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]
William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield are the only presidents in U.S. history to not deliver a State of the Union, as they both died within their first year in office before they could do so.
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]
Starting in 1981, presidents have been invited to address a joint session of Congress early in the first year of their presidency. These have reflected the style of a State of the Union address. However, the addresses are not officially titled "State of the Union" but "Address to Joint Session of Congress" or like that instead.[3][4] Since 1989, the opposition party has offered a response.[5] There were unofficial addresses by incoming presidents in 1981, 1989, 1993, 2001, 2009, 2017, 2021, and 2025.
List
| Year | President | Format | Date | Word count[6] | Time (minutes)[7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1790 | George Washington | Spoken | Jan 8 | 1,089 | Unknown |
| Dec 1790 | Dec 8 | 1,401 | |||
| 1791 | Oct 25 | 2,302 | |||
| 1792 | Nov 6 | 2,101 | |||
| 1793 | Dec 3 | 1,968 | |||
| 1794 | Nov 19 | 2,918 | |||
| 1795 | Dec 8 | 1,989 | |||
| 1796 | Dec 7 | 2,871 | |||
| 1797 | John Adams | Spoken | Nov 22 | 2,063 | |
| 1798 | Dec 8 | 2,218 | |||
| 1799 | Dec 3 | 1,505 | |||
| 1800 | Nov 22 | 1,372 | |||
| 1801 | Thomas Jefferson | Written | Dec 8 | 3,224 | N/a |
| 1802 | Dec 15 | 2,197 | N/a | ||
| 1803 | Oct 17 | 2,263 | N/a | ||
| 1804 | Nov 8 | 2,096 | N/a | ||
| 1805 | Dec 3 | 2,927 | N/a | ||
| 1806 | Dec 2 | 2,860 | N/a | ||
| 1807 | Oct 27 | 2,384 | N/a | ||
| 1808 | Nov 8 | 2,675 | N/a | ||
| 1809 | James Madison | Written | Nov 29 | 1,831 | N/a |
| 1810 | Dec 5 | 2,446 | N/a | ||
| 1811 | Nov 5 | 2,273 | N/a | ||
| 1812 | Nov 4 | 3,242 | N/a | ||
| 1813 | Dec 7 | 3,257 | N/a | ||
| 1814 | Sep 20 | 2,111 | N/a | ||
| 1815 | Dec 5 | 3,146 | N/a | ||
| 1816 | Dec 3 | 3,364 | N/a | ||
| 1817 | James Monroe | Written | Dec 12 | 4,418 | N/a |
| 1818 | Nov 16 | 4,376 | N/a | ||
| 1819 | Dec 7 | 4,702 | N/a | ||
| 1820 | Nov 14 | 3,446 | N/a | ||
| 1821 | Dec 3 | 5,814 | N/a | ||
| 1822 | Dec 3 | 4,723 | N/a | ||
| 1823 | Dec 2 | 6,358 | N/a | ||
| 1824 | Dec 7 | 8,400 | N/a | ||
| 1825 | John Quincy Adams | Written | Dec 6 | 8,985 | N/a |
| 1826 | Dec 5 | 7,705 | N/a | ||
| 1827 | Dec 4 | 6,917 | N/a | ||
| 1828 | Dec 2 | 7,282 | N/a | ||
| 1829 | Andrew Jackson | Written | Dec 8 | 10,525 | N/a |
| 1830 | Dec 6 | 15,114 | N/a | ||
| 1831 | Dec 6 | 7,178 | N/a | ||
| 1832 | Dec 4 | 7,863 | N/a | ||
| 1833 | Dec 3 | 7,877 | N/a | ||
| 1834 | Dec 1 | 13,411 | N/a | ||
| 1835 | Dec 7 | 10,825 | N/a | ||
| 1836 | Dec 5 | 12,367 | N/a | ||
| 1837 | Martin Van Buren | Written | Dec 5 | 11,449 | N/a |
