President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his first inaugural address after being sworn in by Chief Justice Charles Hughes on March 4, 1933. It was the last inaugural ceremony held in March. Brief footage of his arrival was also shown. When he was inaugurated the country was in the middle of the Great Depression. Several million American’s heard Roosevelt’s address, which was broadcast nationwide via radio. He had defeated the incumbent Herbert Hoover, and in his speech he began laying the groundwork for his New Deal policies and economic programs.