Benjamin Harrison inaugurated as 23rd President of the United States

Background. Benjamin Harrison, a Union army veteran and Republican, defeated Democratic incumbent Grover Cleveland in the 1888 presidential election. Harrison won the Electoral College while losing the popular vote, setting the stage for his inauguration. During the 1888 campaign, the tariff was the main issue, and the Republican National Convention had criticized the sitting Democratic administration and congressional majority, alleging they owed their existence to the criminal nullification of the Constitution through ballot suppression.

Ceremony. The inauguration took place on Monday, March 4, 1889, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Harrison was sworn into office by Chief Justice Melville Fuller. This event marked the transition of power from the Democratic administration of Grover Cleveland to the Republican administration of Benjamin Harrison.