On 1 March 1825 the U.S. Senate appointed a three-man committee (one of whom was future president Martin Van Buren) "to make such arrangements as may be necessary for the reception of the President, on the occasion of his inauguration." The committee's planning was a success; the Richmond Enquirer, 8 March 1825, noted that on inauguration day inside the U.S. Capitol, "The galleries, though filled to overflowing, were remarkable for the stillness and decorum which (with a very few exceptions) prevailed." The crowds began gathering three hours before the 4 March event. "Ladies" were "admitted to seats reserved for them" in the Capitol, but "they had to attain the envied station at no small sacrifice, and the gentlemen who lead and guarded them were obliged in some instances almost literally to fight their way to the doors." John Quincy Adams, wearing "a plain suit of black," took 40 minutes to deliver his inaugural address, near the end of which he stated: "Intentions upright and pure; a heart devoted to the welfare of our country, and the unceasing application of all the faculties allotted to me, to her service, are all the pledges that I can give, for the faithful performance of the arduous duties I am to undertake." {{Register of Debates in Congress, 1824–1837, Washington, D.C., 1825–1837; 14 vols., 1:713}}