Washington, January 20: US President-elect Joe Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris will be sworn in as the 46th President and 49th Vice-President of the United States respectively on Wednesday, January 20. After the swearing-in ceremony, Biden, who is 78-year-old, will become the oldest (age-wise) US President today. He is believed to take the oath on his 127-year-old family Bible, which will be held by his wife, Dr Jill Biden. The inaugural ceremony will take place on the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. and will be the 59th presidential inauguration.
The inaugural ceremony will begin with an invocation and the singing of the national anthem at at 3:15 pm ET which is 8:30 pm in India. Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath of office to 78-year-old Biden at the West Front of the Capitol - the traditional location for presidential inaugural ceremonies. Inauguration Day 2021 Date and Time: Here’s Where and How To Watch Joe Biden’s Swearing-In Ceremony; Guest List, Schedule and All You Need To Know About January 20 Event.
At 78, Biden would be the oldest US President the country has seen. Donald Trump, who is the current President of the US, was till date the oldest President to be sworn-in at the age of 70. Previously, the record holder was Ronald Reagan who was sworn-in as the President of the US at the age of 69. As Biden is all set to take charge of America, let's take a look at five former US Presidents who were above 64 years at the time of assuming charge of America.
Joe Biden (78)
Joe Biden will be the oldest President of the US in American history to be sworn-in at the age of 78. Biden will deliver his first presidential address to the country after taking the oath. Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, January 20.
Donald Trump (70)
Donald John Trump is the 45th and current president of the United States. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality. Trump is the oldest person to take office as president at inauguration. He is also the first President of the US who did not serve in the military or hold any government office prior to becoming president. On November 8, 2016, Trump received 306 pledged electoral votes versus 232 for Hillary Clinton and was elected as the US President when he was 70. Trump had won 30 states of the 50 States in the US, while Clinton won the remaining 20.
Ronald Wilson Reagan (69)
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was sworn-in as the President of the United States when he was 69-year-old. He became a highly influential voice of modern conservatism. Prior to his presidency, Reagan was a Hollywood actor and union leader before serving as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975.
William Henry Harrison (68)
William Henry Harrison served as the ninth president of the United States in 1841. He was 68-year-old when he assumed charge as the US President. Harrison was an American military officer and politician. He died of either typhoid, pneumonia, or paratyphoid fever 31 days into his term, becoming the first president to die in office and the shortest-serving US president in history.
James Buchanan (65)
James Buchanan Jr was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States. Buchanan was the US President from 1857 till 1861. Before becoming the US President, he had served as Secretary of State from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvania in both houses of the US Congress. He was a states' rights advocate, and minimized the role of the federal government in the nation's final years of slavery.
George HW Bush (64)
George Herbert Walker Bush was an American politician, diplomat and businessman who served as the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1993. A member of the Republican Party, Bush also served as the 43rd vice president from 1981 to 1989, in the U.S. House of Representatives, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and as Director of Central Intelligence.
The Inauguration Day 2021 ceremony is likely to be attended by former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton. Former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton are also set to attend the event.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 20, 2021 05:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).