When Inauguration Day Falls on a Sunday

When Barack Obama’s second term as president begins on January 20, 2013, it will mark only the seventh time in our nation’s history that Inauguration Day has fallen on a Sunday. Traditionally, official inaugural ceremonies have not been held on Sundays.

In two of the instances of a Sunday inauguration days, the president-elect has postponed the oath of office until the next day, while in the other four cases, they were sworn in during a private ceremony on Sunday (or Saturday in one case), followed by a public ceremony on Monday.

Postponed Oath of Office:

James Monroe on Monday, March 5, 1821 (second term)
Zachary Taylor on Monday, March 5, 1849 (first term)

Dual Oath of Office:

Rutherford Hayes on Saturday, March 3, 1877 in private and on Monday, March 5, 1877 in public (first term)
Woodrow Wilson on Sunday, March 4, 1917 in private and on Monday, March 5, 1917 in public (second term)
Dwight Eisenhower on Sunday, January 20, 1957 in private and on Monday, January 21, 1957 in public (second term)
Ronald Reagan on Sunday, January 20, 1985 in private and on Monday, January 21, 1985 in public (second term)

Obama: President Obama will be sworn in for a second term at noon on Sunday, January 20, 2013 in a private ceremony, to be followed by the public ceremonies on Monday, January 21, 2013.