Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural
Ceremonies: History, Membership, and
Inaugural Activities
Updated July 15, 2020
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R42603

Joint Inaugural Committee: History, Membership, and Inaugural Activities

Summary
Every four years, at noon on January 20, the President-elect is sworn in as President of the United
States. The year before the inauguration, Congress establishes the Joint Congressional Committee
on Inaugural Ceremonies. The Joint Inaugural Committee is responsible for the planning and
execution of the swearing-in ceremony and hosting an inaugural luncheon for the President and
Vice President at the U.S. Capitol. In recent years, the inaugural ceremony has been held at the
U.S. Capitol, with the swearing-in ceremony on the West Front Steps and special events held in
the Rotunda and Emancipation Hal of the Capitol Visitor Center.
The tradition of authorizing a Joint Inaugural Committee dates to 1901 for the inauguration of
President Wil iam McKinley. At that time, the House and Senate authorized that inaugural
expenses be paid by the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate
and created a committee of three Representatives and three Senators appointed by the President
pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. Since 1901, the Joint Inaugural
Committee has been authorized quadrennial y.
On June 26, 2020, Congress authorized the Joint Inaugural Committee for the 2021 Inauguration
when the House agreed to S.Con.Res. 38, which had previously been agreed to in the Senate.
Representing the Senate on the 2021 Joint Inaugural Committee are Senator Roy Blunt, chair of
the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration; Senator Mitch McConnel , Senate majority
leader; and Senator Amy Klobuchar, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Rules and
Administration. Representing the House of Representatives are Speaker of the House Nancy
Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
This report provides historical information on the Joint Inaugural Committee, including the
committee’s origin, membership, leadership, staffing, and inaugural activities.
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Joint Inaugural Committee: History, Membership, and Inaugural Activities

Introduction
Every four years, on January 20 at noon, the President-elect is sworn in as President of the United
States. Pursuant to the Constitution, the next presidential inauguration is set for Wednesday,
January 20, 2021.1 Each year prior to an inauguration, Congress authorizes the creation of the
Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (Joint Inaugural Committee). The Joint
Inaugural Committee is responsible for the planning and execution of the swearing-in ceremony
and for hosting an inaugural luncheon for the President and Vice President at the U.S. Capitol.2
The 2021 Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies was authorized by the 116th
Congress (2019-2020) when S.Con.Res. 38 was agreed to on June 26, 2020.3 Pursuant to the
concurrent resolution, the Joint Inaugural Committee consists of three Senators, appointed by the
President of the Senate, and three Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House. The
resolution further authorizes the committee “to make the necessary arrangements for the
inauguration of the President-elect and the Vice President-elect of the United States.”4
This report provides a history of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,
including committee membership, staffing, and inaugural activities.
Origin of the Joint Inaugural Committee
In 1901, Congress established the first Joint Inaugural Committee for the inauguration of
President Wil iam McKinley.5 The Senate supervised inaugural ceremonies prior to 1901. Sole
responsibility for inaugural preparation and supervision had been a Senate function because of its
standing as a continuing legislative body, whereas the House must organize anew at the beginning
of each Congress.6 The relevance of this consideration was particularly evident during the times
when the inauguration occurred on March 4, the same day a new Congress convened.7 There is no
evidence indicating that the House seriously challenged this reasoning until 1901.
Inaugural Organization Prior to 1901
The Senate and House first agreed on a joint resolution cal ing for the creation of a Joint
Inaugural Committee “consisting of three Senators and three Representatives .. to make the
necessary arrangements for the inauguration of the President-elect and Vice President-elect of the
United States” in 1901. The resolution cal ed for the members of the joint committee “to be

1 National Archives, “20th Amendment,” Constitution of the United States, http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/
constitution_amendments_11-27.html.
2 Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, http://inaugural.senate.gov.
3 “Establishing the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,” Congressional Record, daily edition,
vol. 166 (May 6, 2020), p. S2296; and “Establishing the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,”
Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 166 (June 26, 2020), p. H2557.
4 S.Con.Res. 38 (116th Congress), agreed to June 26, 2020.
5 “Inaugural Arrangements,” Congressional Record, vol. 34, part 2 (February 5, 1901), p. 1923; and “Inauguration
Arrangements,” Congressional Record, vol. 34, part 2 (February 5, 1901), p. 1960.
6 Senator John Sherman, “Inaugural Ceremonies,” remarks in the Senate, Congressional Record, vol. 16, part 3 (March
2, 1885), p. 2390.
7 T he ratification of the T wentieth Amendment in January 1933, moved inauguration day to January 2 0 and the
beginning of Congress to January 3.
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appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives respectively.”8
Initial House debate on the Joint Inaugural Committee was limited. It was focused not on making
the House an equal partner for planning the ceremonies, but rather on what House Members felt
was historical discrimination against the chamber with regard to their seating at the rear of the
inaugural platform. The issue was first raised in February 1885, when Representative Roger Q.
Mil s introduced a resolution proposing that the House “decline to take any part” in that year’s
inaugural ceremonies because the Senate committee appointed to arrange the inaugural
ceremonies had declined to give House Members their proper place. Following a relatively short
debate, the House rejected Mil s’s resolution by a 185 to 55 margin.9 That year, nevertheless, the
Speaker of the House appointed three Members of the House to cooperate with the Senate
inaugural committee. The trio, however, had virtual y no involvement in the ceremonies.10
On the eve of the next inaugural (1889), Representative Newton C. Blanchard revived the issue of
what he cal ed the “inferior position assigned the members of the House and to members-elect” at
the inaugural ceremonies. Blanchard’s resolution declared that the place assigned to “members of
the House of Representatives and members-elect” at the inauguration of the President “should be
equal and similar to that of members of the Senate.” Look at the official program, he told his
House colleagues, and you “wil see that a place is assigned to the members of the Senate at least
three degrees higher in honor and dignity than the place assigned to members of the House of
Representatives.”11 The Senate Inaugural Committee had also given Senators five tickets for the
inaugural platform, while providing Representatives with only two tickets. The resolution was
agreed to at the conclusion of Blanchard’s remarks, but at his suggestion was not communicated
to the Senate:
I did not think [it] proper to include in the resolution any direction that it should be
communicated to the Senate. I considered it the proper and perhaps the more dignified
course to simply assert the principle that the House of Representatives have a right to an
equal share in these arrangements with the Senate, and to let that go on record as the
judgment of the House, so that in the future, when arrangements are to be made for other
inaugurations of Presidents, the Senate will take cognizance of the fact that this protest and
this declaration of the principle involved and of the rights of the House was adopted by this
House of Representatives.12
Creating the First Joint Inaugural Committee
More than a decade would pass before the issue of House involvement in the inaugural
ceremonies reemerged. In 1901, when the question was revisited, a different strategy was used.
Representative John Dalzel , who led the effort, focused on modifying the joint resolution

8 “Inaugural Arrangements,” House debate, Congressional Record, vol. 34, part 2 (January 17, 1901), p. 1125; and
“Inaugural Arrangements,” Senate debate, Congressional Record, vol. 34, part 2 (February 4, 1901), p. 1901.
9 “Privileges of Representatives in Inaugural Ceremonies,” House debate, Congressional Record, vol. 16, part 3 (March
2, 1885), p. 2406; and “Privilege of the House-Inaugural Ceremonies,” House debate, Congressional Record, vol. 16,
part 3 (March 2, 1885), pp. 2406-2410.
10 Representative Charles Baker, “Arrangements for the Inauguration,” House debate, Congressional Record, vol. 20,
part 3 (March 2, 1889), p. 2716. Although the Congressional Record of 1885 does not acknowledge the appointmen t of
the committee, Representative Charles Baker provided this information during the 1889 House debate.
11 Representative Newton C. Blanchard, “Arrangements for the Inauguration,” House debate, Congressional Record,
vol. 20, part 3 (March 2, 1889), p. 2715 .
12 “Arrangements for the Inauguration,” House debate, Congressional Record, vol. 20, part 3 (March 2, 1889), p. 2716.
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appropriating funds for the inaugural ceremony. He proposed that when the House Appropriations
Committee reported the funding resolution, which had originated in the Senate, it include
language cal ing for an inaugural program adopted by a joint committee of the Senate and House,
rather than just the Senate.
The subsequently reported resolution stipulated that the Secretary of the Senate, as wel as the
Clerk of the House, were authorized to pay expenses associated with the inauguration of the
President. The same day, a resolution introduced by Representative Henry H. Bingham was
agreed to authorizing the creation of a joint inaugural committee “consisting of three Senators and
three Representatives, to be appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate and Speaker of
the House, respectively.” Following conference committee deliberations on the funding
resolution, the Senate agreed to appropriation language approved by the House as wel as the
House resolution cal ing for the creation of the first joint inaugural committee.13
Authorizing the 2021 Joint Inaugural Committee
On June 26, 2020, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies was authorized
for the 2021 inauguration.14 S.Con.Res. 38, the resolution creating the Joint Inaugural Committee,
is identical, except for the date, to previous authorizing resolutions:
SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT COMMITTEE.
There is established a Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (in this
resolution referred to as the “joint committee”) consisting of 3 Senators and 3 Members of
the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the President of the Senate and the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively. The joint committee is authorized
to make the necessary arrangements for the inauguration of the President-elect and Vice
President-elect of the United States on January 20, 2021.
SEC. 2. SUPPORT OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE.
The joint committee—
(1) is authorized to utilize appropriate equipment and the s ervices of appropriate personnel
of departments and agencies of the Federal Government, under arrangements between the
joint committee and the heads of those departments and agencies, in connection with the
inaugural proceedings and ceremonies; and(2) may accept gifts and donations of goods and
services to carry out its responsibilities.15
Committee Membership
Since 1901, when the first Joint Inaugural Committee was authorized, membership on the
committee has consisted of three Senators and three Members of the House of Representatives.

