Some presidents didn’t take their presidential oath on a Bible.

  • Inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson
Inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson
Credit: World History Archive/ Alamy Stock Photo
Author Michael Nordine

December 4, 2025

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Presidents of the United States are typically sworn in with their hand on a Bible, but American heads of state aren’t always typical. John Quincy Adams, for instance, placed his hand on a book of law, and according to some reports, Thomas Jefferson used his own handcrafted book, The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth. Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in after his predecessor William McKinley was assassinated and thus didn’t have time to use any book at all, and at his first inauguration, Calvin Coolidge had a Bible on the table but didn’t place his hand on it, as doing so would have gone against the puritan belief that physical objects shouldn’t be accorded the same respect as God. Lastly, Lyndon B. Johnson, who hastily took the oath aboard Air Force One in the immediate aftermath of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, thought he was using a Bible but was actually using a Catholic missal.

The presidential oath of office is simple and to the point: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Like many of America’s governmental traditions, being sworn in on a Bible can be traced back to George Washington. The founding father went so far as to kiss the book, as did several of his successors.

By the Numbers

Did you know?

Lyndon B. Johnson didn’t have a name until he was 3 months old.

When the 36th U.S. president was born, his parents couldn’t agree on something rather important: his name. The future Lyndon Baines Johnson was simply called “Baby” for the first three months of his life, until his mother finally agreed with her husband’s idea of naming the child after a lawyer he knew named W. C. Linden — but only if she could change the spelling. LBJ later recalled a chance meeting with his namesake while campaigning for Congress, per Texas Monthly: “An old man with a white carnation in his lapel came up and said, ‘That was a very good speech. I want to vote for you like I always have. The only thing I don’t like about you is the way you spell your name.” The man then identified himself as W. C. Linden.

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