STB- FE89

THE FIRST INAUGURATION--PATRIOTIC
& MASONIC!
by
Captain Kenneth R. Force, USMS

Right Worshipful Brother Force is a Past Master of
St. Cecile Lodge No. 568 ("The Lodge of the Arts")
and Nassau Lodge No. 1016, both of New York. He
is a Past District Deputy Grand Master of the Fourth
Manhattan District. For many years, he has been
Director of Music at the U.S. Merchant Marine
Academy, Kings Point, N.Y. and regularly conducts
the Academy's Regimental Band in concerts and at
patriotic events. The following is partly excerpted from
the Program Notes he prepared for a booklet of music
and comment, both related to the period of George
Washington's first inauguration as President of the
United States.

"Sir: I have the honor to transmit to your Ex-
cellency the information of your unanimous elec-
tion to the office of President of the United States
of America. Suffer me, Sir, to indulge the hope
that so auspicious a mark of public confidence
will meet your approbation, and be considered
as a sure pledge of the affection and support you
are to expect from a free and enlightened
people"--Letter to President elect Washington
from John Langdon, Temporary President of the
U.S. Senate.

The above congratulatory note was delivered
to General George Washington* at Mount Ver-
non on April 14th, 1789. Thus, from this hum-
ble beginning began the American Presidency--
an office that one day would become the most
powerful and responsible position in the entire
world.

Two days later, on April 16th, General
Washington left his beloved Virginia home, ac-
companied by his personal secretary, Colonel
David Humphreys*, and by Mr. Charles Thom-
son, Secretary of Congress and the individual
chosen to deliver the congratulatory message.

The General, dressed in his familiar buff and
blue uniform, looked resplendent upon his horse.
All along the route to New York City, the party
was greeted by a tumultuous outpouring of public
adulation and enthusiasm. Each tiny village and
town displayed its finest decorations; even the
General was overwhelmed by the receptions that
greeted him every place he passed through.

The most noteworthy greeting was at Trenton,
New Jersey, where a magnificent arch was erected
at the Trenton bridge displaying the motto, "The
Defender of the Mothers will also protect the
Daughters." As Washington passed under the
arch, a choir of white-robed mothers and
daughters sang Alexander Reinagle's chorus,
"Welcome Mighty Chief, Once More." This work
is dedicated to the President's wife, Martha.

For weeks, elaborate preparations had been
underway in New York for the arrival of the na-
tion's war hero and leading example of the coun-
try's unity and pride. By the time of the inaugura-
tion, Washington had become a unifying symbol
to the people and his popularity took on cult-like
dimensions. He was revered with an almost
religious fervor, clearly reflected in the Iyrics con-
tained in the music of that period.

On April 23rd, he arrived at Elizabethport,
New Jersey. He was met by a committee from
Congress and several other notable dignitaries,
including Chancellor Robert Livingston*. (Liv-
ingston would administer the oath of office a few
days later.)

At the shore lay waiting a magnificent forty-
five-foot-long barge, commanded by Com-
modore James Nicholson*, which had been con-
structed at great expense for the occasion. On its
deck was a red-curtained enclosure beautifully
decorated with festoons and symbols of the new
Republic. Rowing the barge were thirteen river
pilots dressed in white, who had been especially
selected to transport the stately General
Washington to Manhattan. Other barges accom-
panied the Presidential vessel filled with leading
politicians and future Cabinet members.

As the Presidential barge proceeded down the
Hudson River, a Chorus rose up from a sloop
anchored in the harbor singing an "ode" to the
General. This "ode" is described in eloquent
terms by the New York Packet:

The voices of the ladies were as much
superior to the flutes that played with the
stroke of the oars in Cleopatra's silken cor-
ded barge, as the very superior and glorious
water scenes of New York Bay exceeds Cyn-
dus in all its pride. We could with rapture
dwell upon this interesting subject, and
wander into the fields of fancy for expres-
sions to paint the various and delightful ap-
pearances that vied with each other at the
same time to welcome the great and il-
lustrious man to our now happy city.

Another description of the "singing" has been
preserved in the writings of Congressman Elias
Boudinot of New Jersey, who was part of the
Presidential party that day:

Before we got to Bedlars Island (now Lib-
erty Island, site of the Statue of Liberty) a
large sloop came, with full sail on the Star-
board Bow, when about 20 Gentn & Ladies
rose up, and with excellent & melodius
voices sung an Eloquent Ode appropriate
to the occasion, & set to the music of "God
Save the King," welcoming their Great
Chief to the Seat of Government. At the
conclusion we gave them our Hats, and
then they with the surrounding Boats, gave
three Hurra's which made the
neighborhood shores rebound with Joyful
acclaimation. (Spelling and punctuation
unaltered from the original.)

When the Presidential barge passed the Spanish
sloop-of-war Galveston, the men of the ship fired
a thirteen-gun salute and immediately displayed
the flags of "all foreign nations." Another
thirteen-gun salute was fired as the barge rounded
the Battery and finally at Murray's Wharf, at the
foot of Wall Street, a final salute of thirteen-guns
was fired as the Presidential barge landed.

General Washington climbed the carpeted
stairs to the pier where he was greeted by the
Governor and Mayor along with city and state
officials. From the wharf, a grand procession was
formed which accompanied the General to his
new residence, the house of Samuel Osgood, at
Cherry Street and Franklin Square. As the
procession progressed through the streets of the
city, a tumultuous outpouring of public adula-
tion greeted him, and the General was visibly and
emotionally moved.