13 “Inaugural Expenses, March 4, 1901,” House debate, Congressional Record, vol. 34, part 2 (January 15, 1901), p.
1033; “Inaugural Expenses, March 4, 1901,” House debate, Congressional Record, vol. 34, part 2 (January 16, 1901),
pp. 1105-1106; “ Inaugural Arrangements,” Senate debate, Congressional Record, vol. 34, part 2 (January 18, 1901), p.
1161; “Expenses of the Inaugural Ceremonies of the President and Vice President,” House debate, Congressional
Record, vol. 34, part 2 (February 2, 1901), p. 1862; and “ Inaugural Arrangements,” Senate debate, Congressional
Record, vol. 34, part 2 (February 4, 1901), p. 1901. Also, see 31 Stat. 1461, February 8, 1901.
14 “Establishing the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,” Congressional Record, daily edition,
vol. 166 (May 6, 2020), p. S2296; and “Establishing the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,”
Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 166 (June 26, 2020), p. H2557.
15 S.Con.Res. 38 (116th Congress), agreed to June 26, 2020.
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Currently, appointments to the committee are made by the President of the Senate and the
Speaker of the House respectively. Appointments are general y for the length of committee
activities. For House committee members, however, reappointment is necessary because an
intervening election occurs between initial appointment and the inaugural ceremony. The need to
reappoint committee members does not general y apply to the Senate, unless a Senate committee
member leaves the chamber in the intervening election.
Senate Membership
Senate membership on the Joint Inaugural Committee is appointed by the President of the
Senate,16 pursuant to authority granted in the authorizing resolution. Past practice has been for the
President of the Senate to appoint the chair and ranking member of the Senate Committee on
Rules and Administration, and the Senate majority leader. For the 2021 inauguration, the
President of the Senate appointed Senator Roy Blunt, chair of the Senate Committee on Rules and
Administration; Senator Amy Klobuchar, the committee’s ranking member; and Senator Mitch
McConnel , Senate majority leader.17 Table 1 lists al Senators on the Joint Inaugural Committee
since 1901.
Table 1. Senate Membership on the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural
Ceremonies, 1901-2021
Inaugural Year
Majority Members
Minority Members
1901
Marcus A. Hanna (R-OH)*
James K. Jones (D-AR)
John C. Spooner (R-WI)
1905
John C. Spooner (R-WI)*
Augustus O. Bacon (D-GA)
Nelson W. Aldrich (R-RI)
1909
Phlander C. Knox (R-PA)*
Augustus O. Bacon (D-GA)
Henry Cabot Lodge (R-MA)
1913
Augustus O. Bacon (D-GA)
W. Murray Crane (R-MA)*a
Lee S. Overman (D-NC)
1917
Lee S. Overman (D-NC)*
Francis E. Warren (R-WY)
Hoke Smith (D-GA)
1921
Philander C. Knox (R-PA)*
Lee S. Overman (D-NC)
Knute Nelson (R-MN)
1925
Charles Curtis (R-KS)*
Lee S. Overman (D-NC)
Frederick Hale (R-ME)
1929
George H. Moses (R-NH)*
Lee S. Overman (D-NC)
Frederick Hale (R-ME)
1933
George H. Moses (R-NH)
Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR)*
Frederick Hale (R-ME)
1937
Matthew M. Neely (D-WV)*
Frederick Hale (R-ME)
Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR)

16 Pursuant to Article I, Section 3, clause 4, the Vice President of the United States serves as the President of the
Senate. For more information, see U.S. Congress, Senate, The Constitution of the United States of Am erica , 111th
Cong., 2nd sess., S.Doc. 111-39 (Washington: GPO, 2010).
17 “Appointment,” Congressional Record, vol. 166 (June 29, 2020), p. S3642.
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Inaugural Year
Majority Members
Minority Members
1941
Matthew M. Neely (D-WV)*
Charles L. McNary (R-OR)
Alben W. Barkley (D-KY)
1945
Harry F. Byrd (D-VA)*
Arthur Vandenberg (R-MI)
Kenneth McKel ar (D-TN)
1949
Carl T. Hayden (D-AZ)*
Kenneth S. Wherry (R-NE)
J. Howard McGrath (D-RI)
C. Wayland Brooks (R-IL)
Ablen W. Barkely (D-KY)b
1953
Styles Bridges (R-NH)c*
Carl T. Hayden (D-AZ)
Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME)
Herman Welker (R-ID)d
1957
John J. Sparkman (D-AL)
Styles Bridges (R-NH)*
Theodore F. Green (D-RI)
1961
John J. Sparkman (D-AL)*
Styles Bridges (R-NH)
Thomas Hennings (D-MO)
Carl T. Hayden (D-AZ)e
1965
B. Everett Jordan (D-NC)*
Leverett Saltonstal (R-MA)
John J. Sparkman (D-AL)
1969
B. Everett Jordan (D-NC)
Everett M. Dirksen (R-IL)*
Michael J. Mansfield (D-MT)
1973
Howard W. Cannon (D-NV)*
Marlow W. Cook (R-KY)*
B. Everett Jordan (D-NC)f
Michael J. Mansfield (D-MT)
1977
Howard W. Cannon (D-NV)*
Mark Hatfield (R-OR)
Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)
1981
Mark Hatfield (R-OR)*
Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)
Howard H. Baker (R-TN)
Claiborne Pel (D-RI)g
1985
Charles McC. Mathias (R-MD)*
Wendel H. Ford (D-KY)
Howard H. Baker (R-TN)
1989
Wendel H. Ford (D-KY)*
Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)
1993
Wendel H. Ford (D-KY)*
Ted Stevens (R-AK)
George J. Mitchel (D-ME)
1997
John Warner (R-VA)*
Wendel H. Ford (D-KY)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
2001
Mitch McConnel (R-KY)*
Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
2005
Trent Lott (R-MS)*
Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
Wil iam Frist (R-TN)
2009
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)*
Bob Bennett (R-UT)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
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Inaugural Year
Majority Members
Minority Members
2013
Charles Schumer (D-NY)*
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
2017
Roy Blunt (R-MO)*
Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Mitch McConnel (R-KY)
2021
Roy Blunt (R-MO)*
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mitch McConnel (R-KY)
Source: U.S. Congress, Senate, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, “Inaugural Committees,”
https://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/past-committees. For 2021 appointments, see “Appointment,”
Congressional Record, vol. 166 (June 29, 2020), p. S3642; and U.S. Congress, Senate, Committee on Rules and
Administration, “Photos: Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies Kicks Off Planning for 59 th
Presidential Inauguration,” press release, July 1, 2020, https://www.rules.senate.gov/news/press-releases/photos-
joint-congressional-committee-on-inaugural-ceremonies-kicks-off-planning-for-59th-presidential-inauguration.
Notes: Any Senator whose name appears with an asterisk (*) served as committee chair or cochair.
a. Senator W. Murray Crane was the chair of the Committee on Rules in the 62nd Congress (1911-1913). In
the 1912 election, the Democrats became the majority party for the 63rd Congress (1913-1915).
b. In November 1948, Senator Ablen W. Barkely was elected Vice President. Subsequently, Senator Carl T.
Hayden was appointed to replace Senator Barkley on the committee. Additional y, in November 1948, after
the Democratic Party won control of the Senate, Senator Hayden succeeded Senator C. Wayland Brooks as
chair.
c. On January 6, 1953, fol owing the Republican Party gaining control of the Senate as a result of the 1952
election, Senator Styles Bridges replaced Senator Carl T. Hayden as chair.
d. Senator Herman Welker replaced Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who resigned from the committee.
Senator Smith had earlier replaced Senator Ernest W. McFarland, who resigned from the committee.
e. In 1961, Senator Carl T. Hayden replaced Senator Thomas Hennings, who died in office.
f.
On August 2, 1972, Senator Howard W. Cannon replaced Senator B. Everett Jordan as chair after Senator
Jordan was not re-nominated for the Senate by the North Carolina Democratic Party. Prior to replacing
Senator Jordan as chair, Senator Cannon was the second-ranked Democrat on the Rules and Administration
Committee.
g. On January 5, 1981, Senator Claiborne Pel stepped aside as chair, when the Republicans became the
majority party in the Senate. Senator Mark Hatfield became chair, and Senator Pel remained on the
committee as a fourth Senator pursuant to S.Con.Res. 2 (97th Congress).
House Membership
The Speaker of the House appoints the House membership to the Joint Inaugural Committee,
pursuant to authority granted in the authorizing resolution. Past practice has been for the Speaker
to appoint himself or herself, along with the House majority leader and minority leader. For the
2021 inauguration, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi appointed herself, Majority Leader Steny
Hoyer, and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.18 Table 2 lists the House Members on the Joint
Inaugural Committee since 1901, including the reappointment or replacement of committee
members in the following Congress, when necessary.

