Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to joint session of Congress (May 20, 1934)
Roosevelt Administration Presidential Addresses  |
On May 20, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered an address to a joint session of Congress. Roosevelt used the address to commemorate the centennial of the death of the Marquis de Lafayette.[1]
The president can deliver a joint address before both the House of Representatives and Senate upon invitation from both chambers. This is typically done by presidents in order to speak on specific topics.
Joint sessions require both chambers to pass concurrent resolutions to conduct formal business. [2]
Roosevelt’s address to a joint session of Congress
Transcript
The following text is a transcript of Roosevelt's address, as prepared for delivery:
| “ |
MR. PRESIDENT, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Ambassador, Members of the Congress, Gentlemen of the Supreme Court, my friends: A century ago President Andrew Jackson, in communicating the melancholy news of the death of Lafayette to the Congress of the United States, called it "afflicting intelligence." And so it was. It made more than one Nation mourn, none more than our own. The Marquis de Lafayette was referred to in a General Order to our Army and Navy as "the distinguished friend of the United States"; and the Congress, with rare felicity, added to this the phrase, "the friend of Washington, and the friend of liberty." In this threefold role of friendship we the people of this Nation have enshrined him in our hearts, and today we cherish his memory above that of any citizen of a foreign country. It is as one of our Nation's peerless heroes that we hail him, just as his beloved France enshrined him in the Pantheon of her immortal sons. Many generations later, more than two million American boys, backed by the solidarity of a great Nation, went to France. Those soldiers and sailors were repaying the debt of gratitude we owe to Lafayette and at the same time they were seeking to preserve those fundamentals of liberty and democracy to which in a previous age he had dedicated his life. There is no higher tribute we can pay to his memory than this we pay today. In communicating his death to the Nation, President Jackson ordered that "the same honors be rendered him as were observed upon the decease of Washington.". Jackson was moved by the tenderness of a personal friendship—moved as he said, "by personal as by public considerations" to direct that every honor be paid "the last Major General of the Revolutionary Army." We know the exquisite relationship which existed between Washington and Lafayette, and I am indeed pleased that the Ambassador of the French Republic has referred to this friendship. It was that of father and son. For the great Virginian the Frenchman had a veneration and love which approached homage. To him Washington was an ideal—almost more than human. With Andrew Jackson, the friendship bore perhaps a more personal and intimate cast, because the two were more of an age. Both were mere youngsters at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Jackson, a boy of ten in 1777, first saw Lafayette when he landed in Charleston and before he started northward to meet the Congress. The sight of the gallant young Frenchman was so deeply engraved in the heart of Andrew Jackson that half a century later it was as vivid as the day it was etched. Jackson himself, even in boyhood, was to contribute his mite "to shake off the yoke of tyranny, and to build up the fabric of free government." When Lafayette visited our shores again in 1824, Jackson wrote him a paean of welcome, in which he referred to the state of his "own youthful feelings" 'on the occasion of that first visit. His coming then, he said, "aroused every patriot from a state of despair to that of confidence in our bleeding cause, while the shout of victory or death was sung through the welkin. It inspired an enthusiasm becoming the people who had resolved to be free." When they met here in Washington, Lafayette said this to the hero of New Orleans, "Had you witnessed my anxiety, when on a sudden all Europe was pacified, and the flower of the British Army were on their way to Louisiana, you would still better judge what I felt of relief, joy and pride on receiving the glorious account of your victory. I have long anticipated the pleasure to take you by the hand, and whatever be your future movements I will not leave the United States before I have seeked and found opportunity to express in person my high regard and sincere friendship." This first meeting was as simple and genuine as their natures. Jackson had come to Washington for the session of the Congress, as Senator from Tennessee. He put up with his old friend, John Gadsby, at the Franklin House; and immediately learned that Lafayette was a guest in the same inn. The Mayor of Washington had informed the President of the United States that "the friend of the people (Lafayette) must be the guest of the people, and could not stay at the White House." It was a memorable Congress that year, the last to elect a President of the United States, and Andrew Jackson was in the thick of the storm. The two old soldiers saw much of each other during that long winter, and as a member of the Senate, Jackson took part in all the ceremonies held in honor of the French patriot. It stands on the record of the day that "Lafayette was the only man who ever was, in his personal capacity, publicly received by the Senate of the United States." The records show that they received him "as a brother, rather than a stranger, as one of a loving family, come from a distant shore, after a long and weary absence, to revisit the friends of his youth." Senator Barbour of Virginia presented him. The President and the Senators rose from their seats, uncovered, and