BARACK OBAMA, 44TH PRESIDENT - On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama will be inaugurated as our nation's 44th President. He will be the first African-American and individual born in Hawaii to be elected President. With a beautiful and gracious wife, Michelle Obama, and two beautiful young daughters, he should bring the same youthfulness and sense of opportunity that John Kennedy brought to the White House. See you at the inauguration and look for future blog posts about his presidency!!!

GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT - George W. Bush was sworn in as our 43rd President on January 20, 2001 after a contested election against the Democratic candidate, Vice President Al Gore. Ultimately, the election was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court which stopped a recount of the votes in Florida. In his first year in office, Bush was confronted with the tragedy of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center towers in New York and against the Pentagon in the Washington, D.C. area. In response to these terrorist attacks, President Bush declared a war on terror and ordered the invasion of Afghanistan and later of Iraq. With popular support as a war-time President and a conservative shift in the mood of the country, Bush was re-elected to a second term of office four years later. In his second term, however, Bush faced increasingly low rankings in the public opinion polls as support for the war in Iraq diminished and the economy worsened. At the end of his two terms as President, Bush had one of the lowest public opinion poll rankings of any President since such polls have been conducted as the financial and banking system in the country went into a melt-down as a result of a collapse of the housing market, and as mortgage-backed securities increasingly became illiquid. President Bush was the second President to be elected that was the son of a previous President, with his father George H.W. Bush having been the 41st President of the United States. The only other President that was the son of a previous President was John Quincy Adams. As an outgoing President, Bush made a commitment to make the transition of his successor, Barack Obama, the easiest of any President-Elect.

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, 42ND PRESIDENT - On January 20, 1993, Bill Clinton was inaugurated as our nation's 42nd President. Four years later, he was re-elected to a second term. He was the second President, along with Andrew Johnson, to be impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives. Like Andrew Johnson, however, the motivations for impeachment were primarily political and thus Clinton was not convicted and removed from office by the Senate. At the end of his presidency, Clinton continued to enjoy strong public support. As President, Clinton presided over the greatest peace time economic prosperity in the history of the country. After his presidency, Clinton has gone on to become one of, if not, the most influential world spokesman raising funds and working for world humanitarian causes. Meanwhile, his wife and former First Lady Hillary Clinton was elected as a U.S. Senator from New York, the only former First Lady to run for political office. In 2008, she ran for the Democratic nomination for President, but lost the nomination to Barack Obama. She and former President Clinton then compaigned for Obama in the general election. After Obama's election as President, he announced that he would appoint former First Lady Hillary Clinton to the position of Secretary of State.

RONALD REAGAN, 41ST PRESIDENT - Ronald Reagan was sworn in as our nation's 41st President on January 20, 1981. Minutes later, Iran announced that they had released the American hostages that they had held ever since President Carter had allowed the former Shah of Iran into the United States in order to receive medical treatment for his cancer. Reagan's swearing-in was the first time that a Presidential inauguration was held on the West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol. Known as the "Great Communicator", Reagan along with John Kennedy often tops public opinion polls as the best U.S. President. This is compared to polls of historians that typically list George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt as the top three presidents. Reagan assumed the office of President at a time of low public morale because of high inflation, frustration over the Iran hostage situation, and the recent Arab oil embargo which had caused gas rationing in America. Reagan was elected based upon his promise of renewed optimism in America along with a shift towards conservative values and restraining the spending of government. Ironically, while Reagan's foreign policies helped bring about the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, his military spending on the Star Wars and other programs caused government spending and the federal deficit to skyrocket. Reagan is the only movie star to be elected President. He survived an assassination attempt shortly after his election to his first term in office that almost cost him his life, but went on to serve to two terms as President. After he publicly took responsibility for the trading of arms for hostages in his second term in office, or what is known as the Iran-Contra scandal, the publicly forgave him. As a result, the media often referred to Reagan as having a "teflon factor" where the public so liked him that he could overcome criticisms that other President would have difficulty in dealing with. Part of this ability can be attributed to the way that Reagan seemed able to talk directly to the public in moments of shared celebration, such as the bicentennial of the Statue of Liberty, or in moments of tragedy, such as the Challenger space shuttle disaster.