18 U.S. Congress, Senate, Committee on Rules and Administration, “Photos: Joint Congressional Committee on
Inaugural Ceremonies Kicks Off Planning for 59 th Presidential Inauguration,” press release, July 1, 2020,
https://www.rules.senate.gov/news/press-releases/photos-joint -congressional-committee-on-inaugural-ceremonies-
kicks-off-planning-for-59th-presidential-inauguration.
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Table 2. House of Representative Membership on the Joint Congressional
Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, 1901-2021
Inaugural
Year
Congress
Majority Members
Minority Members
1901
56th Congress
Joseph G. Cannon (R-IL)
Thomas C. McRae (D-AR)
John Dalzel (R-PA)

57th Congress
Joseph G. Cannon (R-IL)
Thomas C. McRae (D-AR)
John Dalzel (R-PA)
1905
58th Congress
John Dalzel (R-PA)
John S. Wil iams (D-MS)
Edgard D. Crumpacker (R-IN)

59th Congress
John Dalzel (R-PA)
John S. Wil iams (D-MS)
Edgard D. Crumpacker (R-IN)
1909
60th Congress
James F. Burke (R-PA)
John W. Gaines (D-TN)
Horace O. Young (R-MI)

61st Congress
James F. Burke (R-PA)
John W. Gaines (D-TN)
Horace O. Young (R-MI)
1913
62nd Congress
Wil iam W. Rucker (D-MO)
Wil iam B. McKinley (R-IL)
Finis J. Garrett (D-TN)

63rd Congress
Wil iam W. Rucker (D-MO)
Wil iam B. McKinley (R-IL)
Finis J. Garrett (D-TN)
1917
64th Congress
Wil iam W. Rucker (D-MO)
Wil iam B. McKinley (R-IL)
Finis J. Garrett (D-TN)

65th Congress
Wil iam W. Rucker (D-MO)
Wil iam B. McKinley (R-IL)
Finis J. Garrett (D-TN)
1921
66th Congress
Joseph G. Cannon (R-IL)
Wil iam W. Rucker (D-MO)
Charles F. Reavis (R-NE)

67th Congress
Joseph G. Cannon (R-IL)
Charles M. Stedman (D-NC) a
Charles F. Reavis (R-NE)
1925
68th Congress
Wil iam W. Griest (R-PA)
Arthur B. Rouse (D-KY)
Lindley H. Hadley (R-WA)

69th Congress
Wil iam W. Griest (R-PA)
Arthur B. Rouse (D-KY)
Lindley H. Hadley (R-WA)
1929
70th Congress
Bertrand H. Snel (R-NY)
Edward W. Pou (D-NC)
Leonidas C. Dyer (R-MO)

71st Congress
Bertrand H. Snel (R-NY)
Edward W. Pou (D-NC)
Leonidas C. Dyer (R-MO)
1933
72nd Congress
Edward W. Pou (D-NC)
Bertrand H. Snel (R-NY)
Henry T. Rainey (D-IL)

73rd Congress
Edward W. Pou (D-NC)
Bertrand H. Snel (R-NY)
Henry T. Rainey (D-IL)
1937
74th Congress
Robert L. Doughton (D-NC)
Bertrand H. Snel (R-NY)
John J. O’Connor (D-NY)
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Inaugural
Year
Congress
Majority Members
Minority Members

75th Congress
Robert L. Doughton (D-NC)
Bertrand H. Snel (R-NY)
John J. O’Connor (D-NY)
1941
76th Congress
Robert L. Doughton (D-NC)
Joseph W. Martin (R-MA)
Sam Rayburn (D-TX)

77th Congress
Robert L. Doughton (D-NC)
Joseph W. Martin (R-MA)
Sam Rayburn (D-TX)
1945
78th Congress
Robert L. Doughton (D-NC)
Joseph W. Martin (R-MA)
Sam Rayburn (D-TX)

79th Congress
Robert L. Doughton (D-NC)
Joseph W. Martin (R-MA)
Sam Rayburn (D-TX)
1949
80th Congress
Charles A. Hal eck (R-IN)
John W. McCormack (D-MA)
Leslie C. Arends (R-IL) b

81st Congress
John W. McCormack (D-MA)
Charles A. Hal eck (R-IN)
Harry R. Sheppard (D-CA)
1953
82nd Congress
Sam Rayburn (D-TX)
Joseph W. Martin (R-MA)
John W. McCormack (D-MA)

83rd Congress
Joseph W. Martin (R-MA)
Sam Rayburn (D-TX)
Leslie C. Arends (R-IL) c
1957
84th Congress
Sam Rayburn (D-TX)
Joseph W. Martin (R-MA)
John W. McCormack (D-MA)

85th Congress
Sam Rayburn (D-TX)
Joseph W. Martin (R-MA)
John W. McCormack (D-MA)
1961
86th Congress
Sam Rayburn (D-TX)
Charles A. Hal eck (R-IN)
John W. McCormack (D-MA)

87th Congress
Sam Rayburn (D-TX)
Charles A. Hal eck (R-IN)
John W. McCormack (D-MA)
1965
88th Congress
John W. McCormack (D-MA)
Charles A. Hal eck (R-IN)
Carl B. Albert (D-OK)

89th Congress
John W. McCormack (D-MA)
Gerald R. Ford (R-MI) d
Carl B. Albert (D-OK)
1969
90th Congress
John W. McCormack (D-MA)
Gerald R. Ford (R-MI)
Carl B. Albert (D-OK)

91st Congress
John W. McCormack (D-MA)
Gerald R. Ford (R-MI)
Carl B. Albert (D-OK)
1973
92nd Congress
Carl B. Albert (D-OK)
Gerald R. Ford (R-MI)
T. Hale Boggs (D-LA) e

93rd Congress
Carl B. Albert (D-OK)
Gerald R. Ford (R-MI)
Thomas P. O’Neil (D-MA)
1977
94th Congress
Carl B. Albert (D-OK) f
John J. Rhodes (R-AZ)
Thomas P. O’Neil (D-MA)
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Inaugural
Year
Congress
Majority Members
Minority Members

95th Congress
Thomas P. O’Neil (D-MA)
John J. Rhodes (R-AZ)
James C. Wright (D-TX)
1981
96th Congress
Thomas P. O’Neil (D-MA)
John J. Rhodes (R-AZ) g
James C. Wright (D-TX)

97th Congress
Thomas P. O’Neil (D-MA)
John J. Rhodes (R-AZ)
James C. Wright (D-TX)
Robert H. Michel (R-IL)
1985
98th Congress
Thomas P. O’Neil (D-MA)
Robert H. Michel (R-IL)
James C. Wright (D-TX)

