List of State of the Union addresses
Annual report by the president of the United States
George W. Bush during his 2005 State of the Union address .
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 (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]
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. However, the addresses are not officially titled as a "State of the Union" but "Address to Joint Session of Congress" or alike 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 and 2021.
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
—
1802
Dec. 15
2,197
—
1803
Oct. 17
2,263
—
1804
Nov. 8
2,096
—
1805
Dec. 3
2,927
—
1806
Dec. 2
2,860
—
1807
Oct. 27
2,384
—
1808
Nov. 8
2,675
—
1809
James Madison
Written
Nov. 29
1,831
—
1810
Dec. 5
2,446
—
1811
Nov. 5
2,273
—
1812
Nov. 4
3,242
—
1813
Dec. 7
3,257
—
1814
Sep. 20
2,111
—
1815
Dec. 5
3,146
—
1816
Dec. 3
3,364
—
1817
James Monroe
Written
Dec. 12
4,418
—
1818
Nov. 16
4,376
—
1819
Dec. 7
4,702
—
1820
Nov. 14
3,446
—
1821
Dec. 3
5,814
—
1822
Dec. 3
4,723
—
1823
Dec. 2
6,358
—
1824
Dec. 7
8,400
—
1825
John Quincy Adams
Written
Dec. 6
8,985
—
1826
Dec. 5
7,705
—
1827
Dec. 4
6,917
—
1828
Dec. 2
7,282
—
1829
Andrew Jackson
Written
Dec. 8
10,525
—
1830
Dec. 6
15,114
—
1831
Dec. 6
7,178
—
1832
Dec. 4
7,863
—
1833
Dec. 3
7,877
—
1834
Dec. 1
13,411
—
1835
Dec. 7
10,825
—
1836
Dec. 5
12,367
—
1837
Martin Van Buren
Written
Dec. 5
11,449
—
1838
Dec. 3
11,488
—
1839
Dec. 2
13,431
—
1840
Dec. 5
8,991
—
—
William Henry Harrison
—
—
—
—
1841
John Tyler
Written
Dec. 7
8,241
—
1842
Dec. 6
8,417
—
1843
Dec. 5
8,036
—
1844
Dec. 3
9,318
—
1845
James K. Polk
Written
Dec. 2
16,111
—
1846
Dec. 8
18,222
—
1847
Dec. 7
16,414
—
1848
Dec. 5
21,309
—
1849
Zachary Taylor
Written
Dec. 4
7,617
—
1850
Millard Fillmore
Written
Dec. 2
8,322
—
1851
Dec. 2
13,244
—
1852
Dec. 6
9,929
—
1853
Franklin Pierce
Written
Dec. 5
9,590
—
1854
Dec. 4
10,139
—
1855
Dec. 31
11,612
—
1856
Dec. 2
10,486
—
1857
James Buchanan
Written
Dec. 8
13,655
—
1858
Dec. 6
16,349
—
1859
Dec. 19
12,336
—
1860
Dec. 3
14,049
—
1861
Abraham Lincoln
Written
Dec. 3
6,987
—
1862
Dec. 1
8,385
—
1863
Dec. 8
6,114
—
1864
Dec. 6
5,865
—
1865
Andrew Johnson
Written
Dec. 4
9,232
—
1866
Dec. 3
7,134
—
1867
Dec. 3
12,002
—
1868
Dec. 9
9,834
—
1869
Ulysses S. Grant
Written
Dec. 6
7,706
—
1870
Dec. 5
8,743
—
1871
Dec. 4
6,459
—
1872
Dec. 2
10,102
—
1873
Dec. 1
10,026
—
1874
Dec. 7
9,819
—
1875
Dec. 7
12,211
—
1876
Dec. 5
6,799
—
1877
Rutherford B. Hayes
Written
Dec. 3
10,724
—
1878
Dec. 2
7,879
—
1879
Dec. 1
11,635
—
1880
Dec. 6
13,347
—
—
James A. Garfield
—
—
—
—
1881
Chester A. Arthur
Written
Dec. 6
13,321
—
1882
Dec. 4
10,274
—
1883
Dec. 4
8,363
—
1884
Dec. 1
8,917
—
1885
Grover Cleveland
Written
Dec. 8
19,960
—
1886
Dec. 6
15,285
—
1887
Dec. 6
5,290
—
1888
Dec. 3
13,226
—
1889
Benjamin Harrison
Written
Dec. 1
13,004
—
1890
Dec. 1
11,522
—
1891
Dec. 9
16,306
—
1892
Dec. 6
13,680
—
1893
Grover Cleveland
Written
Dec. 4
12,282
—
1894
Dec. 3
15,892
—
1895
Dec. 2
14,670
—
1896
Dec. 7
15,453
—
1897
William McKinley
Written
Dec. 6
12,113
—
1898
Dec. 5
20,224
—
1899
Dec. 5
22,831
—
1900
Dec. 3
19,142
—
1901
Theodore Roosevelt
Written
Dec. 3
19,616
—
1902
Dec. 5
9,782
—
1903
Dec. 7
14,943
—
1904
Dec. 6
17,415
—
1905
Dec. 5
25,071
—
1906
Dec. 3
23,609
—
1907
Dec. 3
27,397
—
1908
Dec. 8
19,411
—
1909
William Howard Taft
Written
Dec. 7
13,901
—
1910
Dec. 6
27,651
—
1911
Dec. 5
23,744[ a]
—
1912
Dec. 3
25,161[ b]
—
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
—
1920
Dec. 7
2,706
—
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
—
1925
Dec. 8
10,848
—
1926
Dec. 7
10,305
—
1927
Dec. 6
8,777
—
1928
Dec. 4
8,061
—
1929
Herbert Hoover
Written
Dec. 3
10,994
—
1930
Dec. 5
4,536
—
1931
Dec. 8
5,682
—
1932
Dec. 6
4,201
—
1933
—
—
—
—
—
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
1942
Jan. 6
3,511
1943
Jan. 7
4,588
1944
Written
Jan. 11
3,805
—
1945
Jan. 6
8,211
—
1946
Harry S. Truman
Written
Jan. 21
27,465
—
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
—
1953
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Spoken
Feb. 2
6,973
56[ 10]
1954
Jan. 7
5,985
52[ 11]
1955
Jan. 6
7,250
53[ 11]
1956
Written
Jan. 5
8,265
—
1957
Spoken
Jan. 10
4,137
33[ 12]
1958
Jan. 9
4,915
44[ 13]
1959
Jan. 9
4,933
42[ 14]
1960
Jan. 7
5,633
45 [ 15]
1961
Written
Jan. 12
6,210
—
1961
John F. Kennedy
Spoken
Jan. 30
5,274
43[ 16]
1962
Jan. 11
6,569
53[ 17]
1963
Jan. 14
5,470
43[ 18]
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]
—
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
—
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
TBD
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 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.[ 8]
^ a b c d e f g h 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.[ 19]
See also
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" . whitehouse.gov . 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 .
^ "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.
External links
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Legend: Address to Joint Session
Written message
Written message with national radio address * Split into multiple parts
† Included a detailed written supplement
‡ Not officially a "State of the Union"Presidents William Henry Harrison (1841) and James Garfield (1881) died in office before delivering a State of the Union