This article was first published in the ChurchBeat newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Wednesday night.
Latter-day Saint leaders have a rich, 150-year history of attending the inauguration ceremonies of U.S. presidents of both major political parties.
In fact, two presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled east for inaugurations, in 1953 and 1989.
Below, we list the 25 times senior church leaders or other representatives of the faith attended U.S. presidential inaugurations.
One of the best inaugural stories about a Latter-day Saints leader and an American president is about the friendship between church President David O. McKay and President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965.
Johnson invited President McKay to his inauguration because President McKay was one of his spiritual advisers. Their bond was so strong that Johnson once had Air Force One land in Salt Lake City, went straight downtown to see President McKay, and then turned around and went back to the plane to continue his travels.
President McKay, who attended the 1953 inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, was unable to make it to Johnson’s inauguration. President Hugh B. Brown, first counselor to President McKay in the First Presidency, did attend the inauguration. And the Tabernacle Choir performed at the ceremonies, the first of seven times the choir has performed at inaugurations.
President Brown told the Deseret News that the reason President McKay, who turned 92 two days before the inauguration, couldn’t make it to the ceremonies was that “his doctors ruled out the trip.”
But Johnson didn’t forget his friend.
Three flags flew over the U.S. Capitol the day of the inauguration, Jan. 20, 1965. One went to Johnson and another went to Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey.
The third was for President McKay.
“President Johnson and everyone on down send love and appreciation to President McKay for permitting the Tabernacle Choir to fly to Washington to participate in the inauguration ceremonies,” the White House said, according to the Deseret News.
Latter-day Saint leaders have attended U.S. presidential inaugurations at least 25 times since 1873
1873 — Inauguration of President Ulysses S. Grant
Elder George Q. Cannon, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Utah Territorial delegate.
1877 — Inauguration of President Rutherford B. Hayes
President George Q. Cannon, assistant counselor in the First Presidency and Utah Territorial delegate.
1905 — Inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt
Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.
1909 — Inauguration of President William Howard Taft
Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.
1913 — Inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson
Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.
1917 — Inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson
Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.
1921 — Inauguration of President Warren G. Harding
Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.
1925 — Inauguration of President Calvin Coolidge
Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.
1929 — Inauguration of President Herbert Hoover
Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.
1953 — Inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Church President David O. McKay and Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Quorum of the Twelve and nominee, Secretary of Agriculture.
1957 — Inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Quorum of the Twelve and Secretary of Agriculture.
1961 — Inauguration of President John F. Kennedy
Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Quorum of the Twelve and Secretary of Agriculture.
1965 — Inauguration of President Lyndon B. Johnson
President Hugh B. Brown, first counselor in the First Presidency. (Church President David O. McKay was invited but did not attend because “his doctors ruled out the trip.”)
1969 — Inauguration of President Richard Nixon
Elders Ezra Taft Benson and Richard L. Evans, Quorum of the Twelve. (Church member J. Willard Marriott, who would represent the church at the 2001 inauguration of President George W. Bush, was the chairman of President Nixon’s inauguration committee in 1969.)
1973 — Inauguration of President Richard Nixon
Elder Boyd K. Packer, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. (Church President Harold B. Lee planned to attend but did not due to illness.)
1977 — Inauguration of President Jimmy Carter
President N. Eldon Tanner, first counselor in the First Presidency.
1981 — Inauguration of President Ronald Reagan
Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Quorum of the Twelve, and Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, First Quorum of the Seventy.
1989 — Inauguration of President George H. W. Bush
Church President Ezra Taft Benson and President Thomas S. Monson, second counselor in the First Presidency.
1993 — Inauguration of President Bill Clinton
Elder James E. Faust, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
1997 — Inauguration of President Bill Clinton
Elder Henry B. Eyring, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
2001 — Inauguration of President George W. Bush
Elder J. Willard Marriott, Area Seventy.
2009 — Inauguration of President Barack Obama
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, and Elder M. Russell Ballard, Quorum of the Twelve.
2013 —Inauguration of President Barack Obama
Elders L. Tom Perry and Quentin L. Cook, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
2017 — Inauguration of President Donald Trump
Elders D. Todd Christofferson and Gary E. Stevenson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
2021: Church leaders did not attend the 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden as participation was limited due to the pandemic.
2025 — Inauguration of President Donald Trump
Elders Gary E. Stevenson and Gerrit W. Gong, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
My Recent Stories
How BYU football coach Kalani Sitake’s dad helped him defy the odds (Jan. 15)
‘God wins improbable victories’: Presidents of BYUs put the devotion in semester-opening devotionals (Jan. 14)
Church invites its 1 million children under 11 to join service projects in 2025 (Jan. 14)
For the three BYU campuses this year, a different type of Presidents Day falls on Jan. 14 (Jan. 11)
Church makes meetinghouses available for shelter, provides aid as some Latter-day Saints lose homes (Jan. 10)
Name change for Latter-day Saint addiction recovery program reflects Jesus Christ’s role in healing (Jan. 10)
‘American Primeval,’ new Netflix series, features Brigham Young, Mountain Meadows. Is it accurate? (Jan. 9)
Latter-day Saints mobilizing resources and volunteers to help as California wildfires blaze (Jan. 9)
About the church
Tuesday was the seven-year anniversary of the day President Russell M. Nelson was set apart as the 17th prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here is a list of 100+ announcements and changes in the church during his ministry as president.
The Tabernacle Choir will not perform at President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday because it was not invited this time, my colleague Sam Benson reported. It did however perform last week at Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s inauguration.
The First Presidency called 164 new mission presidents. It’s always one of the most-anticipated announcements and among the most-viewed stories for the Deseret News and Church News.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf and his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf, will hold a worldwide devotional for young adults. The broadcast will be available Feb. 2 in the Americas and Feb. 9 in other areas.
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, will be the Family Discovery Day keynote speakers at RootsTech 2025 on March 8.
The First Presidency announced the April/May open house dates and the May dedication date for the Nairobi Kenya Temple, the first in East Africa.
The First Presidency released a rendering of the planned Brussels Belgium Temple.
What I’m reading
A professor wrote about why she returned to teach at BYU.
This story was a crazy read. Interesting, informative and jaw-dropping about what fans experienced last year when they attended the fourth-coldest game in NFL history.
Behind the Scenes
Correction: A photo in the original version of this newsletter incorrectly identified Treasury Secretary David M. Kennedy as President Hugh B. Brown. The Deseret News regrets the error.
