Presidents are notorious for being long-winded. It's likely an occupational hazard...but then again, who can really blame them? If you were the leader of the free world, wouldn't you have a hard-time shutting up, knowing that the entire world was hanging on your every word?
That being said, some President's really go on for far too long. And that's one heck of a way to make an impression on the public when you are first sworn into office! So, off of Pocket Trivia: US Presidents - What President gave the longest inaugural address? Was it William Henry Harrison, Bill Clinton, James Garfield or Zachary Taylor?
My gut reflex, if I didn't know better, would be to say Clinton...after all, when he gave the Keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention, he got his biggest applause when he was finishing. Clinton also holds the records for longest State of the Union address (2000, 89 minutes). He does not, however, hold the record for longest inaugural address.
That record belongs to William Henry Harrison, who may have died because of his inaugural. Harrison was sworn in on March 4, 1841. It was a wet and cold day, and Harrison did not wear an overcoat or a hat. Harrison caught a cold sometime after that - the cold turned into pneumonia and claimed Harrison's life nine days later.
Listen to your mother - wear your coat!
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