history — declamations that managed to at-once capture and shape the mood of the era in which they were delivered. Will any future president ever write and utter more powerful words than those spoken by Lincoln — and addressed, unambiguously, to the secessionist Confederate State of America — on the eve of the Civil War? “I am loath to close,” he said at his oath-taking in March 1861\. “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” But beyond the politics, the occasional poetry, the pomp and the circumstance of these quasi-coronations, there is also the quite obvious fact that for many of the men and women (and sometimes the children) who attend an inauguration, it’s a party. It might not be an intimate party, or a let-it-all-hang-out party; but the opportunity to witness, in person — along with several thousand other folks — the peaceful transition of power in the most powerful country in the world is a rare and even, at times, a moving treat. [**\[See TIME.com’s “Obama’s Inauguration: Who’s Who in the Ceremony.”\]**](http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/01/18/obamas-inauguration-whos-who-in-the-ceremony/) It is a spectacle, for sure: but it is a spectacle that, at least in theory, celebrates the notion that the most powerful human being on the planet works for _us_. Here, on the occasion of President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, LIFE.com offers a series of pictures — some classic, some that never ran in LIFE — of the inaugural ceremonies from presidents Roosevelt through Nixon. The span of time covered here coincides, more or less, with the years in which LIFE magazine published as a weekly. The photos themselves, meanwhile, offer a fascinating glimpse into the myriad ways that American culture — its politics, fashions, media, etc. — has changed, and how much has remained weirdly, and comfortingly, the same. _— Ben Cosgrove is the Editor of LIFE.com_  Not originally published in LIFE. Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration, 1953. Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. A crowd of 40,000 stands in the rain to witness Franklin D. Roosevelt's first inauguration, 1933. Margaret Bourke-White—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Franklin Roosevelt's second inauguration, 1937. Thomas McAvoy—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Franklin Roosevelt's third inauguration, 1941. Thomas McAvoy—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Franklin Roosevelt's third inauguration, 1941. Thomas McAvoy—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Crowd at Franklin Roosevelt's third inauguration, 1941. Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Vice President Harry S. Truman (right) sits in the background as President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his fourth inaugural address, 1945. George Skadding—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Fred McDuff (in white suit), a member of the "1,000 Club" -- those who contributed at least $1,000 to the 1944 Roosevelt-Truman campaign -- attends FDR's 1945 inauguration. Ed Clark—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Harry Truman (left) rides with Vice President Alben Barkley during the 1949 inauguration parade. George Skadding—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Spectators enjoy the celebrations during the 1949 inauguration parade. George Skadding—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Scene at Harry Truman's 1949 inauguration. Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Harry Truman shares a laugh with Vice President Alben Barkley during his inaugural dinner. Thomas McAvoy—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Dwight D. Eisenhower is sworn in by Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson, 1953. George Skadding—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Eisenhower inaugural, 1953. Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Eisenhower inaugural, 1953. Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Photographers at the Eisenhower inaugural, 1953. Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. The crowd watches Dwight Eisenhower's inaugural parade, 1953. Cornell Capa—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. President Dwight D. Eisenhower (re-elected) and his wife, Mamie, greet crowds along the inaugural parade route, 1957. Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. President Dwight Eisenhower, Inauguration Day, 1957. Ed Clark—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  President Dwight Eisenhower and Vice President Richard M. Nixon toast one another on Inauguration Day, 1957. Ed Clark—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Building the viewer stands ahead of John F. Kennedy's inauguration, 1961. Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. JFK's inauguration, 1961. Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. JFK's inauguration, 1961. Joe Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. John F. Kennedy, his wife Jackie and others walk to his inauguration, January 1961. Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Dwight Eisenhower shakes hands with poet Robert Frost after Frost recited one of his poems from memory at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy in 1961\. (The glare of January sunlight on his papers made it impossible for Frost to read a new poem he had written expressly for the event.) George Silk—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Crows at JFK's inauguration, 1961. Joe Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. President-elect John F. Kennedy (third from left) at his inauguration. Others, from left: Jackie Kennedy, turned to someone behind her; President Dwight Eisenhower; on the right, Vice-President-elect Lyndon Johnson and outgoing VP Richard Nixon. Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  President John Kennedy watches former President Harry Truman sign an autograph for him at the inaugural luncheon, 1961. Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  John and Jackie Kennedy in the Presidential Box overlooking the crowd during JFK's Inaugural Ball, January 1961. Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Lyndon Johnson's inauguration, 1965. John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson at the presidential inauguration in 1965. Stan Wayman—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, attend inaugural festivities with Vice President Hubert Humphrey (second from right) and his wife, Muriel, in 1965. Stan Wayman—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Richard Nixon's inauguration, 1969. Arthur Schatz—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Anti-war protestors at Richard Nixon's inauguration, 1969. Bill Eppridge—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Richard Nixon waves from his limo on the way to his inauguration, 1969. Henry Groskinsky—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. President Richard Nixon and his wife, Patricia, attend his Inaugural Ball, 1969. Arthur Schatz—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Governor of California Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, at Richard Nixon's Inaugural Ball, 1969. Arthur Schatz—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  After Harry Truman's inauguration, Washington, D.C., 1949. 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