Trumping any transition trauma

Shortly after this column hits the newsstand, Donald Trump will have been sworn in, most of the parties will be over, and the movers will be adding up the bills for moving out and moving in. The outgoing family will be breathing a sigh of relief and the incoming family will be testing out the beds, looking for their laptops, and trying to find the bathrooms. Maybe they’ll be rethinking this idea of public service; but it is their victory, and we all wish them, and us, a peaceful transition.

It hasn’t always gone smoothly. For one thing, because of bad weather and horrible road conditions, the early inaugurations were held on March 4th. And we “marched forth” for many years until 1937 when the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution changed it to January 20th. 

For many years, the ceremony would begin at twelve noon with a speech by the vice president. Some of these speeches were long and drawn out. When Andrew Johnson, vice president during Abraham Lincoln’s second term, gave his speech; he was suffering from a rather serious illness and had taken some medicinal whiskey to cope. His speech was so slurred that Abraham Lincoln felt obligated to explain a few days later, “… Andy ain’t a drunkard.” I can just imagine that being tweeted out.

At Calvin Coolidge’s inauguration, the vice president gave amore rousing speech than “Cool Cal’s.” He got more press than the president. I would not like to be Vice President Pence if that were to happen on Friday, but not to worry. The Vice President is no longer required to give a speech. 

George Washington, who was inaugurated in New York City, gave a speech of only 135 words … quite a bit shorter than Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address. 

There will be partying in Washington, D.C., but it will probably not be as riotous as when Andrew Jackson had his big day. A recent widower and hero of the “common man,” Jackson walked from his hotel to the ceremony and then invited everyone over to the White House for the party. The “common folk” reacted in quite an uncommon manner. They came through the open windows, stepping on the upholstered furniture with their muddy boots, fought over the food and drink, and eventually had to be lured outside with tubs of beer. Jackson had to be spirited away to the safety of the hotel after he was almost suffocated by the crowd trying to shake his hand. 

We’ve had some rather cold weather this year, but back in 1889, President Harrison stood so long in the cold giving his eight-thousand-word speech that he came down with pneumonia and died within a month. James Buchanan came down with dysentery the day of his swearing-in. A doctor stood by, but he did pull through without too much embarrassment. 

However, inaugurations have seen a lot of death. During Grant’s big day, canaries were brought in to enhance the celebration. The temperature got down to four degrees, with a wind chill of minus fifteen, and over 100 birds froze to death. Years later some other birds fared poorly.  For President Nixon’s inauguration in 1973, there were fears that the pigeons would mess on the parade route. A chemical was sprayed along the streets to deter them. Hundreds of dead pigeons graced the route.

No matter what happens on Friday, January 20th, it will probably be more organized, better planned, and more sedate than some of the ceremonies that this country has witnessed. God bless America where transition is done decently and in order … most of the time.