99th Congress
Thomas P. O’Neil (D-MA)
Robert H. Michel (R-IL)
James C. Wright (D-TX)
1989
100th Congress
James C. Wright (D-TX)
Robert H. Michel (R-IL)
Thomas S. Foley (D-WA)

101st Congress
James C. Wright (D-TX)
Robert H. Michel (R-IL)
Thomas S. Foley (D-WA)
1993
102nd Congress
Thomas S. Foley (D-WA)
Robert H. Michel (R-IL)
Richard A. Gephardt (D-MO)

103rd Congress
Thomas S. Foley (D-WA)
Robert H. Michel (R-IL)
Richard A. Gephardt (D-MO)
1997
104th Congress
Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
Richard A. Gephardt (D-MO)
Richard K. Armey (R-TX)

105th Congress
Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
Richard A. Gephardt (D-MO)
Richard K. Armey (R-TX)
2001
106th Congress
Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
Richard A. Gephardt (D-MO)
Richard K. Armey (R-TX)

107th Congress
J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
Richard A. Gephardt (D-MO)
Richard K. Armey (R-TX)
2005
108th Congress
J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Tom DeLay (R-TX)

109th Congress
J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Tom DeLay (R-TX)
2009
110th Congress
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
John Boehner (R-OH)
Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

111th Congress
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
John Boehner (R-OH)
Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
2013
112th Congress
John Boehner (R-OH)
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Eric Cantor (R-VA)

113th Congress
John Boehner (R-OH)
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Eric Cantor (R-VA)
2017
114th Congress
Paul Ryan (R-WI)
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
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Inaugural
Year
Congress
Majority Members
Minority Members

115th Congress
Paul Ryan (R-WI)
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
2021
116th Congress
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
Source: U.S. Congress, Senate, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, “Inaugural Committees,”
https://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/past-committees; Garrison Nelson, Committees in the U.S. Congress 1947-
1992, Volume 2: Committee Histories and Member Assignments (Washington: Congressional Quarterly, 1994); U.S.
Congress, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, “Committee,” at
http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/committee; Appointment of Members to Joint Congressional Committee
on Inaugural Ceremonies,” Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 146 (May 8, 2000), p. H2619; “Appointment of
Members to Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,” Congressional Record, daily edition, vol.
142 (September 10, 1996), p. H10115; “Reappointment as Members of Joint Committee on Inaugural
Ceremonies,” Congressional Record, vol. 155 (January 7, 2009), p. H42; “Appointment of Members to the Joint
Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,” Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 158 (March 20,
2012), p. H1420; “Appointment of Members to Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,”
Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 159 (January 14, 2013), p. H82; “Appointment of Members to Joint
Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,” daily edition, vol. 162 (February 11, 2016), p. H721; and
U.S. Congress, Senate, Committee on Rules and Administration, “Photos: Joint Congressional Committee on
Inaugural Ceremonies Kicks Off Planning for 59th Presidential Inauguration,” press release, July 1, 2020,
https://www.rules.senate.gov/news/press-releases/photos-joint-congressional-committee-on-inaugural-
ceremonies-kicks-off-planning-for-59th-presidential-inauguration.
Notes:
a. Representative Charles M. Stedman replaced Representative Wil iam W. Rucker, who resigned from the
committee.
b. In the 1948 election, the Democrats won the majority in the House for the 81st Congress (1949-1950). As a
result, Representative Leslie C. Arends was removed from the Joint Inaugural Committee and was replaced
with Representative Harry R. Sheppard.
c. In the 1952 election, the Republicans won the majority in the House for the 83rd Congress (1953-1954). As
a result, Representative Leslie C. Arends, who served as the majority whip, was added to the Joint Inaugural
Committee as the second Republican member, replacing Representative John W. McCormack.
d. Representative Gerald R. Ford was elected House minority leader in the 89th Congress (1965-1966),
replacing Representative Charles A. Hal eck.
e. On October 16, 1972, a plane carrying Representative T. Hale Boggs disappeared between Anchorage and
Juneau, Alaska, and Representative Boggs was presumed dead. Representative Thomas P. O’Neil was
subsequently elected majority leader and appointed to replace Representative Boggs on the Joint Inaugural
Committee. See H.Res. 1 (93rd Congress) for more information on Representative Bogg’s disappearance
and the role of the House in notifying the Governor of Louisiana.
f.
Speaker of the House Carl B. Albert retired at the end of the 94th Congress (1975-1976). He was replaced
as Speaker of the House by Representative Thomas P. O’Neil and on the Joint Inaugural Committee by
Representative James C. Wright.
g. Representative John J. Rhodes stepped down as minority leader at the end of the 96 th Congress (1979-
1980). He was replaced as minority leader and on the Joint Inaugural Committee by Representative Robert
H. Michel.
From time to time, a House Member appointed to serve on the Joint Inaugural Committee has not
been reelected or has resigned from the House leadership, retired, or died in office. In such an
instance, the Speaker has appointed another Representative to the committee in his or her place.
Traditional y, the Speaker replaces the departing committee member with his or her House
leadership replacement. For example, during the 88th Congress (1963-1964), Representative
Charles A. Hal eck served as the House minority leader. At the end of the 88th Congress,
Representative Hal eck stepped down as minority leader and was replaced by Representative
Gerald R. Ford. In January 1965, when Congress convened for the 89th Congress (1965-1966), the
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Speaker reappointed the Joint Inaugural Committee, substituting Representative Ford for
Representative Hal eck.
Committee Chairs
Although none of the measures establishing the Joint Inaugural Committee have specified a
process for selecting the committee chair, a Senator has always presided over committee
activities. Through the end of World War II, the Senate traditional y provided the chair for each
joint committee.19 In recent decades, however, the chairmanship of permanent joint committees
has typical y rotated between the chambers. Nevertheless, no House Member has ever chaired a
temporary inaugural panel. Table 3 lists the chairs of the Joint Inaugural Committee between
1901 and 2021, and their institutional positions in the Senate at the time of the inauguration.
For 21 of the 31 inaugurations between 1901 and 2021, either the chair of the Senate Committee
on Rules (1901-1945) or the chair of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration (1949-
2021) has also chaired the Joint Inaugural Committee. On eight occasions (1901, 1929, 1933,
1953, 1957, 1961, 1969, and 1981), as noted in Table 3, the chairs of the Joint Inaugural
Committee have been Senators drawn from other institutional positions.
Table 3. Chairs of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,
1901-2021
Year
President (Party)
Chair (Party-State)
Senate Institutional Position
1901
Wil iam McKinley (R)
Marcus A. Hanna (R-OH)
Chair, Relations with Canada
1905
Theodore Roosevelt (R)
John C. Spooner (R-WI)
Chair, Rules
1909
Wil iam Taft (R)
Philander C. Knox (R-PA)
Chair, Rules
1913
Woodrow Wilson (D)
W. Murray Crane (R-MA)
Chair, Rulesa
1917
Woodrow Wilson (D)
Lee S. Overman (D-NC)
Chair, Rules
1921
Warren Harding (R)
Philander C. Knox (R-PA)
Chair, Rules
1925
Calvin Coolidge (R)
Charles Curtis (R-KS)
Chair, Rules
1929
Herbert Hoover (R)
George H. Moses (R-NH)
Chair, Post Office and Post Roadsb
1933
Franklin Roosevelt (D)
Joseph T. Robinson (D-AR)
Minority Leader
1937
Franklin Roosevelt (D)
Matthew M. Neely (D-WV)
Chair, Rules
1941
Franklin Roosevelt (D)
Matthew M. Neely (D-WV)
Chair, Rules
1945
Franklin Roosevelt (D)
Harry F. Byrd (D-VA)
Chair, Rules
1949
Harry Truman (D)
Carl T. Hayden (D-AZ)c
Chair, Rules and Administration
1953
Dwight Eisenhower (R)
Styles Bridges (R-NH)d
President Pro Tempore
1957
Dwight Eisenhower (R)
Styles Bridges (R-NH)
Ranking Member, Appropriations
1961
John F. Kennedy (D)
John J. Sparkman (D-AL)
Chair, Smal Business
1965
Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
B. Everett Jordan (D-NC)
Chair, Rules and Administration
1969
Richard Nixon (R)
Everett M. Dirksen (R-IL)
Senate Minority Leader
1973
Richard Nixon (R)
Howard W. Cannon (D-NV)e
Chair, Rules and Administration

