Latter-day Saint leaders have a rich, 150-year history of attending the inauguration ceremonies of U.S. presidents of both major political parties.

In fact, two presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled east for inaugurations, in 1953 and 1989.

Below, we list the 24 times senior church leaders or other representatives of the faith attended U.S. presidential inaugurations.

One of the best inaugural stories about a Latter-day Saints leader and an American president is about the friendship between church President David O. McKay and President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965.

Johnson invited President McKay to his inauguration because President McKay was one of his spiritual advisers. Their bond was so strong that Johnson once had Air Force One land in Salt Lake City, went straight downtown to see President McKay, and then turned around and went back to the plane to continue his travels.

President McKay, who attended the 1953 inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, was unable to make it to Johnson’s inauguration. President Hugh B. Brown, first counselor to President McKay in the First Presidency, did attend the inauguration. And the Tabernacle Choir performed at the ceremonies, the first of seven times the choir has performed at inaugurations.

President Brown told the Deseret News that the reason President McKay, who turned 92 two days before the inauguration, couldn’t make it to the ceremonies was that “his doctors ruled out the trip.”

But Johnson didn’t forget his friend.

Three flags flew over the U.S. Capitol the day of the inauguration, Jan. 20, 1965. One went to Johnson and another went to Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey.

The third was for President McKay.

“President Johnson and everyone on down send love and appreciation to President McKay for permitting the Tabernacle Choir to fly to Washington to participate in the inauguration ceremonies,” the White House said, according to the Deseret News.

Latter-day Saint leaders have attended U.S. presidential inaugurations at least 24 times since 1873

1873 — Inauguration of President Ulysses S. Grant

Elder George Q. Cannon, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Utah Territorial delegate.

1877 — Inauguration of President Rutherford B. Hayes

President George Q. Cannon, assistant counselor in the First Presidency and Utah Territorial delegate.

1905 — Inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt

Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.

1909 — Inauguration of President William Howard Taft

Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.

1913 — Inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson

Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.

1917 — Inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson

Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.

1921 — Inauguration of President Warren G. Harding

Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.

1925 — Inauguration of President Calvin Coolidge

Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.

1929 — Inauguration of President Herbert Hoover

Elder Reed Smoot, Quorum of the Twelve and U.S. Senator from Utah.

1953 — Inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Church President David O. McKay and Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Quorum of the Twelve and nominee, Secretary of Agriculture.

1957 — Inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Quorum of the Twelve and Secretary of Agriculture.

1961 — Inauguration of President John F. Kennedy

Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Quorum of the Twelve and Secretary of Agriculture.

1965 — Inauguration of President Lyndon B. Johnson

President Hugh B. Brown, first counselor in the First Presidency. (Church President David O. McKay was invited but did not attend because “his doctors ruled out the trip.”)

1969 — Inauguration of President Richard Nixon

Elders Ezra Taft Benson and Richard L. Evans, Quorum of the Twelve. (Church member J. Willard Marriott, who would represent the church at the 2001 inauguration of President George W. Bush, was the chairman of President Nixon’s inauguration committee in 1969.)

1973 — Inauguration of President Richard Nixon

Elder Boyd K. Packer, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. (Church President Harold B. Lee planned to attend but did not due to illness.)

1977 — Inauguration of President Jimmy Carter

President N. Eldon Tanner, first counselor in the First Presidency.

1981 — Inauguration of President Ronald Reagan

Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Quorum of the Twelve, and Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, First Quorum of the Seventy.

1989 — Inauguration of President George H. W. Bush

Church President Ezra Taft Benson and President Thomas S. Monson, second counselor in the First Presidency.

1993 — Inauguration of President Bill Clinton

Elder James E. Faust, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

1997 — Inauguration of President Bill Clinton

Elder Henry B. Eyring, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

2001 — Inauguration of President George W. Bush

Elder J. Willard Marriott, Area Seventy.

2009 — Inauguration of President Barack Obama

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, and Elder M. Russell Ballard, Quorum of the Twelve.

2013 —Inauguration of President Barack Obama

Elders L. Tom Perry and Quentin L. Cook, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

2017 — Inauguration of President Donald Trump

Elders D. Todd Christofferson and Gary E. Stevenson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Note: Church leaders did not attend the 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden as participation was limited due to the pandemic.