List of State of the Union addresses

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This is a list of State of the Union addresses. The State of the Union is the constitutionally mandated annual report by the president of the United States, the head of the U.S. federal executive departments, to the United States Congress, the U.S. federal legislative body. [1]

Contents

William Henry Harrison (1841) and James A. Garfield (1881) died in their first year in office without delivering a State of the Union.

Before 1933, the State of the Union was delivered at the end of the calendar year. The ratification of the 20th Amendment in 1933 changed the opening of Congress from early March to early January, affecting the delivery of the annual message. There was none in 1933, and since 1934 it has been in January, February or March. [2]

There were unofficial addresses by incoming presidents in 1981, 1989, 1993, 2001, 2009, 2017 and 2021.

List

YearPresidentFormatDateWord Count [3] Time (Minutes) [4]
Jan 1790 George Washington SpokenJan. 81,089Unknown
Dec 1790 Dec. 81,401
1791 Oct. 252,302
1792 Nov. 62,101
1793 Dec. 31,968
1794 Nov. 192,918
1795 Dec. 81,989
1796 Dec. 72,871
1797 John Adams SpokenNov. 222,063
1798 Dec. 82,218
1799 Dec. 31,505
1800 Nov. 221,372
1801 Thomas Jefferson WrittenDec. 83,224
1802 Dec. 152,197
1803 Oct. 172,263
1804 Nov. 82,096
1805 Dec. 32,927
1806 Dec. 22,860
1807 Oct. 272,384
1808 Nov. 82,675
1809 James Madison WrittenNov. 291,831
1810 Dec. 52,446
1811 Nov. 52,273
1812 Nov. 43,242
1813 Dec. 73,257
1814 Sep. 202,111
1815 Dec. 53,146
1816 Dec. 33,364
1817 James Monroe WrittenDec. 124,418
1818 Nov. 164,376
1819 Dec. 74,702
1820 Nov. 143,446
1821 Dec. 35,814
1822 Dec. 34,723
1823 Dec. 26,358
1824 Dec. 78,400
1825 John Quincy Adams WrittenDec. 68,985
1826 Dec. 57,705
1827 Dec. 46,917
1828 Dec. 27,282
1829 Andrew Jackson WrittenDec. 810,525
1830 Dec. 615,114
1831 Dec. 67,178
1832 Dec. 47,863
1833 Dec. 37,877
1834 Dec. 113,411
1835 Dec. 710,825
1836 Dec. 512,367
1837 Martin Van Buren WrittenDec. 511,449
1838 Dec. 311,488
1839 Dec. 213,431
1840 Dec. 58,991
William Henry Harrison
1841 John Tyler WrittenDec. 78,241
1842 Dec. 68,417
1843 Dec. 58,036
1844 Dec. 39,318
1845 James K. Polk WrittenDec. 216,111
1846 Dec. 818,222
1847 Dec. 716,414
1848 Dec. 521,309
1849 Zachary Taylor WrittenDec. 47,617
1850 Millard Fillmore WrittenDec. 28,322
1851 Dec. 213,244
1852 Dec. 69,929
1853 Franklin Pierce WrittenDec. 59,590
1854 Dec. 410,139
1855 Dec. 3111,612
1856 Dec. 210,486
1857 James Buchanan WrittenDec. 813,655
1858 Dec. 616,349
1859 Dec. 1912,336
1860 Dec. 314,049
1861 Abraham Lincoln WrittenDec. 36,987
1862 Dec. 18,385
1863 Dec. 86,114
1864 Dec. 65,865
1865 Andrew Johnson WrittenDec. 49,232
1866 Dec. 37,134
1867 Dec. 312,002
1868 Dec. 99,834
1869 Ulysses S. Grant WrittenDec. 67,706
1870 Dec. 58,743
1871 Dec. 46,459
1872 Dec. 210,102
1873 Dec. 110,026
1874 Dec. 79,819
1875 Dec. 712,211
1876 Dec. 56,799
1877 Rutherford B. Hayes WrittenDec. 310,724
1878 Dec. 27,879
1879 Dec. 111,635
1880 Dec. 613,347
James A. Garfield
1881 Chester A. Arthur WrittenDec. 613,321
1882 Dec. 410,274
1883 Dec. 48,363
1884 Dec. 18,917
1885 Grover Cleveland WrittenDec. 819,960
1886 Dec. 615,285
1887 Dec. 65,290
1888 Dec. 313,226
1889 Benjamin Harrison WrittenDec. 113,004
1890 Dec. 111,522
1891 Dec. 916,306
1892 Dec. 613,680
1893 Grover Cleveland WrittenDec. 412,282
1894 Dec. 315,892
1895 Dec. 214,670
1896 Dec. 715,453
1897 William McKinley WrittenDec. 612,113
1898 Dec. 520,224
1899 Dec. 522,831
1900 Dec. 319,142
1901 Theodore Roosevelt WrittenDec. 319,616
1902 Dec. 59,782
1903 Dec. 714,943
1904 Dec. 617,415
1905 Dec. 525,071
1906 Dec. 323,609
1907 Dec. 327,397
1908 Dec. 819,411
1909 William Howard Taft WrittenDec. 713,901
1910 Dec. 627,651
1911 Dec. 523,744 [lower-alpha 1]
1912 Dec. 325,161 [lower-alpha 2]
