Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies Inaugural Web Site. January 20, 2009; Printed from inaugural.senate.gov.

President Abraham Lincoln, 1861

Vice President Hannibal Hamlin
Inauguration Date Monday, March 4, 1861
Location East Portico, U.S. Capitol
Oath Administered By: Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice
Bible Used: Bible purchased by William Thomas Carroll, Clerk of the Supreme Court, opened at random. It is almost identical to James Buchanan's 1857 Bible
Length of Inaugural Address: 3,628 words
Attire (what the president wore): Cut-away coat and silk top hat
Weather: Rain until mid morning and then sunny and mild in the afternoon.
Precedents, "firsts" or other interesting information: Lincoln's procession to the Capitol was surrounded by heavily armed calvary and infantry, providing an unprecedented amount of protection for the President-elect as the nation stood on the brink of war.