19 Floyd M. Riddick, The United States Congress Organization and Procedure (Manassas, VA: National Capitol
Publishers, 1949), pp. 146-148.
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Year
President (Party)
Chair (Party-State)
Senate Institutional Position
1977
Jimmy Carter (D)
Howard W. Cannon (D-NV)
Chair, Rules and Administration
1981
Ronald Reagan (R)
Mark Hatfield (R-OR)f
Chair, Appropriations
1985
Ronald Reagan (R)
Charles McC. Mathias (R-MD)
Chair, Rules and Administration
1989
George H. W. Bush (R)
Wendel H. Ford (D-KY)
Chair, Rules and Administration
1993
Bil Clinton (D)
Wendel H. Ford (D-KY)
Chair, Rules and Administration
1997
Bil Clinton (D)
John Warner (R-VA)
Chair, Rules and Administration
2001
George W. Bush (R)
Mitch McConnel (R-KY)
Chair, Rules and Administration
2005
George W. Bush (R)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Chair, Rules and Administration
2009
Barack H. Obama (D)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Chair, Rules and Administration
2013
Barack H. Obama (D)
Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Chair, Rules and Administration
2017
Donald J. Trump (R)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Chair, Rules and Administration
2021
—
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Chair, Rules and Administration
Sources: U.S. Congress, Senate, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, “Inaugural Committees,”
https://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/past-committees; Garrison Nelson, Committees in the U.S. Congress 1947-
1992, Volume 2: Committee Histories and Member Assignments (Washington: Congressional Quarterly, 1994); and
David T. Cannon, Garrison Nelson, and Charles Steward III, Committees in the U.S. Congress 1789-1946, Volume 3:
Member Assignments (Washington: CQ Press, 2002); and U.S. Congress, Senate, Committee on Rules and
Administration, “Photos: Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies Kicks Off Planning for 59 th
Presidential Inauguration,” press release, July 1, 2020, https://www.rules.senate.gov/news/press-releases/photos-
joint-congressional-committee-on-inaugural-ceremonies-kicks-off-planning-for-59th-presidential-inauguration.
Notes:
a. Senator W. Murray Crane was the chair of the Committee on Rules in the 62nd Congress (1911-1913). In
the 1912 election, the Democrats became the majority party for the 63rd Congress (1913-1915). Senator
Crane remained as Joint Inaugural Committee chair, despite being a minority committee member.
b. Senator George H. Moses was the third-ranking Republican on the Committee on Rules.
c. In November 1948, Senator Ablen W. Barkely was elected Vice President. Subsequently, Senator Carl T.
Hayden was appointed to replace Senator Barkley on the committee. As a result of the 1948 election, the
Democratic Party won control of the Senate, and Senator Hayden succeeded Senator C. Wayland Brooks
as chair.
d. On January 6, 1953, fol owing the Republican Party gaining control of the Senate as a result of the 1952
election, Senator Styles Bridges replaced Senator Carl T. Hayden as chair.
e. On August 2, 1972, Senator Howard W. Cannon replaced Senator B. Everett Jordan as chair after Senator
Jordan was not re-nominated for the Senate by the North Carolina Democratic Party. Prior to replacing
Senator Jordan as chair, Senator Cannon was the second-ranked Democrat on the Rules and Administration
Committee.
f.
On January 5, 1981, Senator Claiborne Pel stepped aside as chair, when the Republican s became the
majority party in the Senate. Senator Mark Hatfield became chair, and Senator Pel remained on the
committee as the fourth Senator pursuant to S.Con.Res. 2 (97th Congress).
Inaugural Chairs Other than the Chair of the Senate Committee on Rules and
Administration
The chair of the Joint Inaugural Committee in 1901, 1929, 1933, 1953, 1957, 1961, 1969, and
1981, was a Senator other than the chair of the Senate Committee on Rules or the Senate
Committee on Rules and Administration. The following section summarizes each of these
instances.
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1901
The 1901 Joint Inaugural Committee chair, Senator Marcus A. Hanna, was the chair of the Senate
Committee on Relations with Canada in the 56th Congress (1899-1901). Senator Hanna was a
close political confidant of President Wil iam McKinley, having served as his national party chair
and campaign manager in the 1896 election.20 The Committee on Rules was represented on the
Joint Inaugural Committee by Senator John C. Spooner, who was committee chair.21
1929
For the 1929 inauguration, Senator George H. Moses served as the chair of the Joint Inaugural
Committee. Senator Moses was the third-ranking Republican on the Committee on Rules and
chair of the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads.22 The two other Senators on the Joint
Inaugural Committee were also members of the Committee on Rules. Senator Frederick Hale was
the second-ranking Republican on the committee, and Senator Lee S. Overman was the ranking
member.23
1933
The composition of the 1933 inaugural committee was complicated by the 1932 election, when
party control of the Senate switched from the Republicans to the Democrats. The incumbent, 72nd
Congress (1931-1933)—with a Republican Senate majority—ended its term “just prior to noon”
on Inauguration Day. Senator Joseph T. Robinson, chair of the Joint Inaugural Committee, had
been ranking minority member of the Committee on Rules in the 72nd Congress. At the time of
the inauguration, however, he had become majority leader of the Senate for the 73rd Congress
(1933-1934). Senator George H. Moses, the chair of the Committee on Rules for the 72nd
Congress, was also a member of the inaugural committee, although his term of office ended
minutes prior to the inauguration. The other Senator, Frederick Hale, was the second-ranking
Republican on the Committee on Rules in the 72nd Congress.24
1953
Party control shifted in the Senate as a result of the 1952 elections. On January 6, 1953, when the
Republicans assumed control of the Senate, Senator Styles Bridges succeeded Senator Carl T.
Hayden as chair of the Joint Inaugural Committee for the 83rd Congress (1953-1954).25 Senator
Bridges also served as President pro tempore of the Senate and was chair of the Appropriations
Committee in the 83rd Congress. Senator Bridges never served on the Committee on Rules and
Administration.26 After relinquishing the chair of the Joint Inaugural Committee, Senator Hayden,
who was chair of the Rules and Administration Committee in the 82nd Congress (1951-1952) and

20 Herbert Croly, Marcus Alonzo Hanna: His Life and Work (Hamden, CT : Archon Books, 1965).
21 U.S. Congress, Congressional Directory, 56th Cong., 1st sess. (Washington: GPO, 1900), pp. 141-148.
22 U.S. Congress, Congressional Directory, 70th Cong., 2nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 1928), p. 208.
23 Ibid., pp. 198-203.
24 Garrison Nelson, Committees in the U.S. Congress 1947-1992, Volume 2: Committee Histories and Member
Assignm ents (Washington: Congressional Quarterly, 1994).
25 Ibid., p. 960.
26 Ibid., pp. 99-101.
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ranking member of this committee for the 83rd Congress (1953-1954), continued to serve as a
member of the Joint Inaugural Committee.27
1957
Senator Styles Bridges returned as chair of the Joint Inaugural Committee for President Dwight
D. Eisenhower’s second inauguration. Even though the Democrats were the majority party in the
85th Congress (1957-1958), Senator Bridges was designated chair of the committee and was the
only Republican appointee.28 Senator Theodore F. Green, chair of the Committee on Rules and
Administration, also served on the Joint Inaugural Committee.29
1961
For President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961, Senator John J. Sparkman served as chair
of the Joint Inaugural Committee. At that time, Senator Sparkman served as chair of the
Committee on Smal Business, and had never served on the Committee on Rules and
Administration. Senator Sparkman had previously served as a member of the Joint Inaugural
Committee for the second inauguration of President Eisenhower in 1957.30 Senator Carl T.
Hayden, the other Democratic member, also served as the second-ranking majority member of the
Committee on Rules and Administration.31
1969
In the 91st Congress (1969-1970), Senator Everett M. Dirksen was the Senate minority leader and
ranking member of the Judiciary Committee when he was appointed chair of the Joint Inaugural
Committee. Senator Dirksen had served as minority leader since the 86th Congress (1959-1960),
and had served as a member of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee in the 82nd
Congress (1951-1952) as wel as the 87th Congress (1961-1962). He had not served on a previous
inaugural committee.32 Representing the Committee on Rules and Administration was its chair,
Senator B. Everett Jordan.33
1981
As a result of the 1980 elections, party control in the Senate switched from the Democrats to the
Republicans. Senator Claiborne Pel , the chair of the Committee on Rules and Administration,
had been chosen chair of the Joint Inaugural Committee prior to the election. On January 6, 1981,
the Senate passed S.Con.Res. 2,34 to amend the concurrent resolution of the prior Congress that
set up the Joint Inaugural Committee and to expand its membership to four Senators and four