1913 Woodrow Wilson SpokenDec. 23,553Unknown
1914 Dec. 84,537
1915 Dec. 77,687
1916 Dec. 52,118
1917 Dec. 43,913
1918 Dec. 25,463
1919 WrittenDec. 24,756
1920 Dec. 72,706
1921 Warren G. Harding SpokenDec. 65,606Unknown
1922 Dec. 85,748
1923 Calvin Coolidge SpokenDec. 66,706
1924 WrittenDec. 36,968
1925 Dec. 810,848
1926 Dec. 710,305
1927 Dec. 68,777
1928 Dec. 48,061
1929 Herbert Hoover WrittenDec. 310,994
1930 Dec. 54,536
1931 Dec. 85,682
1932 Dec. 64,201
1933
1934 Franklin D. Roosevelt SpokenJan. 32,230Unknown
1935 Jan. 43,525
1936 Jan. 33,82650 [6]
1937 Jan. 62,732Unknown
1938 Jan. 34,697
1939 Jan. 43,768
1940 Jan. 33,196
1941 Jan. 63,312
1942 Jan. 63,511
1943 Jan. 74,588
1944 WrittenJan. 113,805
1945 Jan. 68,211
1946 Harry S. Truman WrittenJan. 2127,465
1947 SpokenJan. 66,028Unknown
1948 Jan. 75,094
1949 Jan. 53,401
1950 Jan. 45,130
1951 Jan. 83,994
1952 Jan. 95,369
1953 WrittenJan. 79,683
1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower SpokenFeb. 26,97356 [7]
1954 Jan. 75,98552 [8]
1955 Jan. 67,25053 [8]
1956 WrittenJan. 58,265
1957 SpokenJan. 104,13733 [9]
1958 Jan. 94,91544 [10]
1959 Jan. 94,93342 [11]
1960 Jan. 75,63345 [12]
1961 WrittenJan. 126,210
1961 John F. Kennedy SpokenJan. 305,27443 [13]
1962 Jan. 116,56953 [14]
1963 Jan. 145,47043 [15]
1964 Lyndon B. Johnson SpokenJan. 83,16841
1965 Jan. 44,39947
1966 Jan. 125,54251
1967 Jan. 107,19571
1968 Jan. 174,91450
1969 Jan. 144,11544
1970 Richard Nixon SpokenJan. 224,45737
1971 Jan. 224,50833
1972 Jan. 203,97629
1973 WrittenFeb. 227,147 [lower-alpha 3]
1974 SpokenJan. 305,14443
1975 Gerald Ford SpokenJan. 154,12641
1976 Jan. 194,94851
1977 Jan. 124,72745
1978 Jimmy Carter SpokenJan. 194,58046
1979 Jan. 253,25733
1980 Jan. 213,41232
1981 WrittenJan. 1633,667
1981 [lower-alpha 4] Ronald Reagan SpokenFeb. 184,44633
1982 Jan. 265,15440
1983 Jan. 255,55446
1984 Jan. 254,93143
1985 Feb. 64,21440
1986 Feb. 43,51431
1987 Jan. 273,84735
1988 Jan. 254,95544
1989 [lower-alpha 4] George H. W. Bush SpokenFeb. 94,81148
1990 Jan. 313,77736
1991 Jan. 293,82347
1992 Jan. 285,01251
1993 [lower-alpha 4] Bill Clinton SpokenFeb. 177,00366
1994 Jan. 257,43264
1995 Jan. 249,19085
1996 Jan. 236,31767
1997 Feb. 46,77464
1998 Jan. 277,30377
1999 Jan. 197,51479
2000 Jan. 277,45289
2001 [lower-alpha 4] George W. Bush SpokenFeb. 274,36249
2002 Jan. 293,87848
2003 Jan. 285,41360
2004 Jan. 205,22954
2005 Feb. 25,09653
2006 Jan. 315,32351
2007 Jan. 235,59049
2008 Jan. 285,76053
2009 [lower-alpha 4] Barack Obama SpokenFeb. 245,90252
2010 Jan. 277,30469
2011 Jan. 256,87862
2012 Jan. 247,05965
2013 Feb. 126,77560
2014 Jan. 286,98965
2015 Jan. 206,71860
2016 Jan. 126,04459
2017 [lower-alpha 4] Donald Trump SpokenFeb. 285,00660
2018 Jan. 305,83981
2019 Feb. 55,54082
2020 Feb. 46,21778
2021 [lower-alpha 4] Joe Biden SpokenApr. 288,00365
2022 Mar. 17,70562
2023 Feb. 79,21673
2024 Mar. 78,07867
  1. In 1911 President Taft submitted his written message in four parts on Dec. 5, Dec. 7, Dec. 20, and Dec. 21. This word count includes all four parts. [5]
  2. In 1912 President Taft submitted his written message in three parts on Dec. 3, Dec. 6, and Dec. 19. This word count includes all four parts. [5]
  3. In 1973 President Nixon delivered a series of six written State of the Union messages to Congress from Feb. 2 to Mar. 14. One message was an overview, followed by five additional messages each of which focused on a specific public policy theme. This word count includes all six messages. [5]
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Starting in 1981, first-term Presidents have been invited to address a joint session of Congress shortly after their inauguration. These have reflected the style of a State of the Union address but are not officially titled as a "State of the Union." Since 1989 the opposition party has offered a response. [16]

