Every four years, the United States swears in a president. And every four years, it’s both news and history. You’ll find that in this collection of post-inauguration front pages dating back to 1921.
There’s President Warren G. Harding’s death in 1923, which put President Calvin Coolidge in charge. There’s President Harry Truman denouncing communism, President John F. Kennedy promising freedom, and President Lyndon B. Johnson sworn in just two years later after Kennedy’s assassination. There’s President Richard Nixon with both arms up in double peace signs. There’s President Gerald Ford taking over just a year later after Nixon stepped down. It goes on and on and sits alongside the news of the day.
It’s a sobering reminder, as if we needed one right now, the journalism is the first draft of history. As we look ahead to America’s 46th president, here’s a look back.
1921, Shawnee (Oklahoma) News
1923, Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal
1925, Tampa (Florida) Morning Tribune
1929, The Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press
1933, Asbury Park (New Jersey) Evening Press
1937, The Boston (Massachusetts) Daily Globe
1941, The Charlotte (North Carolina) Observer
1945, The Birmingham (Alabama) News
1949, The Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Inquirer
1953, The Knoxville (Tennessee) Journal
1957, The Atlanta (Georgia) Constitution
1961, The (Richmond, Indiana) Palladium-Item
1963, New York Daily News
1965, The Burlington (Vermont) Free Press
1969, The Honolulu (Hawaii) Advertiser
1973, The (Phoenix) Arizona Republic
1974, Kenosha (Wisconsin) News
1977, Shreveport (Louisiana) Journal
1981, The (Spokane, Washington) Spokesman-Review
1985, The Asheville (North Carolina) Citizen
1989, Los Angeles Times
1993, Chicago Tribune
1997, The (Salisbury, Maryland) Daily Times
2001, The Kansas City (Missouri) Star
2005, Reno (Nevada) Gazette-Journal
2009, The (Shreveport, Louisiana) Times
2013, The Detroit Free Press
2017, The Greenville, South Carolina) News