27 U.S. Congress, Congressional Directory, 83rd Cong., 1st sess. (Washington: GPO, 1953), p. 198.
28 Nelson, pp. 99-101.
29 U.S. Congress, Congressional Directory, 84th Cong., 2nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 1956), p. 230.
30 Nelson, pp. 834-835.
31 U.S. Congress, Congressional Directory, 86th Cong., 2nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 1960), p. 239.
32 Nelson, pp. 236-238.
33 U.S. Congress, Congressional Directory, 90th Cong., 2nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 1968), p. 254.
34 S.Con.Res. 2 (97th Congress), agreed to January 6, 1981. Pursuant to the resolution, Senator Pell continued as a
member of the joint inaugural committee. See also, Senator Mark Hatfield, “Resolution to Provide for the Continuation
of the Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,” Senate debate, Congressional Record, vol. 127, part 1 (January 5,
1981), p. 10.
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Representatives. Named to the additional Senate slot and serving as the new chair was Mark
Hatfield, the ranking minority member of the Committee on Rules and Administration in the 96th
Congress (1979-1980). The other three Senators, Howard H. Baker, Robert C. Byrd, and
Claiborne Pel , also were members of the Committee on Rules and Administration.35
Linkage Betw een Joint Inaugural Committee Chair and President-Elect’s Party
For 23 of the 30 inaugurations between 1901 and 2017, the party controlling the Senate at the
time of the inauguration was also the party of the President-elect. This was not the case in 1933,
1957, 1969, 1973, 1989, and 1997. In the first four instances, a Joint Inaugural Committee
member from the Senate minority party was chosen to be the chair (or cochair) of the Joint
Inaugural Committee. In the latter two inaugurations, a member of the Senate majority party (and
not a member of the President-elect’s party) chaired the Joint Inaugural Committee. See the
Appendix for a full list of the members of the Joint Inaugural Committee on Inauguration Day
since 1901.
Committee Staffing
Although the Senate and House have had equal membership on the Joint Inaugural Committee for
more than a century, the committee has always been chaired by a Senator. Additional y, the panel
has always included at least one member of Senate Committee on Rules (1901-1945), or the
Senate Committee on Rules and Administration (1949-2009). The repeated involvement of
members of the Senate Rules Committee or the Committee on Rules and Administration in the
work of the Joint Inaugural Committee reflects some of the key responsibilities assigned to the
committee.
Since 1947, pursuant to the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, the Rules and Administration
Committee—under Senate Rule XXV—has had jurisdiction over “[f]ederal elections general y,
including the election of the President, Vice President, and Members of the Congress.”36 Rule
XXV further gives the committee authority over matters relating to the “payment of money out of
the contingent fund of the Senate or creating a charge upon the same,”37 thereby granting the
panel authority over the miscel aneous costs (e.g., Capitol Police security costs) associated with
the inauguration. Prior to 1947, the precise legislative responsibilities of committees were not
enumerated in Senate rules. Committee jurisdictions were determined by committee name and by
precedent.
Measures establishing the Joint Inaugural Committee have never authorized the employment of
specialized staff.38 Between 1901 and 1992, Congress approved two quadrennial funding

35 U.S. Congress, Congressional Directory, 97th Cong., 1st sess. (Washington: GPO, 1981), p. 263.
36 P.L. 79-601, 60 Stat. 812-852, August 2, 1946. Also, see U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Rules and
Administration, History of the Com m ittee on Rules and Adm inistration, United States Senate, prepared by Floyd M.
Riddick, Parliamentarian Emeritus of the Senate, with the assistance of Louise M. McPherson, Research Assistant, 96 th
Cong., 2nd sess., S.Doc. 96-27 (Washington: GPO, 1980), p. 60; and U.S. Senate, Standing Rules of the Senate, “ Rule
XXV cl. 1 (n)(1)(5),” 110th Cong., 1st sess., S.Doc. 110-9 (Washington: GPO, 2007), p. 26. Pursuant to House Rule X,
clause 1(k)(12), the Committee on House Administration has identical authority over the “election of the President,
[and] Vice President ... ” as the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. For m ore information, see U.S.
Congress, House, Constitution, Jefferson’s Manual, and Rules of the House of Representatives of the United States,
One Hundred Twelfth Congress, 111th Cong., 2nd sess., H.Doc. 111-157 (Washington: GPO, 2011), § 724, p. 454.
37 Rule XXV, cl. 1 (n)(1)(8).
38 A typical concurrent resolution creating the joint committee states: “Resolved by the Senate (the House of
Representatives concurring), T hat a joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies consisting of three
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resolutions for the inauguration—one covering the expenses associated with the inaugural
ceremonies, which stipulated the amount of funds being appropriated for the Joint Inaugural
Committee to make arrangements for the official ceremony on Capitol Hil ; and the other
providing funds for the District of Columbia to maintain public order and provide fire protection.
The funds appropriated for the Joint Inaugural Committee were used to construct the inaugural
platform, to prepare seating for those attending the swearing-in of the President and Vice
President, and to reimburse other entities for salaries and expenses incurred in arranging the
inaugural ceremonies.39
Only since 1996 have the funds appropriated for the Joint Inaugural Committee included specific
language authorizing the committee to reimburse the Senate Committee on Rules and
Administration for staff detailed to assist in the inaugural preparations.40 For the 2009
inauguration the resolution provided the following:
That the compensation of any employee of the Committee on Rules and Administration of
the Senate who has been designated to perform service with respect to the inaugural
ceremonies of 2009 shall continue to be paid by the Committee on Rules and
Administration, but the account from which such staff member is paid may be reimbursed
for the services of the staff member (including agency contributions when appropriate) out
of funds made available under this heading.41
While the appropriations language prior to 1996 did not specify the use of Rules and
Administration staff, Wil iam Cochrane, the staff director of the Senate Rules and Administration
Committee for many years, is known to have served also as executive director of the Joint
Inaugural Committee, or consultant to it, for the inaugurations from 1973 through 1985.42
Committee Funding
The Joint Inaugural Committee has historical y received appropriated funds. In real dollars, the
committee has received between $1.237 mil ion and $1.5 mil ion per inauguration since 2005.
This money can be used for “salaries and expenses associated with conducting the inaugural
ceremonies of the President and Vice President of the United States,” is disbursed by the

