U.S. Presidential Ceremonies

Photos capturing key moments in U.S. history during official ceremonies, featuring past presidents and notable figures, often in somber or formal settings.

President Barack Obama welcomes His Holiness Pope Francis to the White House at an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on September 23, 2015.

U.S. President Bill Clinton and U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton (both far left) attending funeral of former U.S. President Richard Nixon with former U.S. Presidents (l-r) George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and former U.S. First Ladies (l-r) Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford, Yorba Linda, California, USA, Barbara Kinney, White House Photograph Office, April 27, 1994

Former US President Bill Clinton shakes hands with US President George W. Bush during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

President Ronald Reagan speaks during the state funeral service for the Unknown Serviceman of the Vietnam Era. The service is taking place in the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery. Base: Arlington State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

President Barack Obama welcomes His Holiness Pope Francis to the White House at an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on September 23, 2015.

Respects are paid to former U.S. President Gerald Ford as his casket lay in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol

US President George W. Bush holds hands with former US First Lady and current US Sen. Hillary Clinton, D- NY on stage during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

Madrid, 10/12/2015. HRH Don Felipe VI and Doña Letizia, accompanied by Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, preside over the Military Parade on October 12, the National Holiday of Spain. Photo: Ignacio Gil ARCHDC.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is welcomed to the White House in an official state arrival by President George W. Bush

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton steps up to the stage with President George W. Bush, former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush during the official opening ceremony of the Clinton Presidential Library November 18, 2004 in Little Rock, AK

U.S. President Bill Clinton (2nd right), U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton (2nd left), President Vaclav Havel (left), and Dagmar Havlova (right) , portrait on North Portico, White House, Washington, D.C., USA, Sharon Farmer, White House Photograph Office, September 16, 1998

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama address guests in the Grand Foyer of the White House during a holiday party, Dec. 13, 2009.

U.S. President-Elect Richard Nixon, Wife Pat Nixon and family being greeted by Former U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and First Lady Ladybird Johnson at White House prior to Nixon's Inauguration, Washington DC, USA, John T. Bledsoe, U.S. News & World Report Magazine Photograph Collection, January 20, 1969

President Bush delivers the state of the union

Activities at the National Governors Association Centennial Meeting iin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Interior Secretary--and former Idaho Governor--Dirk Kempthorne joined a host of current and former Governors and guests, among them former President Bill Clinton (Centennial Session Keynote Speaker), Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, and ABC News political commentator and author (Centennial Session Moderator) Cokie Roberts.

Former US President George HW Bush, Laura Bush, US President George W. Bush, former US First Lady and current US Sen. Hillary Clinton, D- NY and others on stage during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

Former US President Jimmy Carter speaks during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

President Barack Obama watches as King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and members of the Saudi delegation, depart along the South Lawn Driveway of the White House, June 29, 2010.

U.S. President Bill Clinton standing at podium after swearing-in the first members of his cabinet at the White House, as U.S. Vice President Al Gore and cabinet members Donna Shalala, Robert Reich and Henry Cisneros look on, Washington, D.C., USA, Barbara Kinney, White House Photographer, January 22, 1993

President George Bush, First Lady Laura Bush at Preserve America Presidential Awards, White House Rose Garden, Washington, D.C., honoring staff of The Mount, Lenox, Massachusetts; Texas Historic Trails; Bolduc Properties, Sainte Genevieve, Missouri; Isaiah Davenport House, Savannah, Georgia

Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and former U.S. First Lady Barbara Bush departing via Marine One after U.S. President Bill Clinton's inauguration, Washington, D.C., USA, Barbara Kinney, White House Photographer, January 20, 1993

UK Prime Minister David Cameron delivers remarks at a luncheon with U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on March 14, 2012.

Republican Presidential Nominee Richard Nixon and family on Election Night, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, New York, USA, Bernard Gotfryd, November 6, 1968

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo prepares to attend meeting with Chairman Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea on October 7, 2018.

