Fourth inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt

The fourth inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as President of the United States was held on Saturday, January 20, 1945. The inauguration marked the commencement of the fourth term of Franklin D. Roosevelt as president and the only term of Harry S. Truman as Vice President. This was the first and only time a president has been inaugurated for a fourth term. (The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1951, limits the number of times a person can be elected president to two.) Roosevelt died  days into this term, and Truman succeeded to the presidency.

Due to austerity measures in effect during World War II, the inauguration was held on the South Portico of the White House, rather than the Capitol. The parade and other festivities were canceled as well. The oath was administered by Chief Justice Harlan F. Stone and the subsequent address was one of the shortest on record. This was also the last time that the outgoing Vice President swore in his successor, which had previously been the practice.

See also
Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt
First inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Second inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Third inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt
1944 United States presidential election

Notes

Newsreel footage of Roosevelt's 1945 inauguration from C-SPAN (via YouTube)
Text of Roosevelt's Fourth Inaugural Address
Audio of Roosevelt's Fourth Inaugural Address (via YouTube)

Roosevelt, Franklin 1945
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Inauguration 1945
Category:White House
Category:January 1945 events