After the swearing-in ceremony in which President Obama took the oath of office with his hand on Bibles owned by President Lincoln and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mr. Obama and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who administered the oath, signed their names in Mr. King’s Bible.
It’s unclear whether either men also wrote a note. The White House said only that the two men “inscribed” the traveling King family Bible at the King family’s request.
While pausing by a statue of Mr. King in the Capitol Rotunda after a luncheon hosted by members of Congress, Mr. Obama said it was a privilege to use both Bibles.
“I had the great privilege that the Bible we used was his Bible and they asked for it to be inscribed,” he said.
Monday, the nation celebrated Mr. King’s 84th birthday.