U.S. President Bill Clinton escorting British Prime Minister John Major to awaiting motorcade, White House, Washington, D.C., USA, Ralph Alswang, , White House Photographer, February 24, 1993

US President Joe Biden speaks during the 21st 9/11 Pentagon Observance Ceremony on Sept. 11, 2022, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alexander Kubitza)

Arrival ceremonies for Ramon Villeda Morales, President of Honduras, 10:40AM. President John F. Kennedy walks with President of the Republic of Honduras, Dr. Ramón Villeda Morales, following arrival ceremonies in honor of President Villeda Morales. Left to right (in foreground): U.S. Chief of Protocol, Angier Biddle Duke; President Villeda Morales; President Kennedy; Military Aide to President Kennedy, General Chester V. Clifton; Naval Aide to President Kennedy, Captain Tazewell T. Shepard, Jr. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and First Lady of the Republic of Honduras, Alejandrina Bermúdez de Villeda Morales (both at far left), step off the reviewing platform; U.S. Deputy Chief of Protocol, William J. Tonesk, stands at right in background. South Lawn, White House, Washington, D.C.

United States, State of Maryland, Camp David. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush greet Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Former US President Bill Clinton kisses wife, former US First Lady and current US Sen. Hillary Clinton, D- NY on stage during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone of Japan listening to national anthems on White House south lawn during state visit, Washington, D.C., USA, President Ronald Reagan White House Photographic Office, April 30, 1987

Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Mr. Doug Emhoff wave during the inaugural parade Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, as they walk down Pennsylvania Ave. toward the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House.

President Barack Obama welcomes His Holiness Pope Francis to the White House at an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on September 23, 2015.

President Barack Obama delivers remarks during a reception for members of Federal Judge Association in the Grand Foyer of the White House, May 24, 2010.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton waves from the stage accompanied by President George W. Bush, former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush during the official opening ceremony of the Clinton Presidential Library November 18, 2004 in Little Rock, AK

Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). 04/27/2011. Presentation of the Cervantes Prize. The Kings Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía, the Minister of Culture González Sinde and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero with the writer.

Former US President Bill Clinton, former US First Lady and current US Sen. Hillary Clinton, D- NY, their daughter Chelsea and others on stage during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Susan Pompeo arrive and are greeted by U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Michael Raynor in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 17, 2020.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is welcomed to the White House in an official state arrival by President George W. Bush

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry chats with a group of dignitaries on July 14, 2016, as they await the beginning of a Bastille Day parade that would pass their reviewing stand in the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France.

Barack Obama takes the oath of office at the swearing in ceremony during the Inauguration on January 20, 2009.

MGYSGT Michael Ryan of the Marine Band, "The President's Own," sings "America the Beautiful" during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on Inauguration Day. In back of Ryan and to his right stands the new President Ronald W. Reagan and the new Vice President George H. Bush. The outgoing President James E. Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale are to the left. Base: Washington State: District Of Columbia (DC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Former US President Bill Clinton, former President George HW Bush, Barbara Bush and others on stage during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

President George Bush, First Lady Laura Bush at Preserve America Presidential Awards, White House Rose Garden, Washington, D.C., honoring staff of The Mount, Lenox, Massachusetts; Texas Historic Trails; Bolduc Properties, Sainte Genevieve, Missouri; Isaiah Davenport House, Savannah, Georgia

President Barack Obama and former First Lady Nancy Reagan at the signing of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House on June 2, 2009

President Bush participates in swearing-in ceremony of Samuel Alito

U.S. President George H.W. Bush and U.S. First Lady Barbara Bush walking along Pennsylvania Avenue after the President's Inauguration, Washington, D.C., USA, David Valdez, White House photographer, January 20, 1989

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo stands for the anthem, prior to delivering a speech on �Communist China and the Free World�s Future� at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, in Yorba Linda, California, on July 23, 2020.

US President George W Bush speaks during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, U.S. President Bill Clinton and Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat during ceremony for Middle East Peace agreement signing, South Lawn of White House, Washington, D.C., USA, Vince Musi, White House Photographer, September 13, 1993

Former US President Bill Clinton shakes hands with US President George W. Bush during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

US President George W Bush speaks during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

Bush greets State Governors

Bill Clinton stands in prayer as 42nd President, on Inauguration Day 1993, Washington, DC

U.S. President Jimmy Carter with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at the White House, Washington, D.C., USA, Marion S. Trikosko, April 5, 1977

U.S. President Ronald Reagan and U.S. Vice President/U.S. President-elect George H.W. Bush with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, Governors Island with Statue of Liberty in background, New York City, New York, USA, President Ronald Reagan White House Photographic Office, December 7, 1988

President-elect Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and Mr. Doug Emhoff arrive at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, prior to the 59th Presidential Inauguration.

