The tradition of placing a hand on the Bible during the presidential oath dates back to George Washington in 1789, when a Masonic lodge Bible was borrowed.
Some presidents use family Bibles for their swearing-in, as seen with President Biden’s family Bible, handed down since the 19th century.
The custom of kissing the Bible after taking the oath began with Washington but ended with Franklin Pierce’s left-hand placement in 1853.
Not all presidents adhere to the Bible custom; Theodore Roosevelt took the oath without any book, and John Quincy Adams used a legal book.
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