Senators and t hree Representatives, to be appointed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, respectively, is authorized to make the necessary arrangements for the inaugural of the President -elect
and Vice President -elect of the United States on the 20th day of January 2009.” See S.Con.Res. 67 (110th Congress),
agreed to by the House on February 28, 2008 and agreed to by the Senate on February 8, 2008, “ Establishing the Joint
Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,” House debate, Congressional Record, vol. 154 (February 28,
2008), pp. 1164-1165.
39 For example, the appropriations language for 1989 read as follows: “ For construction of platform and seating stands
and for salaries and expenses of conducting the inaugural ceremonies of the President and Vice President of the United
States, January 20, 1989, in accordance with such program as may be adopted by the joint committee authorized by
Senate Concurrent Resolution 105, One Hundredth Congress, agreed to March 18, 1988, $775,000, to remain available
until September 30, 1989. Such funds shall be available for such salaries (when paid on a reimbursable basis) and
expenses, whether incurred on, before, or after, October 1, 1988.” Also, see P.L. 100-458, 102 Stat. 2166, October 1,
1988.
40 P.L. 104-197, 110 Stat. 2400, September 16, 1996; P.L. 106-520, 114 Stat. 2436, November 15, 2000; P.L. 108-83,
117 Stat. 1019, September 30, 2003; and P.L. 110-161, 121 Stat. 2226, December 27, 2007.
41 P.L. 110-161, 121 Stat. 2226, December 27, 2007.
42 Senator Claiborne Pell, “William Mc. Cochrane: Historical Consultant,” remarks in the Senate, Congressional
Record, daily edition, vol. 141, part 3 (February 10, 1995), p. 4428. See also, U.S. President (Gerald R. Ford), “ T he
Daily Diary of President Gerald R. Ford,” President’s Daily Diary Collection, January 20, 1977, box 85, Gerald R.
Ford Presidential Library, p. 4, http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0036/pdd770120.pdf.
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Secretary of the Senate, and, for the 2021 inauguration, remains available until September 30,
2021.43 Table 4 shows the appropriations received by the Joint Inaugural Committee from the
2005-2021 inaugurations, both in nominal and constant dollars, and the appropriations law
citation.
Table 4. Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies Appropriations
2005-2021
Inauguration
Appropriations
Appropriations
Year
(Nominal)
(Constant)a
Citation
2021
$1.5 mil ion
$1.5 mil ion
P.L. 116-94
2017
$1.25 mil ion
$1.36 mil ion
P.L. 114-113; 129 Stat. 2661
2013
$1.237 mil ion
$1.41 mil ion
P.L. 112-74; 125 Stat. 1123
2009
$1.24 mil ion
$1.5 mil ion
P.L. 110-161; 121 Stat. 2226
2005
$1.25 mil ion
$1.7 mil ion
P.L. 108-83; 117 Stat. 1019
Source: CRS analysis of appropriations laws.
Notes:
a. Constant appropriations figures were calculated using the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator
at https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl. Calculations were done using January 2020 data for consistency.
Inaugural Activities
The Joint Inaugural Committee has traditional y been responsible for two major inaugural
activities: arranging the swearing-in ceremony and hosting an inaugural luncheon. These two
functions are coordinated with the President-elect’s inaugural committee, and both occur at the
U.S. Capitol.
Swearing-In Ceremony
In 1801, President-elect Thomas Jefferson became the first President to take the oath of office at
the newly completed Capitol building. On March 2, 1801, President-elect Jefferson wrote to the
Senate proposing the date, time, and place of his swearing-in ceremony. “I beg leave, through
you, to inform the honorable Senate of the United States that I propose to take the oath which the
Constitution prescribes to the President of the United States, before he enters on the execution of
his office, on Wednesday, the 4th instant, at 12 o’clock, in the Senate Chamber.”44 Since that time,
the presidential and vice presidential oath of office has usual y been administered at the U.S.
Capitol.
Oversight of the inaugural platform’s construction has been one of the Joint Inaugural
Committee’s primary quadrennial responsibilities. The platform is designed to hold more than
1,600 people—including the President and Vice President-elect, Members of Congress, Supreme
Court Justices, the outgoing President and Vice President, former Presidents, the Joint Chiefs of

43 P.L. 116-94, December 20, 2019.
44 “Proceedings,” Annals of Congress, vol. 10 (March 2, 1801), p. 756. For a recounting of the 1801 Inauguration, also
see “Proceedings,” Annals of Congress, vol. 10 (March 4, 1801), pp. 762-766.
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Staff, governors, and other dignitaries. The platform is built from scratch for each inauguration by
the Architect of the Capitol, and is fully American with Disabilities Act compliant.45
Beginning in 1981, for President Ronald Reagan’s first inauguration, the inaugural ceremony has
been held on the West Front Steps of the Capitol. Prior to 1981, outdoor inaugural ceremonies
were held on the East Front of the Capitol. The ceremony was moved to the West Front because it
“could accommodate more visitors.”46
Inaugural Luncheon
Following the inaugural ceremony, the Joint Inaugural Committee typical y hosts a luncheon for
the President and Vice President in National Statuary Hal . “Often featuring cuisine reflecting the
home states of the new President and Vice-President, ... the Luncheon program includes speeches,
gift presentations ... , and toasts to the new administration.”47
The luncheon has been held quadrennial y, in its current form, since 1953.48 The tradition of
hosting a luncheon, however, dates to 1897.49 The luncheon is general y a multiple course meal
that features a specific painting displayed behind the dais. For President Barac k Obama’s
inauguration in 2009, the luncheon featured the painting “View of Yosemite Val ey” by Thomas
Hil .50
Conclusion
Since 1901, when the first Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies was
authorized, both the House and Senate have played a prominent role in the organization and
execution of the inaugural ceremony. While prior to 1901, the Senate organized the inauguration
and invited Members of the House to participate, today the House and Senate both have a formal
role in celebrating the transition of power from one President to the next.
The House and Senate, through the Joint Inaugural Committee, organize and implement the
arrangements for the presidential and vice presidential inauguration. In recent years, the inaugural
ceremony has been held at the U.S. Capitol, with the swearing-in ceremony on the West Front
Steps and special events held in the Rotunda and Emancipation Hal of the Capitol Visitor Center.

