![]() ![]() NPS The Bible George Washington used during his inauguration as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789 was loaned to him by a local Masonic Lodge, St. John's Lodge No. 1, Ancient York Masons. The history regarding this important event has been obtained from the Masonic Lodge, who have conveyed the story of the Washington Inauguration for over 200 years. The Bible has also been used in the inaugurations of Presidents Warren G. Harding, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush (whose 1989 inauguration was in the bicentennial year of George Washington's). During the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president on January 20, 2009, members of the St. John's Lodge and the Washington Bible took part in a special ceremony in front of the statue of George Washington on the steps of Federal Hall to honor the momentous occasion. ![]() NPS ![]() NPS Who owns the Bible? St. John’s Lodge No. 1, Ancient York Masons, are the custodians of what is now known as the George Washington Inaugural Bible. Why this Bible? Right before the inaugural ceremony began, it was discovered that they did not have a Bible for George Washington to take his oath upon. Jacob Morton, Marshall of the Parade and Master of St. John’s Lodge, rushed to the Lodge to get the Altar Bible for the ceremony. What version is this Bible? The Bible is the King James Version, dated 1767, complete with the Apocrypha and supplemented with historical, astronomical, and legal data. ![]() St. John's Lodge No. 1, A.Y.M. Genesis 49:13, opened at random as the Bible arrived only just in time for the inauguration. Where is the Bible now? As of August 2024, it is on display in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. ![]() NPS President Harding in 1921, President Eisenhower in 1953, President Jimmy Carter in 1977, and President George Bush Sr. in 1989. Must a Bible be used? No. In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt did not use any book during his first inauguration, as it occurred immediately after the assassination of President McKinley in Buffalo, NY. After the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, Lyndon Johnson used a Roman Catholic prayer book which was already present on Air Force One. In 1825, John Quincy Adams took his oath on a law book. |
Last updated: March 12, 2025