| 1838 | Dec 3 | 11,488 | N/a | ||
| 1839 | Dec 2 | 13,431 | N/a | ||
| 1840 | Dec 5 | 8,991 | N/a | ||
| N/a | William Henry Harrison | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| 1841 | John Tyler | Written | Dec 7 | 8,241 | N/a |
| 1842 | Dec 6 | 8,417 | N/a | ||
| 1843 | Dec 5 | 8,036 | N/a | ||
| 1844 | Dec 3 | 9,318 | N/a | ||
| 1845 | James K. Polk | Written | Dec 2 | 16,111 | N/a |
| 1846 | Dec 8 | 18,222 | N/a | ||
| 1847 | Dec 7 | 16,414 | N/a | ||
| 1848 | Dec 5 | 21,309 | N/a | ||
| 1849 | Zachary Taylor | Written | Dec 4 | 7,617 | N/a |
| 1850 | Millard Fillmore | Written | Dec 2 | 8,322 | N/a |
| 1851 | Dec 2 | 13,244 | N/a | ||
| 1852 | Dec 6 | 9,929 | N/a | ||
| 1853 | Franklin Pierce | Written | Dec 5 | 9,590 | N/a |
| 1854 | Dec 4 | 10,139 | N/a | ||
| 1855 | Dec 31 | 11,612 | N/a | ||
| 1856 | Dec 2 | 10,486 | N/a | ||
| 1857 | James Buchanan | Written | Dec 8 | 13,655 | N/a |
| 1858 | Dec 6 | 16,349 | N/a | ||
| 1859 | Dec 19 | 12,336 | N/a | ||
| 1860 | Dec 3 | 14,049 | N/a | ||
| 1861 | Abraham Lincoln | Written | Dec 3 | 6,987 | N/a |
| 1862 | Dec 1 | 8,385 | N/a | ||
| 1863 | Dec 8 | 6,114 | N/a | ||
| 1864 | Dec 6 | 5,865 | N/a | ||
| 1865 | Andrew Johnson | Written | Dec 4 | 9,232 | N/a |
| 1866 | Dec 3 | 7,134 | N/a | ||
| 1867 | Dec 3 | 12,002 | N/a | ||
| 1868 | Dec 9 | 9,834 | N/a | ||
| 1869 | Ulysses S. Grant | Written | Dec 6 | 7,706 | N/a |
| 1870 | Dec 5 | 8,743 | N/a | ||
| 1871 | Dec 4 | 6,459 | N/a | ||
| 1872 | Dec 2 | 10,102 | N/a | ||
| 1873 | Dec 1 | 10,026 | N/a | ||
| 1874 | Dec 7 | 9,819 | N/a | ||
| 1875 | Dec 7 | 12,211 | N/a | ||
| 1876 | Dec 5 | 6,799 | N/a | ||
| 1877 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Written | Dec 3 | 10,724 | N/a |
| 1878 | Dec 2 | 7,879 | N/a | ||
| 1879 | Dec 1 | 11,635 | N/a | ||
| 1880 | Dec 6 | 13,347 | N/a | ||
| N/a | James A. Garfield | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| 1881 | Chester A. Arthur | Written | Dec 6 | 13,321 | N/a |
| 1882 | Dec 4 | 10,274 | N/a | ||
| 1883 | Dec 4 | 8,363 | N/a | ||
| 1884 | Dec 1 | 8,917 | N/a | ||
| 1885 | Grover Cleveland | Written | Dec 8 | 19,960 | N/a |
| 1886 | Dec 6 | 15,285 | N/a | ||
| 1887 | Dec 6 | 5,290 | N/a | ||
| 1888 | Dec 3 | 13,226 | N/a | ||
| 1889 | Benjamin Harrison | Written | Dec 1 | 13,004 | N/a |
| 1890 | Dec 1 | 11,522 | N/a | ||
| 1891 | Dec 9 | 16,306 | N/a | ||
| 1892 | Dec 6 | 13,680 | N/a | ||
| 1893 | Grover Cleveland | Written | Dec 4 | 12,282 | N/a |
| 1894 | Dec 3 | 15,892 | N/a | ||
| 1895 | Dec 2 | 14,670 | N/a | ||
| 1896 | Dec 7 | 15,453 | N/a | ||
| 1897 | William McKinley | Written | Dec 6 | 12,113 | N/a |
| 1898 | Dec 5 | 20,224 | N/a | ||
| 1899 | Dec 5 | 22,831 | N/a | ||
| 1900 | Dec 3 | 19,142 | N/a | ||
| 1901 | Theodore Roosevelt | Written | Dec 3 | 19,616 | N/a |