President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan presents members of the Afghan delegation to President Barack Obama before their bilateral meeting during the NATO Summit in Chicago, Ill., May 20, 2012.

Republican Vice Presidential Nomination Announcement 2008

President William J. Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich sing the National Anthem at the 1997 Presidential Inaugural Swearing-in Ceremony. Base: Washington State: District Of Columbia (DC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. President Bill Clinton and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak holding joint press conference in the East Room of the White House, U.S. Vice President Al Gore is standing to the right, Washington, D.C., USA, Bob McNeely, White House Photographer, April 6, 1993

George W. Bush walks from his limousine to the Oval Office after traveling to the Department of Energy for a meeting on energy production on September 26, 2005.

Arrival ceremony for Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, 12:00PM. Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I, delivers remarks during an arrival ceremony in his honor; President John F. Kennedy observes. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy stands at far right; Chief of the Political Section of Emperor Selassie's Private Cabinet, Dr. Menassie Haile, stands at right (partially hidden behind President Kennedy). Union Station, Washington, D.C.

A girl in the reception line presents flowers to England's Queen Elizabeth II following the monarch's arrival on base. The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, have arrived for a royal visit. Base: Bergstrom Air Force Base State: Texas(TX) Country: United States Of America(USA)

Visit of Debbie Sue Brown, the March of Dimes Poster Child, 9:51AM. President John F. Kennedy meets the 1962 March of Dimes Poster Child Debbie Sue Brown. Oval Office, White House, Washington D.C.

US President George W. Bush holds hands with former US First Lady and current US Sen. Hillary Clinton, D- NY on stage during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

President-elect Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden arrive to the inaugural platform Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, for the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Longtime LGBT activist Frank Kameny raises his hands as while being recognized by President Barack Obama during his remarks at the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender reception in the East Room of the White House, June 29, 2009.

Former US President Bill Clinton speaks during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

US President Joe Biden speaks during the 21st 9/11 Pentagon Observance Ceremony on Sept. 11, 2022, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alexander Kubitza)

Leslie Bean, wife of former astronaut Alan Bean, receives the folded American Flag from U.S. Navy Rear Adm. James Bynum during his interment service, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018 at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Selected as an astronaut in 1963, Bean flew in space twice, becoming the fourth human to walk on the Moon on Nov. 19, 1969 and spent 59 days in space as commander of the second Skylab mission in 1973.

Former US First Lady and current US Sen. Hillary Clinton, D- NY speaks during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

President George W. Bush and others on stage during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

US President George W Bush speaks during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Mrs. Susan Pompeo visit the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, on October 2, 2019.

Former President Jimmy Carter and former Vice President Walter Mondale and their wives prepare to leave Capitol Hill by car during Inauguration Day activities. Base: Washington State: District Of Columbia (DC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Gregorio López Raimundo (1914-2007), político comunista, en la fiesta electoral del Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya - PSUC celebrada en el camping La Tortuga Ligera, de Gavà, el 8 de mayo de 1977, con más de 100.000 asistentes. Año 1977.

Alberto R. Gonzales Senate Confirmation Hearing

President George Bush waving, with Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta behind and Interior Secretary Gale Norton to the right, at events marking the centennial of the first powered flight, Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Lyn Glenn, center, and David Glenn, right, daughter and son of the former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn are seen as their father is laid to rest during a full military honors interment ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, April 6, 2017 in Virginia. He was the first American to orbit Earth on Feb. 20, 1962, in a five-hour flight aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft. In 1998, Glenn broke another record by returning to space at the age of 77 on the Space Shuttle Discovery.

President George Bush waving, with Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley, Interior Secretary Gale Norton, and actor John Travolta behind, left to right, during events marking the centennial of the first powered flight, Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Visit of United Kingdom's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, to Washington, D.C., with protective detail personnel providing security

KATHERINE HEIGL in STATE OF AFFAIRS (2014), directed by JOE CARNAHAN.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry watches as a Fiat carrying Pope Francis arrives on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base in Camp Springs, Maryland, before the Pontiff took a flight to New York, N.Y., on September 24, 2015.

