Who gave the longest Presidential inaugural speech?

zbeckabee

William Henry Harrison President Harrison has the dual distinction among all the Presidents of giving the longest inaugural speech and of serving the shortest term of office. Known to the public as "Old Tippecanoe," the former general of the Indian campaigns delivered an hour-and-forty-five-minute speech in a snowstorm. http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres26.html Nov 09 07, 8:42 AM

star_gazer

When Harrison arrived in Washington, he focused on showing that he was still the steadfast hero of Tippecanoe. He took the oath of office on March 4, 1841, an extremely cold and wet day. Nevertheless, he faced the weather without his overcoat and delivered the longest inaugural address in American history. At 8,424 words, it took nearly two hours to read (even after his friend and fellow Whig, Daniel Webster, had edited it for length). He then rode through the streets in the inaugural parade, and later caught a cold, which then developed into pneumonia and pleurisy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Harrison It would seem that this lengthy speech was in many ways the cause of his untimely demise. Nov 09 07, 2:52 PM