![]() Norris of Nebraska proposed a twentieth Constitutional Amendment. Wilson never implemented the plan since he was narrowly re-elected. President Wilson and Vice President Thomas R. ![]() This appointment would have made him first in line to act as President in the event of a simultaneous vacancy in President and vice president’s offices thanks to another odd feature of Article 1. Wilson planned to appoint Hughes as Secretary of State. In 1916, during World War I, President Woodrow Wilson devised a plan to avoid a lame-duck presidency and allow his Republican opponent Charles Evans Hughes to assume presidential powers immediately if Hughes had won the election. Critics, particularly those in the Progressive Movement that had been vital to other political reforms, argued that shrinking the gap in time between elections and taking office amounted to an immediate call to public service.Īt times, this lame-duck Constitutional provision led to some bizarre attempts by presidents to circumvent it. Because they were voted out of office, defeated politicians would serve as lame ducks, incapable of effectively representing their constituents or affecting public policy. These scheduling decisions resulted in a long, four-month lame-duck period between the new President’s election and inauguration. Congress set March 4, 1789, as the date “for commencing proceedings” of the newly reorganized government. This date resulted from Article I, Section 4, Clause 2 of the Constitution. Historically, the inauguration had been on March 4th, which was four months after the election. Interestingly, the date change has a connection to the Jazz Age. However, it hasn’t always been held in January. On January 20, 2021, the United States inaugurated Joseph Biden as the 46th president. “In the eyes of many in the world, this every-four-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle.” - President Ronald Reagan
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