See also

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The 1964 State of the Union Address was given by Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, on Wednesday, January 8, 1964, to the 88th United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Johnson's first State of the Union Address and his second speech to a joint session of the United States Congress after the assassination of his predecessor John F. Kennedy in November 1963. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker John W. McCormack, accompanied by President pro tempore Carl Hayden, in his capacity as the acting president of the Senate since the office of Vice President was vacant.

The 1955 State of the Union Address was given by the 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, on Thursday, January 6, 1955, to the 84th United States Congress. He said, "Every citizen wants to give full expression to his God-given talents and abilities and to have the recognition and respect accorded under our religious and political traditions." He also said, "To protect our nations and our peoples from the catastrophe of a "nuclear holocaust", free nations must maintain countervailing military power to persuade the Communists of the futility of seeking their ends through aggression." He is referring to what seemed to be the high likelihood of nuclear warfare of the time. He ended with, "And so, I know with all my heart--and I deeply believe that all Americans know--that, despite the anxieties of this divided world, our faith, and the cause in which we all believe, will surely prevail." This address was given in his first term (1953-1957), in Washington, D.C.

The 1956 State of the Union Address was delivered by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, on Friday, January 5, 1956, to both houses of the 84th United States Congress in written format. Eisenhower did not deliver a speech before a joint session of Congress because he had suffered a major heart attack four months prior and was recovering in Key West, Florida. Instead, Eisenhower opted to pre-record remarks from his office at the Naval Air Station in Key West summarizing his State of the Union Address which were broadcast to the nation in the evening on January 5.

The 1973 State of the Union Address was delivered to the 93rd United States Congress as a series of six written messages from February 2 to March 14, 1973. The first message was an overview, which was then followed by five additional messages, each of which focused on a specific public policy theme.

The 1800 State of the Union Address was given by John Adams, the second president of the United States, on Tuesday, November 11, 1800, to a joint session of the 6th United States Congress. It was the first State of the Union Address delivered at the new United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

The 1946 State of the Union Address was given by the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, on Monday, January 21, 1946, to the 79th United States Congress. It was written by Samuel Rosenman and is notable for being the longest State of the Union message at the time: the written speech was sent to Congress, not orally given, and was 27,465 words long. The address combined Truman's economic report with state of the union information regrading returning to a peace economy after the end of World War Two, foreign policy in Europe and the admission of Hawaii into the United States.

The presidency of William Howard Taft began on March 4, 1909, when William Howard Taft was inaugurated the 27th president of the United States and ended on March 4, 1913.

