Recollections of Full Years · Chapter
President of the United States explained
Helen Herron Taft recounts the days leading up to and including the inauguration of her husband, William Howard Taft, as President of the United States.
What happens
Helen Herron Taft recounts the days leading up to and including the inauguration of her husband, William Howard Taft, as President of the United States. She describes their stay in Augusta, Georgia, the planning of White House social arrangements with Captain Butt, the stormy weather that disrupted the inaugural ceremonies, the farewell dinner with President and Mrs. Roosevelt, and the emotional atmosphere of the transition. The chapter culminates in the inaugural ball and her reflections on the historic Blue Bedroom where Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Themes in this chapter
Politics and Governance
The chapter details the transition of presidential power, Cabinet selection, and the ceremonial aspects of the inauguration.
Family and Domestic Life
Helen Taft's focus on White House domestic arrangements, family gatherings, and the emotional support of relatives during the inauguration.
Memory and Nostalgia
Reflections on Lincoln's legacy in the Blue Bedroom and the bittersweet farewell to the Roosevelt administration.
Adaptation to Change
The Tafts' adjustment to their new roles, planning for the White House regime, and coping with the unexpected storm.
Characters to notice
- William Howard Taft
The newly elected President, busy with Cabinet selection and golf in Augusta, later inaugurated despite the storm.
- Helen Herron Taft
Narrator and First Lady, focused on White House social preparations and managing the inaugural events.
- Theodore Roosevelt
Retiring President, hosts the Tafts for dinner and a night at the White House, jokes about the storm.
- Captain Archibald Butt
Roosevelt's aide who helps plan the new White House social regime and is continued as aide to Taft.
- Mabel Boardman
Daughter of the Boardmans, present at the farewell dinner and a guest at the White House dinner.
- Charles P. Taft
Brother of William Howard Taft, stays in a rented house during the inauguration.
- Abraham Lincoln
Historical figure; the Blue Bedroom was once his Cabinet room where he signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Key passages
“In this room Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, whereby four million slaves were given their freedom and slavery forever prohibited in these United States.”
Helen Taft reads a bronze plaque in the Blue Bedroom noting that Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation there.
Reflects on the historical significance of the room where she spent her first night in the White House.
“Well, Will, the storm will soon be over. It isn't a regular storm. It's nature's echo of Senator Rainer's denunciations of me. As soon as I am out where I can do no further harm to the Constitution it will cease.”
Roosevelt jokes that the storm is a response to his critics and will end once he leaves office.
Lighthearted exchange between Roosevelt and Taft about the severe weather on inauguration day.
“You're wrong; it is my storm. I always said it would be a cold day when I got to be President of the United States.”
Taft quips that the cold storm is fitting for his inauguration, referencing his own saying.
Taft's humorous retort to Roosevelt's weather comment.
