The Worst Inaugural Addresses

Here is a list of the five worst Presidential Inaugural Addresses. They are arranged chronologically.

1. Thomas Jefferson (1805): Jefferson breaks into a tirade during his inaugural. He attempts to justify his policies and accomplishments and then attacks his critics and calls them ignorant. And people thought Nixon's 1962 farewell speech was bitter.

2. John Quincy Adams (1825): Adams was slow to recognize the revolutionary changes overtaking American politics in the 1820s. However, he did recognize his precarious situation after the contested Election of 1824. His address was long, rambling, and boring. He felt the need to mention the aqueducts of Rome. At the end, he admits he is a handicapped president and might not be able to get much done.

3. William Henry Harrison (1841): Harrison's address was so long, he caught a cold, which turned to pneumonia. He died a month into office. His speech was so bad, it killed him.

4. James Buchanan (1857): The word clueless comes to mind with Buchanan. The country was on the eve of Civil War, but Buchanan did not seem to understand this. The Kansas situation had created a war within the territory. Buchanan claimed sectional differences were of no importance. He then rambles on and on and on...

5. Warren Harding (1921): Another long and rambling speech. The first Bill Clinton gave one of the worst addresses ever. Reading the speech is something akin to watching paint dry. No, that is unfair to paint.