On July 11, 1798, President John Adams approved legislation that officially brought "The President's Own" United States Marine Band into being, making the Marine Band America's oldest professional musical organization. At its origin, the fledgling band consisted of a "drum major, fife major and 32 drums and fifes." Since that time, the band has been present at many of the most memorable moments in our nation's history, including every inauguration since the time of Thomas Jefferson, the president who gave them the title, "The President's Own." Take a journey through the United States Marine Band's distinguished history and close connection to the White House.
Music as Diplomacy
Origins & Traditions
The Beginning of the U.S. Marine Band
Hail to the Chief
Announcing the President's Arrival
A Wealth of Talent
Bringing Fame to "The President's Own"
Musical Airs
A Premier Performer on the White House Stage
In Performance
Sharing the Stage
The President's Own
Honor & Prestige of the U.S. Marine Band
Collection Fourth of July at the White House
It was President Thomas Jefferson who first established the traditions of a Fourth of July celebration at the White House....
Collection The White House Social Secretary
For more than one hundred years, White House Social Secretaries have displayed a profound knowledge of protocol and society in...
Collection The Kennedys and the Arts
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's advocacy for the arts endures as a vital part of th...
Collection Music in the White House
Music is often called the universal language. It has been known to break down barriers and shape historic events in...
Collection Dining in the Executive Mansion
A dinner at the White House has always had significance beyond the merely gastronomical. The elegance of the State Dining...
Collection The Hospitality of Diplomacy
The White House has hosted many important heads of state over the years. Typically, the President and First Lady join...
Bio Caroline Harrison
The centennial of President Washington's inauguration heightened the nation's interest in its heroic past, and in 1890 Caroline Scott Harrison lent...
Bio Florence Harding
Daughter of the richest man in a small town, Florence Mabel Kling was born in Marion, Ohio, in 1860, and grew...
Bio Abigail Powers Fillmore
First of the first ladies to hold a job after marriage, Abigail Fillmore was helping her husband's career. She was...
Bio Martha Jefferson
At age 22, Martha Wayles Skelton was already a widow, an heiress, and a mother whose firstborn son would die in...