Ulysses S. Grant
First Inaugural Address
Thursday, March 4, 1869
General Grant was the first of many Civil War officers to become President of the United States. He refused to ride in the carriage to the Capitol with President Johnson, who then decided not to attend the ceremony. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice Salmon Chase on the East Portico. The inaugural parade boasted eight full divisions of the Army--the largest contingent yet to march on such an occasion. That evening, a ball was held in the Treasury Building.