| 1902 | Dec 5 | 9,782 | N/a | ||
| 1903 | Dec 7 | 14,943 | N/a | ||
| 1904 | Dec 6 | 17,415 | N/a | ||
| 1905 | Dec 5 | 25,071 | N/a | ||
| 1906 | Dec 3 | 23,609 | N/a | ||
| 1907 | Dec 3 | 27,397 | N/a | ||
| 1908 | Dec 8 | 19,411 | N/a | ||
| 1909 | William Howard Taft | Written | Dec 7 | 13,901 | N/a |
| 1910 | Dec 6 | 27,651 | N/a | ||
| 1911 | Dec 5 | 23,744[a] | N/a | ||
| 1912 | Dec 3 | 25,161[b] | N/a | ||
| 1913 | Woodrow Wilson | Spoken | Dec 2 | 3,553 | Unknown |
| 1914 | Dec 8 | 4,537 | |||
| 1915 | Dec 7 | 7,687 | |||
| 1916 | Dec 5 | 2,118 | |||
| 1917 | Dec 4 | 3,913 | |||
| 1918 | Dec 2 | 5,463 | |||
| 1919 | Written | Dec 2 | 4,756 | N/a | |
| 1920 | Dec 7 | 2,706 | N/a | ||
| 1921 | Warren G. Harding | Spoken | Dec 6 | 5,606 | Unknown |
| 1922 | Dec 8 | 5,748 | |||
| 1923 | Calvin Coolidge | Spoken | Dec 6 | 6,706 | |
| 1924 | Written | Dec 3 | 6,968 | N/a | |
| 1925 | Dec 8 | 10,848 | N/a | ||
| 1926 | Dec 7 | 10,305 | N/a | ||
| 1927 | Dec 6 | 8,777 | N/a | ||
| 1928 | Dec 4 | 8,061 | N/a | ||
| 1929 | Herbert Hoover | Written | Dec 3 | 10,994 | N/a |
| 1930 | Dec 5 | 4,536 | N/a | ||
| 1931 | Dec 8 | 5,682 | N/a | ||
| 1932 | Dec 6 | 4,201 | N/a | ||
| 1933 | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| 1934 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Spoken | Jan 3 | 2,230 | Unknown |
| 1935 | Jan 4 | 3,525 | |||
| 1936 | Jan 3 | 3,826 | 50[9] | ||
| 1937 | Jan 6 | 2,732 | Unknown | ||
| 1938 | Jan 3 | 4,697 | |||
| 1939 | Jan 4 | 3,768 | |||
| 1940 | Jan 3 | 3,196 | |||
| 1941 | Jan 6 | 3,312 | 36[10] | ||
| 1942 | Jan 6 | 3,511 | Unknown | ||
| 1943 | Jan 7 | 4,588 | |||
| 1944 | Written | Jan 11 | 3,805 | N/a | |
| 1945 | Jan 6 | 8,211 | N/a | ||
| 1946 | Harry S. Truman | Written | Jan 21 | 27,465 | N/a |
| 1947 | Spoken | Jan 6 | 6,028 | Unknown | |
| 1948 | Jan 7 | 5,094 | |||
| 1949 | Jan 5 | 3,401 | |||
| 1950 | Jan 4 | 5,130 | |||
| 1951 | Jan 8 | 3,994 | |||
| 1952 | Jan 9 | 5,369 | |||
| 1953 | Written | Jan 7 | 9,683 | N/a | |
| 1953 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Spoken | Feb 2 | 6,973 | 56[11] |
| 1954 | Jan 7 | 5,985 | 52[12] | ||
| 1955 | Jan 6 | 7,250 | 53[12] | ||
| 1956 | Written | Jan 5 | 8,265 | N/a | |
| 1957 | Spoken | Jan 10 | 4,137 | 33[13] | |
| 1958 | Jan 9 | 4,915 | 44[14] | ||
| 1959 | Jan 9 | 4,933 | 42[15] | ||
| 1960 | Jan 7 | 5,633 | 45 [16] | ||
| 1961 | Written | Jan 12 | 6,210 | N/a | |
| 1961 | John F. Kennedy | Spoken | Jan 30 | 5,274 | 43[17] |
| 1962 | Jan 11 | 6,569 | 53[18] | ||
| 1963 | Jan 14 | 5,470 | 43[19] | ||
| 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Spoken | Jan 8 | 3,168 | 41 |
| 1965 | Jan 4 | 4,399 | 47 | ||
| 1966 | Jan 12 | 5,542 | 51 | ||
| 1967 | Jan 10 | 7,195 | 71 | ||
