where did the tradition of an inaugural address come from
United States presidential inauguration
The first inauguration , that of George Washington , took place on April 30 , 1789 . All subsequent ( regular ) inaugurations from 1793 until 1933 , were held on March 4 , the day of the year on which the federal government began operations under the U.S. Constitution in 1789 . The exception to this pattern being those years in which March 4 fell on a Sunday . When it did , the public inauguration ceremony would take place on Monday , March 5 . This happened on four occasions , in 1821 , 1849 , 1877 , and 1917 . Inauguration Day moved to January 20 , beginning in 1937 , following ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution , where it has remained since . A similar Sunday exception and move to Monday is made around this date as well ( which happened in 1957 , 1985 , and 2013 ) . 
The first inauguration , that of George Washington , took place on April 30 , 1789 . All subsequent ( regular ) inaugurations from 1793 until 1933 , were held on March 4 , the day of the year on which the federal government began operations under the U.S. Constitution in 1789 . The exception to this pattern being those years in which March 4 fell on a Sunday . When it did , the public inauguration ceremony would take place on Monday , March 5 . This happened on four occasions , in 1821 , 1849 , 1877 , and 1917 . Inauguration Day moved to January 20 , beginning in 1937 , following ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution , where it has remained since . A similar Sunday exception and move to Monday is made around this date as well ( which happened in 1957 , 1985 , and 2013 ) .
The first inauguration, that of George Washington, took place on April 30, 1789.  All subsequent inaugurations from 1793 until 1933 were held on March 4, the day of the year on which the federal government began operations under the U.S. Constitution in 1789.  Inauguration Day moved to January 20, beginning in 1937, following ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution.
The first inauguration , that of George Washington , took place on April 30 , 1789 . All subsequent ( regular ) inaugurations from 1793 until 1933 , were held on March 4 , the day of the year on which the federal government began operations under the U.S. Constitution in 1789 . Inauguration Day moved to January 20 , beginning in 1937 , following ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution , where it has remained since .