Evening star., 1953-01-19
By Joseph c. McGorroohy
choirmon, inaugural Committee

It is not possible to say with
any certainty exactly when the
first official inaugural medal was
made.
What apparently happened
was that the inaugural commit
tees subcommittee on badges
whose function was to make
badges to identify members OF
the inaugural committees. grad
ually began to make the badges
larger and more decorative, until
a separate commemorative in
augural medal evolved.
The records of former in
augural committees in the Ii
brary of Congress and the Wash
ingtoniana Division of the Dis
trict Public Library have not yet
unearthed the year the first
badge was made.
.r Earliest on Record.
The earliest records of a COM
mittee on badges go back to the
inauguration of Jane A. Gar
field and Chester A. Arthur in
1881, though there were probably
earlier badges.
It was in 1897 that the badge
seemed to change from decora-
ton to a commemorative medal
Again, there was a committee on
badges, but three badges were
made of pure gold, one of which
is to be presented to President
Mckinley. one to Vice President
Hobart, and one to Chairman
Charles j. Bell, of the Cnaugu-
rail- committee"
Here is the committees de-
scription of the official badge:
1T shows in the stick pin the
Capitol of the United States.
To the bar of the pin is attached
a yellow gold ribbon, on which
is woven in silk a United States
flag. At the bottom of the silk
is a bronze slide, with the words
Inauguration. March 4. 1897.
On the silk above the flag are
woven in blue the designations
of the respective committees.
Attached to this ribbon is the
medal proper, in bronze, show
ing on the front of the face of
Mckinley in relief surrounded
by beautiful scroll work, con-
tanning the names of the ad-
ditional 80 States other than the
original 13 States, as they were
admitted to the Union. On the
diverse side is the shield or coat
of arms of the United States in
heraldic form, surrounded by a
scroll work, showing the original
13 States, chronologically, as
they adopted the Constitution of
the United States"
It was in 1901 for the second
Inauguration of President Nc
Kinley with Theodore Roosevelt
as his Vice President that the
first separate medal seems to
have been struck. Ellis Spear
was chairman of the medals
and badges" committee and his
report mentions that a medal
was struck in bronze and that
the dies for the medal were
executed at the United States
Mint in Philadelphia and the
stamping done by Joseph Davi-
son, also of Philadelphia.
The final report of the COM
mittee showed an expenditure
of about $1,400 for medals and
$500 for badges.
Established in 1905.
BY 1905, when Theodore Roose-
velt was inaugurated with
Charles Fairbanks as his Vice
President. the inaugural medal
was an established part of the
ceremony. In that year the COM
mittee arranged with Tiffany of
New York to make gold medals
for the President and Vice Presi-
dent and 100 bronze medals cast
from the same die. These were
especially designed by Adolph A.
Weinman of New York, under
the supervision of Augustus
aint-Gaudens. The committee
also had 5000 handsome bronze
medals" made by Joseph K.
Davison's Sons of Philadelphia
and 1886 badges made by S. N.
Meyer of Washington.
Again in 1909, three gold in
augural medals were struck to
give to President Taft, Vice
President James S. Sherman and
the inaugural chairman; and
5000 were struck in bronze to be
distributed by the various COM
mittee chairmen.
In 1918, when Woodrow Will
son was inaugurated for his first
term, the medal and badge COM
mittee had Whitehead & Hoag
Co. of Newark, N. j., make three
gold, 80 silver and 5000 bronze
copies of the inaugural medal.
The diverse of this medal has
a profile of Wilson with the
words "Inaugurated March 4,
1913" and the reverse contains
the names of Woodrow Wilson,
President, Thomas Riley Mar
shall. Vice President, with deco
rative fasces and an American
eagle.
For President wilson's second
inaugural, the bronze medals
were eliminated. Three gold
medals similar in design to that
of 1918. and bearing the inscrip-
ton, preparedness Prosperity" ="
were made by r. Harris g. Co. of
Washington.
None for Harding.
In 1921, there was apparently
no official inaugural medal for
Warren G. Harding and Calvin
Coolidge, nor is there a record
of an official inaugural medal
for the Coolidge inaugural in
1925.
Tn 1000 for the ipaI1oIIrat tion