The 1981 State of the Union address was delivered by President Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, to the 97th United States Congress in written format on January 16, 1981. In this address, Carter discussed economic issues as well as the Iranian hostage crisis. Carter began his speech with:

The State of the Union is sound. Our economy is recovering from a recession. A national energy plan is in place and our dependence on foreign oil is decreasing. We have been at peace for four uninterrupted years. But, our Nation has serious problems. Inflation and unemployment are unacceptably high. The world oil market is increasingly tight. There are trouble spots throughout the world, and 53 American hostages are being held in Iran against international law and against every precept of human affairs.

The 1977 State of the Union address was given by President Gerald R. Ford to a joint session of the 95th United States Congress on Wednesday, January 12, 1977. Presiding over this joint session was the House speaker, Tip O'Neill, accompanied by Nelson Rockefeller, the vice president, in his capacity as the president of the Senate.

The 1923 State of the Union Address was given by Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, on Thursday, December 6, 1923, to the 68th United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Coolidge's first State of the Union Address and his first speech to a joint session of the United States Congress after assuming the presidency upon the death of Warren G. Harding four months earlier in 1923. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker Frederick H. Gillett, accompanied by President pro tempore Albert B. Cummins, in his capacity as the acting president of the Senate since the office of Vice President was vacant.

The 1965 State of the Union Address was given by Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, on Monday, January 4, 1965, to the 89th United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Johnson's second State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker John W. McCormack, accompanied by President pro tempore Carl Hayden, in his capacity as the acting president of the Senate since the office of Vice President was vacant. To date, Carl Hayden is the last president pro tempore to preside at a State of the Union Address.

The 1967 State of the Union Address was given by Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, on Tuesday, January 10, 1967, to the 90th United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Johnson's fourth State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker John W. McCormack, accompanied by Vice President Hubert Humphrey, in his capacity as the president of the Senate.

The 1969 State of the Union Address was given by Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, on Tuesday, January 14, 1969, to the 91st United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Johnson's sixth and final State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker John W. McCormack, accompanied by Vice President Hubert Humphrey, in his capacity as the president of the Senate.

The 1957 State of the Union Address was given by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, on Thursday, January 10, 1957, to the 85th United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Eisenhower's sixth State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker Sam Rayburn, accompanied by Vice President Richard Nixon, in his capacity as the president of the Senate. The speech was broadcast live over both radio and television.

The January 1953 State of the Union Address was delivered by outgoing President Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, on Wednesday, January 7, 1953, to both houses of the 83rd United States Congress in written format. Truman did not deliver this as a speech before a joint session of Congress. The written address consisted of 9,683 words.

The 1951 State of the Union Address was given by Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, on Monday, January 8, 1951, to the 82nd United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. It was Truman's sixth State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker Sam Rayburn, accompanied by Vice President Alben W. Barkley in his capacity as the president of the Senate.

References

  1. "U.S. Senate: About Traditions & Symbols | State of the Union". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  2. "The Speech: Where and When". History, Art & Archives.
  3. Peters, Gerhard. "Length of State of the Union Messages and Addresses in Words". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  4. Peters, Gerhard. "Length of State of the Union Addresses in Minutes (from 1964)". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. (2024). "Annual Messages to Congress on the State of the Union (Washington 1790 - the present)" . Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  6. "The First Evening Annual Message". Office of the Historian of the House of Representatives. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  7. "GOP Greets President With Cheer a Minute". Philadelphia Inquirer. February 3, 1953. p. 2. Retrieved March 14, 2024. Hand clapping was heard 55 times during the 56-minute speech, mostly from the GOP side of the aisle.
  8. 1 2 "Speeches". Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home. United States National Archives. August 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  9. "Ike In Plea For Vigilance". Rutland Daily Herald. Rutland, Vermont. January 11, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2024. Dressed in a conservative gray business suit, Eisenhower stood for 33 minutes before a combined, undemonstrative Senate-House session in the klieg-lit House chamber.
  10. "First Lady Receives Double Ovation in House Gallery". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. January 10, 1958. p. 9. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  11. "Ike Challenges Democrats In 'State of Union' Speech". Great Falls Tribune. January 10, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  12. "January 7, 1960: State of the Union Address". Miller Center. University of Virginia. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  13. "January 30, 1961: State of the Union". Miller Center. University of Virginia. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  14. "January 11, 1962: State of the Union Address". Miller Center. University of Virginia. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  15. "January 14, 1963: State of the Union Address". Miller Center. University of Virginia. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  16. The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications (PDF). Congressional Research Service. January 24, 2014. p. 2.