| 1968 | Jan 17 | 4,914 | 50 | ||
| 1969 | Jan 14 | 4,115 | 44 | ||
| 1970 | Richard Nixon | Spoken | Jan 22 | 4,457 | 37 |
| 1971 | Jan 22 | 4,508 | 33 | ||
| 1972 | Jan 20 | 3,976 | 29 | ||
| 1973 | Written | Feb 2 | 27,147[c] | N/a | |
| 1974 | Spoken | Jan 30 | 5,144 | 43 | |
| 1975 | Gerald Ford | Spoken | Jan 15 | 4,126 | 41 |
| 1976 | Jan 19 | 4,948 | 51 | ||
| 1977 | Jan 12 | 4,727 | 45 | ||
| 1978 | Jimmy Carter | Spoken | Jan 19 | 4,580 | 46 |
| 1979 | Jan 25 | 3,257 | 33 | ||
| 1980 | Jan 21 | 3,412 | 32 | ||
| 1981 | Written | Jan 16 | 33,667 | N/a | |
| 1981[d] | Ronald Reagan | Spoken | Feb 18 | 4,446 | 33 |
| 1982 | Jan 26 | 5,154 | 40 | ||
| 1983 | Jan 25 | 5,554 | 46 | ||
| 1984 | Jan 25 | 4,931 | 43 | ||
| 1985 | Feb 6 | 4,214 | 40 | ||
| 1986 | Feb 4 | 3,514 | 31 | ||
| 1987 | Jan 27 | 3,847 | 35 | ||
| 1988 | Jan 25 | 4,955 | 44 | ||
| 1989[d] | George H. W. Bush | Spoken | Feb 9 | 4,811 | 48 |
| 1990 | Jan 31 | 3,777 | 36 | ||
| 1991 | Jan 29 | 3,823 | 47 | ||
| 1992 | Jan 28 | 5,012 | 51 | ||
| 1993[d] | Bill Clinton | Spoken | Feb 17 | 7,003 | 66 |
| 1994 | Jan 25 | 7,432 | 64 | ||
| 1995 | Jan 24 | 9,190 | 85 | ||
| 1996 | Jan 23 | 6,317 | 67 | ||
| 1997 | Feb 4 | 6,774 | 64 | ||
| 1998 | Jan 27 | 7,303 | 77 | ||
| 1999 | Jan 19 | 7,514 | 79 | ||
| 2000 | Jan 27 | 7,452 | 89 | ||
| 2001[d] | George W. Bush | Spoken | Feb 27 | 4,362 | 49 |
| 2002 | Jan 29 | 3,878 | 48 | ||
| 2003 | Jan 28 | 5,413 | 60 | ||
| 2004 | Jan 20 | 5,229 | 54 | ||
| 2005 | Feb 2 | 5,096 | 53 | ||
| 2006 | Jan 31 | 5,323 | 51 | ||
| 2007 | Jan 23 | 5,590 | 49 | ||
| 2008 | Jan 28 | 5,760 | 53 | ||
| 2009[d] | Barack Obama | Spoken | Feb 24 | 5,902 | 52 |
| 2010 | Jan 27 | 7,304 | 69 | ||
| 2011 | Jan 25 | 6,878 | 62 | ||
| 2012 | Jan 24 | 7,059 | 65 | ||
| 2013 | Feb 12 | 6,775 | 60 | ||
| 2014 | Jan 28 | 6,989 | 65 | ||
| 2015 | Jan 20 | 6,718 | 60 | ||
| 2016 | Jan 12 | 6,044 | 59 | ||
| 2017[d] | Donald Trump | Spoken | Feb 28 | 5,006 | 60 |
| 2018 | Jan 30 | 5,839 | 81 | ||
| 2019 | Feb 5 | 5,540 | 82 | ||
| 2020 | Feb 4 | 6,217 | 78 | ||
| 2021[d] | Joe Biden | Spoken | Apr 28 | 8,003 | 65 |
| 2022 | Mar 1 | 7,705 | 62 | ||
| 2023 | Feb 7 | 9,216 | 73 | ||
| 2024 | Mar 7 | 8,078 | 67 | ||
| 2025[d] | Donald Trump | Spoken | Mar 4 | 9,831 | 99 |
| 2026 | Feb 24 |
Notes
- ^ 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.[8]
- ^ In 1912 President Taft submitted his written message in three parts on Dec 3, Dec 6, and Dec 19. This word count includes all three parts.[8]
- ^ In 1973, President Nixon delivered a series of six written State of the Union messages to Congress from February 2 to March 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.[8]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Starting in 1981, presidents have been invited to address a joint session of Congress early in the first year of their presidency. 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.[20]
