Historedia
AmericasEvent

James Madison sworn in as fourth President of the United States

When
1809
Where
U.S. Capitol, House Chamber
Episodes
1

James Madison was sworn in as the fourth President of the United States on March 4, 1809, in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The ceremony marked the start of his first term and George Clinton's second term as Vice President. Outgoing President Thomas Jefferson attended the inauguration, sitting beside Madison at the front of the hall.

Episodes

  1. March 4, 1809 · U.S. Capitol, House ChamberMadison's Inauguration

    James Madison was sworn in as the fourth President on March 4, 1809, in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Background and detail

Background. James Madison, a Founding Father known as the "Father of the Constitution," served as Thomas Jefferson's Secretary of State from 1801 to 1809. He won his party's presidential nomination in January 1808. His inauguration took place in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol; the House of Representatives had moved into its House wing in 1807.

Ceremony. On March 4, 1809, Madison rode to the Capitol with the Washington and Georgetown cavalry escorting him. He delivered his Inaugural Address and was sworn into office as the fourth president. Outgoing President Jefferson attended the event and sat beside Madison at the front of the hall.

Context. The inauguration occurred in the House chamber, which had been the meeting place for the House of Representatives since 1807. The Capitol building served as the seat of the legislative branch. Madison's presidency began with the commencement of his first four-year term and the second term of Vice President George Clinton.

People involved

Sources

  1. First inauguration of James Madison Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-21
  2. James Madison Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-01
  3. United States Capitol Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-29

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.