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Bibles and Scripture Passages Used by Presidents
in Taking the Oath of Office

The information below is courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol. It has been compiled by the Office of the Curator from contemporary accounts and other sources in the files of the Architect of the Capitol.



PRESIDENT DATE EDITION
George Washington 1789 Genesis 49:131 (Masonic Bible); opened at random due to haste
George Washington 1793 Not known
John Adams 1797 Not known
Thomas Jefferson 1801, 1805 Not known
James Madison 1809, 1813 Not known
James Monroe 1817, 1821 Not known
John Q. Adams 1825 Not known
Andrew Jackson 1829, 1833 Not known
Martin Van Buren 1837 Proverbs 3:172
William H. Harrison 1841 Not known
John Tyler 1841 Not known
James K. Polk 1845 Not known
Zachary Taylor 1849 Not known
Millard Fillmore 1850 Not known
Franklin Pierce 1853 Affirmed instead of swearing the oath; did not kiss Bible
James Buchanan 1857 Not known
Abraham Lincoln 1861 Opened at random
Abraham Lincoln 1865 Matthew 7:1; 18:7; Revelations 16:73
Andrew Johnson 1865 Proverbs 21
Ulysses S. Grant 1869 Not known
Ulysses S. Grant 1873 Isaiah 11:1-34
Rutherford B. Hayes 1877 Privately, no Bible; publicly, Psalm 118:11-134
James A. Garfield 1881 Proverbs 21:14,5
Chester A. Arthur 1881 Privately, no Bible; Psalm 31:1-34,5
Grover Cleveland 1885 Psalm 112:4-10; Bible opened by Chief Justice and by chance it fell to this Psalm6
Benjamin Harrison 1889 Psalm 121:1-64
Grover Cleveland 1893 Psalm 91:12-164
William McKinley 1897 II Chron. 1:10; Bible given to him by Methodist church congregation7
William McKinley 1901 Proverbs 164
Theodore Roosevelt 1901 No Bible
Theodore Roosevelt 1905 James 1:22-234
William Howard Taft 1909 I Kings 3:9-114
Woodrow Wilson 1913 Psalm 1194
Woodrow Wilson 1917 Privately, not known; publicly, Psalm 468
Warren G. Harding 1921 Micah 6:8 (Washington Bible)4
Calvin Coolidge 1923 Not known
Calvin Coolidge 1925 John 1
Herbert C. Hoover 1929 Proverbs 29:184
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933, 1937, 1941, 1945 I Corinthians 134
Harry S. Truman 1945 Closed Bible held in left hand; right hand on upper cover9
Harry S. Truman 1949 Matthew 5:3-11 and Exodus 20:3-1710
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953 Psalm 127:1 (Washington Bible) and II Chronicles 7:14 (West Point Bible)11
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1957 Privately, not known; publicly, Psalm 33:1212 (West Point Bible)
John F. Kennedy 1961 Closed Bible13
Lyndon B. Johnson 1963 Missal14
Lyndon B. Johnson 1965 Closed family Bible15
Richard M. Nixon 1969, 1973 Two family Bibles, both open to Isaiah 2:416
Gerald R. Ford 1974 Proverbs 3:5-617
James E. Carter 1977 Family Bible open to Micah 6:818
Ronald W. Reagan 1981, 1985 Mother's Bible open to II Chronicles 7:1419 (Both privately and publicly in 1985)
George H. W. Bush 1989 Washington's Masonic Bible opened at random in the center; family Bible on top opened to Matthew 5
William J. Clinton 1993 King James Bible, given to him by grandmother, open to Galatians 6:8
William J. Clinton 1997 King James Bible, given to him by grandmother, open to Isaiah 58:1220
George W. Bush 2001 Closed family Bible21
 
NOTES
1. Bowen, Clarence W. The History of the Centennial Celebration of the Inauguration of George Washington, N.Y. 1892, p. 72, Illustration.
2. Listed in the files of Legislative Reference Service, Library of Congress, source not given.
3. Wright, John. Historic Bibles in America, N.Y. 1905, p. 46.
4. List compiled by Clerk of the Supreme Court, 1939.
5. One source (The Chicago Daily Tribune, Sept. 23, 1881, p. 5) says that Garfield and Arthur used the same passage, but does not indicate which one.
6. Hutchins, Stilson. The National Capitol, Washington, 1885, p. 276.
7. Harper's Magazine, August 1897.
8. Senate Document 116, 65th Congress, 1st Session, 1917.
9. New York Times, Apr. 13, 1945, p. 1, col. 7.
10. Facts on File, Jan. 16-22, 1949, p. 21.
11. New York Times, Jan. 21, 1953, p. 19.
12. New York Times, Jan. 22, 1957, p. 16.
13. New York Times, Jan. 21, 1961, p. 8, col. 1.
14. Mooney, Booth. The Lyndon Johnson Story, p. 1.
15. Office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court via phone July 1968.
16. Washington Post, Jan. 20, 1969, p. A1.
17. New York Times, Aug. 10, 1974, p. A1.
18. Washington Post, Jan. 21, 1977, p. A17.
19. White House Curator's Office.
20. Washington Post, Jan. 21, 1997, p. A14.
21. Inauguration staff. George W. Bush had hoped to use the Masonic Bible that had been used both by George Washington in 1789, and by the President's father, George H. W. Bush, in 1989. This historic Bible had been transported, under guard, from New York to Washington for the inauguration but, due to inclement weather, a family Bible was substituted instead.

 


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