45 U.S. Congress, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, “Platform History,” History,
http://inaugural.senate.gov/history/platform/index.cfm.
46 U.S. Congress, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, “President Ronald Wilson Reagan, 1981,”
Chronology, http://inaugural.senate.gov/history/chronology/rwreagan1981.cfm.
47 U.S. Congress, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Luncheon, http://inaugural.senate.gov/
luncheon/index.cfm.
48 Paul F. Boller Jr., Presidential Inauguration (New York: Harcourt, Inc., 2001), p. 172.
49 Ibid.
50 U.S. Congress, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, “Inaugural Luncheon, 2009,” Luncheon,
http://inaugural.senate.gov/luncheon/2009luncheon.cfm.
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Appendix. Joint Committee Membership on
Inauguration Day
Table A-1. Joint Inaugural Committee Membership on Inauguration Day
Senate
Senate
Year
Chair
Majority
Minority
House Majority
House Minority
President William McKinley (R)
1901 Marcus A. Hanna
John C. Spooner
James K. Jones
Joseph G. Cannon
Thomas C. McRae
(R-OH)
(R-WI)
(D-AR)
(R-IL)
(D-AR)
John Dalzel (R-
PA)
President Theodore Roosevelt (R)
1905 John C. Spooner (R-
Nelson W.
Augustus O.
John Dalzel (R-
John S. Wil iams
WI)
Aldrich (R-RI)
Bacon (D-GA)
PA)
(D-MS)
Edgar D.
Crumpacker (R-
IN)
President William Taft (R)
1909 Philander C. Knox
Henry Cabot
Augustus O.
James F. Burke (R-
John W. Gaines
(R-PA)
Lodge (R-MA)
Bacon (D-GA)
PA)
(D-TN)
Horace O. Young
(R-MI)
President Woodrow Wilson (D)
1913 W. Murray Crane
Augustus O.
———a
Wil iam W.
Wil iam B.
(R-MA)
Bacon (D-GA)
Rucker (D-MO)
McKinley (R-IL)
Lee S. Overman
Finis J. Garrett (D-
(D-NC)
TN)
1917 Lee S. Overman (D-
Hoke Smith (D-
Francis E.
Wil iam W.
Wil iam B.
NC)
GA)
Warren (R-WY)
Rucker (D-MO)
McKinley (R-IL)
Finis J. Garrett (D-
TN)
President Warren Harding (R)
1921 Philander C. Knox
Knute Nelson
Lee S. Overman
Joseph G. Cannon
Charles M.
(R-PA)
(R-MN)
(D-NC)
(R-IL)
Stedman (D-NC)b
Charles F. Reavis
(R-NE)
President Calvin Coolidge (R)
1925 Charles Curtis (R-
Frederick Hale
Lee S. Overman
Wil iam W. Griest
Arthur B. Rouse
KS)
(R-ME)
(D-NC)
(R-PA)
(D-KY)
Lindley H. Hadley
(R-WA)
President Herbert Hoover (R)
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Senate
Senate
Year
Chair
Majority
Minority
House Majority
House Minority
1929 George H. Moses
Frederick Hale
Lee S. Overman
Bertrand H. Snel
Edward W. Pou
(R-NH)
(R-ME)
(D-NC)
(R-NY)
(D-NC)
Leonidas C. Dyer
(R-MO)
President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)
1933 Joseph T. Robinson
George H.
———c
Edward W. Pou
Bertrand H. Snel
(D-AR)
Moses (R-NH)
(D-NC)
(R-NY)
Frederick Hale
Henry T. Rainey
(R-ME)
(D-IL)
1937 Matthew M. Neely
Joseph T.
Frederick Hale
John J. O’Connor
Bertrand H. Snel
(D-WV)
Robinson (D-AR) (R-ME)
(D-NY)
(R-NY)
Robert L.
Doughton (D-NC)
1941 Matthew M. Neely
Alben W.
Charles L.
Sam Rayburn (D-
Joseph W. Martin
(D-WV)
Barkley (D-KY)
McNary (R-OR)
TX)
(R-MA)
Robert L.
Doughton (D-NC)
1945 Harry F. Byrd (D-
Kenneth
Arthur
Sam Rayburn (D-
Joseph W. Martin
VA)
McKel ar (D-TN) Vandenberg (R-
TX)
(R-MA)
MI)
Robert L.
Doughton (D-NC)
President Harry S. Truman (D)
1949 Carl T. Hayden (D-
J. Howard
Kenneth S.
Harry R. Sheppard
Charles A. Hal eck
AZ)d
McGrath (D-RI)e
Wherry (R-NE)
(D-CA)f
(R-IN)
John W.
McCormack (D-
MA)
President Dwight D. Eisenhower (R)
1953 Styles Bridges (R-
Herman Welker
Carl T. Hayden
Leslie C. Arends
Sam Rayburn (D-
NH)
(R-ID)g
(D-AZ)
(R-IL)
TX)
Joseph W. Martin
(R-MA)
1957 Styles Bridges (R-
John J. Sparkman
———h
Sam Rayburn (D-
Joseph W. Martin
NH)
(D-AL)
TX)
(R-MA)
Theodore F.
John W.
Green (D-RI)
McCormack (D-
MA)
President John F. Kennedy (D)
1961 John J. Sparkman
Carl T. Hayden
Styles Bridges
Sam Rayburn (D-
Charles A. Hal eck
(D-AL)
(D-AZ)i
(R-NH)
TX)
(R-IN)
John W.
McCormack (D-
MA)
President Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
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Senate
Senate
Year
Chair
Majority
Minority
House Majority
House Minority
1965 B. Everett Jordan
John J. Sparkman
Leverett
John W.
Gerald R. Ford (R-
(D-NC)
(D-AL)
Saltonstal (R-
McCormack (D-
MI)
MA)
MA)
Carl B. Albert (D-
OK)
President Richard M. Nixon (R)
1969 Everett M. Dirksen
B. Everett Jordan
———j
John W.
Gerald R. Ford (R-
(R-IL)
(D-NC)
McCormack (D-
MI)
Michael J.
MA)
Mansfield (D-
Carl B. Albert (D-
MT)
OK)
1973 Howard W. Cannon Michael J.
Marlow W.
Carl B. Albert (D-
Gerald R. Ford (R-
(D-NV)a
Mansfield (D-
Cook (R-KY)l
OK)
MI)
MT)
Thomas P. O’Neil
(D-MA)m
President Jimmy Carter (D)
1977 Howard W. Cannon Robert C. Byrd
Mark Hatfield (R-
Thomas P. O’Neil
John J. Rhodes (R-
(D-NV)
(D-WV)
OR)
(D-MA)
AZ)
James C. Wright
(D-TX)
President Ronald Reagan (R)
1981 Mark Hatfield (R-
Howard H.
Robert C. Byrd
Thomas P. O’Neil
John J. Rhodes (R-
OR)
Baker (R-TN)
(D-WV)
(D-MA)
AZ)
Claiborne Pel
James C. Wright
Robert H. Michel
(D-RI)n
(D-TX)
(R-IL)o
1985 Charles McC.
Howard H.
Wendel H. Ford
Thomas P. O’Neil
Robert H. Michel
Mathias (R-MD)
Baker (R-TN)
(D-KY)
(D-MA)
(R-IL)
James C. Wright
(D-TX)
President George H. W. Bush (R)
1989 Wendel H. Ford
Robert C. Byrd
Ted Stevens (R-
James C. Wright
Robert H. Michel
(D-KY)
(D-WV)
AK)
(D-TX)
(R-IL)
Thomas S. Foley
(D-WA)
President Bill Clinton (D)
1993 Wendel H. Ford
George J.
Ted Stevens (R-
Thomas S. Foley
Robert H. Michel
(D-KY)
Mitchel (D-ME)
AK)
(D-WA)
(R-IL)
Richard A.
Gephardt (D-MO)
1997 John Warner (R-
Trent Lott (R-
Wendel H. Ford
Newt Gingrich (R-
Richard A.
VA)
MS)
(D-KY)
GA)
Gephardt (D-MO)
Richard K. Armey
(R-TX)
President George W. Bush (R)
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Senate
Senate
Year
Chair
Majority
Minority
House Majority
House Minority
2001 Mitch McConnel
Trent Lott (R-
Christopher
J. Dennis Hastert
Richard A.
(R-KY)
MS)
Dodd (D-CT)
(R-IL)
Gephardt (D-MO)
Richard K. Armey
(R-TX)
2005 Trent Lott (R-MS)
Wil iam Frist (R-
Christopher
J. Dennis Hastert
Nancy Pelosi (D-
TN)
Dodd (D-CT)
(R-IL)
CA)
Tom DeLay (R-
TX)
President Barack Obama (D)
2009 Dianne Feinstein
Harry Reid (D-
Bob Bennett (R-
Nancy Pelosi (D-
John Boehner (R-
(D-CA)
NV)
UT)
CA)
OH)
Steny Hoyer (D-
MD)
2013 Charles Schumer
Harry Reid (D-
Lamar Alexander
John Boehner (R-
Nancy Pelosi (D-
(D-NY)
NV)
(R-TN)
OH
CA)
Eric Cantor (R-
VA)
President Donald Trump (R)
2017 Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Mitch McConnel
Charles Schumer
Paul Ryan (R-WI)
Nancy Pelosi (D-
(R-KY)
(D-NY)
Kevin McCarthy
CA)
(R-CA)
TBD
2021 Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Mitch McConnel
Amy Klobuchar
Nancy Pelosi (D-
Kevin McCarthy
(R-KY)
(D-MN)
CA)
(R-CA)
Steny Hoyer (D-
MD)
Source: U.S. Congress, Senate, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, “Inaugural Committees,”
https://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/past-committees; and U.S. Congress, Senate, Committee on Rules and
Administration, “Photos: Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies Kicks Off Planning for 59 th
Presidential Inauguration,” press release, July 1, 2020, https://www.rules.senate.gov/news/press-releases/photos-
joint-congressional-committee-on-inaugural-ceremonies-kicks-off-planning-for-59th-presidential-inauguration.
Notes: Al chairs of the Joint Inaugural Committee are Senators.
a. The minority party Senator of the committee also served as the chair.
b. Representative Charles M. Stedman replaced Representative Wil iam W. Rucker, who resigned from the
committee.
c. The minority party Senator of the committee also served as the chair.
d. Senator Carl T. Hayden replaced Senator Ablen W. Barkely, who was elected Vice President.
e. Senator J. Howard McGrath replaced Senator C. Wayland Brooks, who did not win reelection to the
Senate.
f.
Representative Harry R. Sheppard replaced Representative Leslie C. Arends, who was removed from the
committee when the Democrats won the House majority.
g. Senator Herman Welker replaced Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who resigned from the committee.
Senator Smith had earlier replaced Senator Ernest W. McFarland, who resigned from the committee.
h. The minority party Senator of the committee also served as the chair.
i.
Senator Carl T. Hayden replaced Senator Thomas Hennings, who died in office.
j.
The minority party Senator of the committee also served as the chair.
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k. Senator Howard W. Cannon replaced Senator B. Everett Jordan as chair after Senator Jordan was not
renominated for the Senate by the North Carolina Democratic Party.
l.
Senator Marlow W. Cook was designated cochair of the committee.
m. Representative Thomas P. O’Neil replaced Representative T. Hale Boggs, who was presumed to have been
kil ed in an airplane crash.
n. Senator Claiborne Pel stepped aside as chair on January 5, 1981, when the Republicans became the majority
party in the Senate. Senator Mark Hatfield became the chair, and Senator Pel remained on the committee
as a fourth Senator pursuant to S.Con.Res. 2 (97th Congress).
o. On November 12, 1980, the Speaker of the House appointed Representatives John J. Rhodes, Thomas P.
O’Neil , and James C. Wright to the Joint Inaugural Committee. When the House Members were
reappointed on January 6, 1981, the Speaker of the House, breaking with precedent, appointed four
Members (Representatives Rhodes, O’Neil , and Wright, plus Representative Robert H. Michel) to the Joint
Inaugural Committee. S.Con.Res. 2 (97th Congress), agreed to January 6, 1981. Pursuant to the resolution,
Senator Pel continued as a member of the joint inaugural committee. See also, Senator Mark Hatfield,
“Resolution to Provide for the Continuation of the Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremon ies,” Senate
debate, Congressional Record, vol. 127, part 1 (January 5, 1981), p. 10.

Author Information

Jacob R. Straus

Specialist on the Congress

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