Vice Presidential Inaugural Addresses

I have a couple of research projects ongoing, but let's start with the quirky one. Vice Presidents used to give inaugural addresses. The last one was by Nelson Rockefeller in 1974. Why did they end? What were they like?

Until the Twentieth Amendment was ratified, vice-presidents were typically sworn in before the Senate. The Vice President would then give remarks to the Senate as the incoming presiding officer. The custom was irregular. John Adams did one in 1789, but not in 1793. Jefferson gave one in 1797, but then there was only one more until 1841. From 1857 to 1933, though, every Vice President or Vice President-Elect gave an inaugural address to the Senate.

After the Twentieth Amendment was ratified, vice presidents took the oath right before their presidents. This did not happen in the Senate, and so the tradition of vice-presidential inaugurals was lost. The exceptions came in 1973 and 1974 when two vice presidents were appointed under the 25th Amendment. They were sworn in by the Chief Justice before a Joint Session of Congress and gave a speech there. Presumably this would be the ceremony the next time we have an appointed VP.

What did most vice presidents talk about in their inaugurals? That's the next post.