RICHARD NIXON, 38TH PRESIDENT - Richard Nixon had previously served as Vice President under President Eisenhower. Afterwards, he ran for President but was defeated by John F. Kennedy. He finally was elected and sworn in as the nation's 38th President on January 20, 1969. His inauguration was unusual in that only individuals with special invitations were admitted to the Capitol grounds for the inauguration ceremony. Also, two Bibles were utilized, both family heirlooms. As President, Nixon's two biggest achievements were his trip to China to open up relations with China and his Executive Order creating the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He was less successful in his campaign promise to get us out of the Vietnam War, with some people believing that he purposely delayed the withdrawal of our troops so as to hence his status as a war-time President and thus chances of being re-elected. After being elected to a second term, however, he became embroiled in the Watergate scandal and, because of the threat of his impeachment and prosecution by the Watergate Special Prosecutor, he was forced to resign, becoming the only President to resign from office. While he was pardoned by his succesor, President Gerald Ford, a number of his top White House staff were convicted and went to jail for actions related to the Watergate scandal.

JAMES MADISON, 4TH PRESIDENT - James Madison was sworn in as our fourth President on March 4, 1809. He was the last of our founding fathers to serve as President and was the first President to be inaugurated in the chambers of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was also the first President to have his inaugural ball held on the day of his inauguration, and to have the U.S. Marine Band play at the inaugural ball. His presidency is best known for two things: one, the social life that his wife Dolley Madison brought to the White House, and two, the burning of the White House during the war of 1812 with Great Britain. While he is considered only an average President, Madison is one of the giants of America's founding because of the key role that he played in the Federal Convention of 1787 that drafted the U.S. Constitution, including his authoring the Virginia Plan which became the initial blueprint for the Constitution. After the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, as a Congressman he was responsible for drafting and pushing through the passage of the Bill of Rights. His essays in the Federalist papers arguing for the adoption of the U.S. Constitution are considered some of the best arguments for the republican form of government adopted by the United States. Madison quote: "What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature. If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the greatest difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

THOMAS JEFFERSON, 3RD PRESIDENT - Thomas Jefferson was sworn in on March 4, 1801 as our third President. He was the first President to be sworn in at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. and was the only President in our nation's history to walk to and from his inauguration. He was re-elected and sworn in to a second term as President on March 4, 1805. During the American Revolution, he was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. During his presidency, he authorized the purchase of the Louisiana Purchase from France, doubling the size of the United States. After retiring as President, he founded the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Jefferson quote: ". . the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate which would be oppression."

JOHN ADAMS, 2ND PRESIDENT - John Adams was inaugurated as our second President on March 4, 1797. He was the first president to be administered the oath of office by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, who at that time was Oliver Ellsworth. During the American Revolution, Adams was perhaps the leading individual in the Continental Congress and served as a minister to France. When George Washington was elected our nation's first President, Adams was elected as the first Vice President. He then was elected President himself when Washington retired. Adams quote - "I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in providence, for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over this earth."

INAUGURATION OF GEORGE WASHINGTON AS OUR FIRST PRESIDENT - Above are both a painting of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart as well as an illustration from Columbian Magazine dated May 1789 of the triumphal arch erected at Gray's Ferry to greet Washington as he approached the city of Philadelphia on his way to New York for his inaguration as the first President of the United States. A reception was held for Washington in Philadelphia on April 20, 1789. As described in the Columbian Magazine, the railings of the bridge at Gray's Ferry were decorated with laurels interwoven with cedar, while a 20 foot high arch was erected at each end of the bridge made of laurels and other evergreens. Eleven flags were planted at the north side of the bridge representing the eleven states that had ratified the Constitution. About noon the illustrious Washington appeared, to be greet by the cheers and acclamations of an immense crowd. After being saluted by a discharge of cannons, Washington was escorted into Philadelphia by a troop of soldiers and prominent citizens of the city. Washington was subsequently inaugurated on April 30, 1789 on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City. He set the precedent of taking the oath of office with his hand on a Bible, and adding the words "so help me god" after the official oath. That evening there was fireworks to celebrate his inauguration, while an inaugural ball was held on May 7, 1789. As with his initial election as President, Washington was unanimously re-elected for a second term as President. His second inaugural speech on March 4, 1793 was the shortest given by any President, consisting of only 135 words. Washington set a precedent for future Presidents, with the exception of Franklin Roosevelt, by serving only two terms as President and then stepping down and returning to life as a citizen. Washington quote: ". . it is yet to be decided, whether the Revolution is ultimately to be considered a blessing or a curse: a blessing or a curse, not to the present age alone, for with our fate will the destiny of unborn Millions be involved."