See also
- Article Two of the United States Constitution § Section 3: Presidential responsibilities
- List of joint sessions of the United States Congress
References
- ^ "U.S. Senate: About Traditions & Symbols | State of the Union". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ "The Speech: Where and When". History, Art & Archives.
- ^ "Remarks of President Barack Obama -- Address to Joint Session of Congress". White House. 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ House, The White (2021-04-29). "Remarks by President Biden in Address to a Joint Session of Congress". The White House. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
- ^ The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications (PDF). Congressional Research Service. January 24, 2014. p. 2.
- ^ Peters, Gerhard. "Length of State of the Union Messages and Addresses in Words". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Peters, Gerhard. "Length of State of the Union Addresses in Minutes (from 1964)". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. (2024). "Annual Messages to Congress on the State of the Union (Washington 1790 - the present)". Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "The First Evening Annual Message". Office of the Historian of the House of Representatives. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "January 6, 1941: State of the Union (Four Freedoms) | Miller Center". millercenter.org. 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Speeches". Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home. United States National Archives. August 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "First Lady Receives Double Ovation in House Gallery". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. January 10, 1958. p. 9. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Ike Challenges Democrats In 'State of Union' Speech". Great Falls Tribune. January 10, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "January 7, 1960: State of the Union Address". Miller Center. University of Virginia. 13 July 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "January 30, 1961: State of the Union". Miller Center. University of Virginia. 20 October 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "January 11, 1962: State of the Union Address". Miller Center. University of Virginia. 20 October 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "January 14, 1963: State of the Union Address". Miller Center. University of Virginia. 20 October 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications (PDF). Congressional Research Service. January 24, 2014. p. 2.