On September 14, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt arrived in Buffalo after President William McKinley died from injuries suffered in an assassination attempt.
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McKinley → arrive → attempt
Roosevelt reached the city at 1.30pm and was taken to the home of Ansley Wilcox, a friend who would soon provide the setting for an unexpected presidential inauguration.
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who → reach → inauguration
According to Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, Roosevelt first went to the home of John Milburn, where McKinley had been staying, to pay his respects to Mrs McKinley.
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McKinley → accord → McKinley
He then returned to the Wilcox home.
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He → return → home
There, the library was chosen as the place for him to take the oath of office as the 26th president of the United States.
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him → choose → States
The ceremony took place at about 3.30pm, only hours after McKinley's death.
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ceremony → take → death
A small group was present, including a few newspaper reporters who were allowed to take notes.
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who → include → notes
Photographers were kept out of the room until after the ceremony.
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Photographers → keep → ceremony
Roosevelt also wore formal clothes borrowed from some of the guests who were there.
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who → wear → guests
Federal District Judge John R. Hazel administered the oath.
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Hazel → administer → oath
Immediately after becoming president, Roosevelt held a short Cabinet meeting in the same library.
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Roosevelt → become → library
He then went to the morning room to issue his first presidential proclamation.
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He → go → proclamation
The room where that ceremony took place is now part of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo.
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ceremony → take → Buffalo
On the 125th anniversary of Roosevelt's unexpected inauguration, the site is brought the event back to the same library with a live reenactment.
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site → bring → reenactment
Reenactment on September 14
The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site hosted the reenactment on September 14, 2026.
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Site → host → September
The event featured Joe Wiegand, a performer known for portraying Roosevelt.
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event → feature → Roosevelt
The organisers say the reenactment took place in the very room where Roosevelt took the presidential oath in 1901.
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Roosevelt → say → 1901
Wiegand followed part of the same journey that Roosevelt made more than a century ago.
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Roosevelt → follow → century
He arrived in Buffalo by train on the afternoon of September 14.
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He → arrive → September
According to the event organisers, “TR” was expected to arrive downtown at about 3:45pm, depending on the arrival time of the Amtrak train.
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TR → accord → train
He then traveled to the historic Ansley Wilcox House and prepared to take the oath.
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He → travel → oath
The reenactment began at 4:30pm.
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reenactment → begin → 4:30pm
It recreated the moment when Roosevelt formally became president after McKinley's death.
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Roosevelt → recreate → death
The event was presented as an opportunity for visitors to experience the historic ceremony in the place where it happened.
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it → present → place
The organisers described it as a chance to imagine being “IN the room where it happened”.
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it → describe → room
The 35-word oath repeated
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oath → repeat → ?
During the reenactment, Wiegand delivered the 35-word presidential oath that Roosevelt spoke in 1901.
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Roosevelt → deliver → 1901
He raised his hand and take the oath in the same library.
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He → raise → library
The National Park Service records that Roosevelt had selected the Wilcox library as the most appropriate location for the ceremony.
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Roosevelt → record → ceremony
After the oath, he stayed there for a Cabinet meeting before moving to another room to issue his first presidential proclamation.
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he → stay → proclamation
Event livestreamed
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Event → livestreame → ?
The September 14 reenactment was livestreamed through the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site's social media platforms.
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reenactment → livestreame → platforms
However, only a limited number of people were able to watch the event from inside the library.
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number → watch → library
VIP tickets were sold for those who want exclusive access to the live reenactment.
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who → sell → reenactment
The organisers said proceeds will benefit the site's civic education programming.
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proceeds → say → programming
The VIP ticket costed $500 per person or $850 per couple.
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ticket → cost → couple
The ticket also includes access to the site's Exemplary Citizenship Reception scheduled for 6pm on September 15, the following evening.
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ticket → include → September
Tickets for the Double-Decker Bus Tour are not included and have to be purchased separately.
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Tickets → include → Tour
The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site is located at 641 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York.
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Site → locate → Buffalo
The site is operated by the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation through a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.
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site → operate → Service
The Aporia
