Arnold Schwarzenegger sworn in as governor of California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in Monday as the 38th governor of California, completing a meteoric rise from bodybuilder and action hero to leader of the nation's most populated state in a historic recall election.

The 56-year-old Austrian immigrant took the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol before an audience of 7,500 dignitaries and supporters — as millions more around the world watched the event live on television.

Schwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver, held the Bible while California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George administered the oath.

"I am humbled, I am honored and I am moved beyond words to be your governor," Schwarzenegger said after being sworn in.

In a nod to his wife's uncle, Schwarzenegger added: "In the words of President Kennedy, 'I am an idealist without illusions."'

Although he had no experience as an elected official, the Republican Schwarzenegger was swept into office in the Oct. 7 election that ousted Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, reviled by the voters for his handling of the state's ailing economy.

"Perhaps some think this is fanciful or poetic, but to an immigrant like me — who, as a boy saw Soviet tanks rolling through the streets of Austria, to someone like me who came here with absolutely nothing and gained absolutely everything — it is not fanciful to see this state as a golden dream," Schwarzenegger said.

The ceremony, while steeped in tradition, was void of the pageantry often associated with California inaugurations.

Bitterness over the divisive recall vote and the state's financial troubles prompted Schwarzenegger to put a damper on livelier festivities — although plenty of celebrities and journalists were on hand. Former Miss America Vanessa Williams, who appeared with Schwarzenegger in the 1996 film "Eraser," sang the national anthem.

Nearly 740 journalists were expected to cover the ceremony — numbers similar to a presidential inauguration. Fifteen dignitaries from 13 countries were in attendance, including representatives from Canada, Egypt, Austria and Mexico.

The new governor was surrounded by his four children, who had remained out of public view during much of the recall campaign.