Theodore Roosevelt’s 1901 swearing-in reenacted in same Buffalo room 125 years later

On September 14, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt arrived in Buffalo after President William McKinley died from injuries suffered in an assassination 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.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. He then returned to the Wilcox 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.The ceremony took place at about 3.30pm, only hours after McKinley's death. A small group was present, including a few newspaper reporters who were allowed to take notes. Photographers were kept out of the room until after the ceremony.