Abraham Lincoln’s Inauguration March 4, 1861

Lincoln died 42 days into this term, and Johnson succeeded to the presidency. Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase administered the Oath of office.Before the president was sworn in, Vice President-elect Andrew Johnson took his oath. At the ceremony Johnson, who had been drinking to offset the pain of typhoid fever (as he explained later), gave a rambling address in the Senate chamber and appeared obviously intoxicated.