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau of Cananda, Jimmy Carter, Margaret Trudeau and Rosalynn Carter at State Visit arrival ceremony. circa 21 February 1977.

Second Inaugural Salute to the President Dinner, 7:30PM. The guests of honor attend the Second Inaugural Salute to the President, commemorating the second anniversary of President John F. Kennedys inauguration. Standing in the Presidential box, (L-R): Lady Bird Johnson; President Kennedy; First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy; and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. Also pictured: Bedford S. Wynne, Chairman of the Inaugural Salute; Representative Carl Albert (Oklahoma); and Maureen Hayes Mansfield, wife of Senator Mike Mansfield (Montana); all others are unidentified. National Guard Armory, Washington, D.C.

Anefo photo collection. Queen's Day 1974, Defile Soestdijk; Queen Juliana, Close. April 30, 1975. Soestdijk, Utrecht

Respects are paid to former U.S. President Gerald Ford as his casket lay in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol

Republican National Convention 2008

Trip to Mexico: Departure ceremonies, 11:15AM. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy attend a departure ceremony in their honor, following a state visit to Mexico. In foreground (L-R): Chief of Protocol of Mexico, Federico A. Mariscal; General Cristóbal Guzmán Cárdenas; President Kennedy; Mrs. Kennedy; Military Aide to President Kennedy, General Chester V. Clifton; President of Mexico, Adolfo López Mateos; First Lady of Mexico, Eva Sámano de López Mateos; Eva López Mateos (behind Mrs. López Mateos); U.S. State Department interpreter, Donald Barnes; Chief of the Presidential General Staff of Mexico, Major General José Gómez Huerta. Also pictured: Fanny Gamboa de Carrillo Flores (wife of Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Antonio Carrillo Flores); President of the Permanent Commission of the Mexican Congress, Rómulo Sánchez Mireles; Mrs. Rómulo Sánchez Mireles; President of the Supreme Court of Mexico, Alfonso Guzmán Neyra; Adela Rodríguez de Guzmán Neyra; Gua

President Barack Obama talks with former President Jimmy Carter during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit dinner on the South Lawn of the White House, Aug. 5, 2014.

President Joe Biden delivers his inaugural address Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Al Gore, taking oath as Vice President on Inauguration Day from Chief Justice William Rehnquist on January 20, 1993 in Washington, DC

Former US President Bill Clinton, former US First Lady and current US Sen. Hillary Clinton, D- NY, President George W. Bush and others on stage during the grand opening ceremony of the William J. Clinton Presidential center in Little Rock, AK 18 November 2004.

U.S. President Bill Clinton looking on as Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin delivers press statement, East Room, White House, Washington, D.C., USA, Bob McNeely, White House Photographer, March 15, 1993

Office of the Secretary - President of the United States (POTUS) George W Bush Visits Department of Labor (DOL)

First Lady Michelle Obama pauses with former First Ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barbara Bush, and Rosalynn Carter during the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, April 25, 2013.

President George H. W. Bush stands by as Barbara Bush, ship's sponsor, christens the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN-73). Edward J. Campbell, president and chief executive officer of Newport News Shipbuilding, is at left. Base: Newport News State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Al Gore, taking oath as Vice President on Inauguration Day from Chief Justice William Rehnquist on January 20, 1993 in Washington, DC

Secretary Gale Norton, left, with former President George H.W. Bush after inspecting statue of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in wheelchair, during visit to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Washington, D.C., for ceremonial unveiling of dedication panel for the statue

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville, Kentucky, where he joined First Lady Laura Bush, Historic Site Superintendent Keith Pruitt, and Libby O'Connell, Chief Historian of A and E Television's History Channel, for tours, remarks, interactions with National Park Service staff and visitors

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Luxembourgian Prime Minister Xavier Bettel pause for a moment of silence after they laid a pair of roses at a memorial site at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Hamm, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, on July 17, 2016, as they tour the site following two days of bilateral meetings with government officials.

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