Homes and business establishments were
decorated with signs, flags, and every festive
decoration imaginable. At night, candles were
displayed in windows as the city continued to
celebrate.

The United States Gazette reported:
Many persons who were in the crowd on
Thursday were heard to say that they
should now die contented--nothing being
wanted to complete their happiness,
previous to this auspicious period but the
sight of the Savior of his Country.

Inauguration Day, April 30,1789, is unique in
American history. Not only did it mark the tak-
ing of the oath of office by America's first
president--it was the only inauguration of an
American President in New York City, the capital
moving to Philadelphia for Washington's second
inauguration and those of his successor, John
Adams. Thomas Jefferson was the first President
to be inaugurated in the new capital city of
Washington on the Potomac.

The day began with a cannon salute fired from
the Battery at sunrise. (An early wake-up call!)
At nine o'clock, all the churches in the city held
special religious services. At noon, Congress
assembled at Federal Hall on Wall Street and a
procession of dignitaries, politicians and militia
proceeded to the Presidential mansion on Cherry
Street (the present sight of the Brooklyn Bridge
tower) to accompany the President back to
Federal Hall where Congress was meeting. The
building had served as City hall, but was
remodeled by the architect, L'Enfant. It stood on
Wall Street at the head of Broad.

With the President-elect that morning as he
wended his way to the Hall were John Langdon
of New Hampshire, Charles Carroll of Maryland,
and William Samuel Johnson of Connecticut.
They were escorted by selected military units
commanded by General William Malcom*, with
Morgan Lewis*, (later Grand Master of New
York) serving as Marshal and Jacob Morton* and
Leonard Bleecker* as aides. So great was the press
of spectators in Broad Street that Washington
and his immediate party were obliged to dis-
mount and walk the last hundred yards. Behind
them, the crowds broke through the ranks of the
military. The windows were jammed wherever
they provided any view of the spectacle, and even
the housetops along Broad Street were taken ad-
vantage of for a bird's-eye view of the stirring
scene taking place below.

At Federal Hall, Washington entered the Senate
chamber where he was received by the Vice Presi-
dent, John Adams, and the assembled con-
gressmen and senators. Adams spoke as follows:
"Sir! The Senate and the House of Represen-
tatives of the United States are ready to attend
you to take the oath required by the Constitu-
tion, which will be administered by the
Chancellor of the State of New York." The rep-
ly was a dignified "I am ready to proceed."

The Oath was administered in the outer gallery,
so that it would be done in the most public man-
ner. According to Washington Irving, who at the
age of seven was an eyewitness, there was a table
in the center upon which lay a superbly bound
Bible on a crimson velvet cushion. In other ac-
counts, the Bible was missing, and Jacob Mor-
ton, who was then both Grand Secretary of the
Grand Lodge of New York and Master of St.
John's Lodge No. I (later Grand Master of New
York), went to the Lodge room nearby to bor-
row the alter Bible. Either way, there is no doubt
that the Bible (published in 1767) was the pro-
perty of St. John's Lodge (constituted in 1757),
and it remains a treasured possession to this day.
(Elected officers of the Grand Lodge today take
their obligation on this Bible, and it has been pre-
sent at several Presidential inaugurations. It will
be on display at the White House from January
through March 1989, and it will be part of the
Bicentennial celebration of the first inauguration,
on April 30, 1989.)

Washington made his appearance clad in a
dark brown suit of American manufacture
(woven in Samuel Hinsdale's* mill in Hartford),
with a steel-hilted sword. He advanced to the
front of the balcony, laid his hand upon his
breast, bowed solemnly several times, and then
returned to an arm chair near the table. After the
cheering subsided, he arose and again stepped
forward. Vice President John Adams stood on
his right; at his left was Chancellor Robert R. Liv-
ingston, Grand Master of Masons in New York,
who administered the oath; nearby were Generals
Richard Henry Lee*, Henry Knox*, Arthur St.
Clair*, Baron Von Steuben*, House Speaker
Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg*, and New York
Governor George Clinton*, (ironically, leader of
the Anti-Federalists at the New York Ratification
Convention in Poughkeepsie, two years earlier!).

After the Constitutional oath was given, con-
cluded with the words "So help me God!",
Samuel Allyne Otis, Secretary of the Senate, who
held the Bible, would have raised it to
Washington's lips, but the President bent down
reverently and kissed the Holy book (open to
Genesis, Chapter 49). Stepping to the railing,
Chancellor Livingston announced to the crowd
below, "It is done! Long live George Washington,
President of the United States!" At that moment,
the flag was raised on the cupola of Federal Hall,
which signaled the artillery at the Battery to
render a salute. The bells of the City rang forth
and the populace screamed forth shouts of joy.

After the balcony ceremony, President
Washington entered the Senate chamber and
delivered his inauguration address to the assem-
bled Congress. Then, in another procession, he
left Federal Hall and proceeded with the Vice
President to nearby St. Paul's Chapel of Trinity
Church for religious services. (A practice followed
to this day by New York Masons, who have
reenacted the oath-taking ceremony for many
years.) That evening, the city was beautifully il-
luminated as parties and balls were held in
celebration of the momentous event.

The first inauguration . . . one in which the
principal, a Freemason, took an oath ad-
ministered by a Grand Master of Masons, upon
the Bible of a Masonic Lodge, and witnessed by
other Masonic and public dignitaries. We are all
proud of Washington as our first President; we
can be equally proud of him as a Freemason!


* indicates Masonic Membership