What Presidents Took the Oath of Office the Most Number of Times?

FDR’s 4th oath of office

When we think about which presidents took the oath of office the most number of times, obviously Franklin D. Roosevelt immediately comes to mind. FDR was elected to an unprecedented four terms as president and took the oath of office four times: March 4, 1933, January 20, 1937, January 20, 1941, and January 20, 1945.

Obama ties FDR: On the surface, that would seem to make Roosevelt the record holder, except that due to a couple of historical quirks, Barack Obama is actually tied with FDR’s record. How can that be?

1st Obama Oath of Office: When Obama was elected to his first term as president in 2008, he took the oath of office on January 20, 2009 from Chief Justice John Roberts. This was Roberts’ first time swearing in a president and he flubbed his debut. Roberts prompted Obama in the oath of office, but made two mistakes. First, he got the order of the words wrong from what is required by the Constitution by misplacing the word “faithfully.” Roberts actually prompted Obama to use the word “faithfully” in two different places in the oath. Second, in his initial prompt Roberts said “president to the United States” instead of “president of the United States.” The Constitution calls for the oath of office to include the phrase “that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States.”

Click here for a video of Obama taking the oath of office. Here’s how the critical part of the exchange went between the two men:

Roberts: that I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully…
Obama: that I will execute…
Roberts: faithfully the office of president of the United States…
Obama: the office of president of the United States faithfully…

Obama re-taking oath in 2009

2nd Obama Oath of Office: Because of concerns that someone might challenge the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency since he had not taken the exact oath of office prescribed by the Constitution, Obama took the oath of office a second time in the White House Map Room at 7:35 p.m. on January 21, 2009. Four aides, four reporters, and the White House photographer witnessed the second oath of office ceremony. This time, Roberts and Obama got it right, after Obama said to the Chief Justice that this time “we’re going to do it very slowly.”

3rd Obama Oath of Office: Because January 20, 2013 fell on a Sunday, in keeping with historical tradition, for his second term Obama took the oath of office privately on Sunday at 11:55 a.m. in the White House Blue Room. The oath of office was again administered by Chief Justice Roberts, and was attended by Obama’s family and the media. Click here for a video showing the flawless administration of the oath of office.

4th Obama Oath of Office: On Monday, January 21, 2013, in the public ceremony and celebration of Obama’s re-election as president, the President again took the oath of office from the Chief Justice. This time, Obama stumbled. When he came to the part “that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States,” he only got out part of the word “States” and froze up, grimacing as he realized he had flubbed it. It’s a good thing, Obama had already taken the oath officially in private the day before so he didn’t have to repeat it again! Click here to watch the video of him taking the oath of office (and his inaugural address).

Wilson takes oath in 1913

Presidents who took oath 3 times: Four presidents (Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan) have each taken the oath of office three times.

Wilson took oath 3 times: Woodrow Wilson, who was elected to two terms as president took the oath of office three times. This was due to the fact that March 4, 1917, the day his second term began, fell on a Sunday. In keeping with historical tradition, Wilson took the oath of office privately on March 4, 1917 in the President’s Room at the U.S. Capitol, and then again publicly on March 5, 1917. And, of course, he took the oath for his first term on March 4, 1913.

Coolidge took oath 3 times: Surprisingly, Calvin Coolidge, who was elected to only one term as president, ended up taking the oath of office three times.

Coolidge takes the oath in 1925

1st Coolidge Oath of Office: Calvin Coolidge, who ascended to the presidency upon the death of President Warren Harding, took the initial oath of office at 2:47 a.m. on August 3, 1923 by kerosene lamp at the family homestead in Plymouth, Vermont. The oath was administered by his father, John Calvin Coolidge, who was a notary public. It was a quintisential American setting and the nation loved the fact that Coolidge was woken up in the middle of the night to take the oath in such a humble setting.

2nd Coolidge Oath of Office: But there were concerns about the authority of his father, who was not a federal official, to administer the oath so it was repeated. Not wishing to loose some of the positive publicity resulting from the quaint setting for the initial oath, Coolidge therefore did not publicize the fact that he repeated the oath of office on August 21, 1923 at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC. The oath was administered by Justice Adolph August Hoehling of the District of Columbia Supreme Court.

3rd Coolidge Oath of Office: The third time Coolidge took the oath of office was on March 4, 1925 after he had won election in his own right to the presidency. For the first time ever, the oath was administered by a former president, William Howard Taft, who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

1957 private oath to Ike

Eisenhower took oath 3 times: Dwight Eisenhower, who was elected to two terms as president also took the oath of office three times. This was due to the fact that January 20, 1957, the day his second term began, fell on a Sunday. In keeping with historical tradition, Eisenhower took the oath of office privately on January 20, 1957 in the White House East Room, and then again publicly on January 21, 1957. He took the oath of office the first time for his first term on January 20, 1953.

Reagan took oath 3 times: Ronald Reagan, who was elected to two terms as president also took the oath of office three times. This was also due to the fact that inauguration day for his second term, January 20, 1985, fell on a Sunday. In keeping with historical tradition, Reagan took the oath of office privately on January 20, 1985 in the North Entrance Hall of the White House, and then again publicly on January 21, 1985 in the U.S. Capital Rotunda, a concession to the bitterly cold weather that day. He took the oath of office the first time for his first term on January 20, 1981.