Grover Cleveland sworn in as 22nd President of the United States

Background. The inauguration took place on Wednesday, March 4, 1885, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 25th inauguration in U.S. history. It marked the commencement of the first four-year term of Grover Cleveland as president and the only term of Thomas A. Hendricks as vice president.

Setting. The United States Capitol is the seat of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. The name "Capitol" was applied by Thomas Jefferson to what had been called the "Congress House" on L'Enfant's plan. The building's architectural history reflects early American design efforts, though the specific site for the 1885 ceremony was the East Portico.

Transition. The event marked the commencement of Cleveland's first term. In the month before the inauguration, President Arthur opened four million acres of Ho-Chunk and Crow Creek lands in the Dakota Territory to white settlement by executive order, an action taken in the final month before Cleveland's term began.