the General, advancing toward the Chair of the Senate, was invited to take a seat prepared for him on the right of the Chair. The Senate then was adjourned, the while the Senators flocked about their guest and gave him a warm-hearted welcome. It was given to the House of Representatives to extend the welcome of the Nation. Exactly such an assembly as this now before me met in the Hall of Representatives, every branch of the Government fully in attendance. Henry Clay, the Speaker, in expressing what was in the hearts of the people, said, "The vain wish has sometimes been indulged that Providence would allow the patriot, after death, to return to his country, and to contemplate the immediate changes which had taken place." To Lafayette had come, he said, "the realization of the consoling object of that wish." "General, you are in the midst of posterity." "No, Mr. Speaker," replied Lafayette, "posterity has not begun for me since, in the sons of my companions and friends, I find the same public feelings in my behalf which I have had the happiness to experience in their fathers." I like to remember also the picture of the visit of General Lafayette to General Jackson at the Hermitage. When Lafayette landed at Nashville, the people stood far back and let Jackson go forward alone to greet him and to welcome him as his feet touched the shore. At the official welcome of the State of Tennessee, a group of Revolutionary soldiers, some thirty or forty officers and men, stepped forward to greet the old patriot. He saluted each of them with animation and affection. Suddenly his eye fell on one whom he had known in France, who had come with him to America and had been at his side during the Revolution. This worn and wearied old soldier had ridden one hundred miles to see his old General, and when they met they fell into each other's arms, kissed each other as only Frenchmen can perform that act of devotion, and sobbed aloud. The next day Jackson entertained him at the Hermitage. The people seemed to sense that history was being made and left them much to themselves. They talked about the French and American Revolutions, and much about Napoleon. Jackson took pride in showing him over the house he had built for his beloved wife. He produced a box of pistols, and opening it, asked Lafayette if he knew whose pistols they were. "Yes," said Lafayette, "they are the ones I gave to General Washington in 1778, and," he added, "I feel a real satisfaction in finding them in the hands of a man so worthy of such a heritage." Today I have brought to show to the Congress of the United States another link between Lafayette and our country—a sword which has never yet been shown to the American people. After the termination of the World War and the reoccupation of Alsace by the French, this sword was rediscovered. Its history is this: Shortly before the death of Washington, his old companions in arms—those gallant Frenchmen who had taken part in our War of the Revolution—joined together and had this sword made by special order to be presented to their former Commander-in-Chief. Before the presentation could be made, Washington died and, 133 years later, through the fine courtesy and feeling of the present Government of France, the sword was brought to America by a distinguished descendant of General Lafayette and presented to the present President of the United States. This sword rests and will rest for all time below the portrait of President Washington in the White House. I like to associate Lafayette and Jackson. Lafayette's last letter to Jackson was an appeal for help from the Congress for the family of a brave Frenchman who had served in our Revolutionary War. His last thoughts were of Congress and of Jackson. He instructed his son to send to Jackson, for transmittal to the Congress, "a copper plate on which was inscribed the first engraved copy of the American Declaration of Independence to be deposited in their Library as a last tribute of respect, patriotic love and affection for his adopted country." It is a singular coincidence that Jackson's mind many years later turned to Lafayette in his last hours. When Jackson's will, signed with his palsied hand, was opened, it was found that he had bequeathed to George Washington Lafayette "the pistols of General Lafayette which were presented by him to General George Washington, and by Colonel William Robertson presented to me." These he desired sent to the son of his old friend, as his will declared, "as a memento of the illustrious personages through whose hands they have passed, his father, and the Father of his country." Mr. Ambassador, I trust that you will inform our good friend, the President of the French Republic, the Government of France, and through them the people of France that on this Hundredth Anniversary of the death of Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette we, the representatives of the people of the United States, have assembled once more to do honor to the friend of America.[3] |
” |
| —President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D), May 20, 1934 [1] | ||
Designated survivor
For some speeches, a member of the president's Cabinet is chosen to stay in an undisclosed location outside of Washington, D.C. to assume the presidency in case of an attack on Congress, the president, and other high-ranking officials.
While designated survivors have been chosen since at least the 1960s, the federal government did not begin revealing the identity of the designated survivor to the public until 1984.[4]
Background
The following table provides a list of annual and other presidential addresses delivered to joint sessions of Congress between 1790 and 2026. It does not include inaugurations. Click the link in the Occasion or topic column to read more about each address. The information was compiled from the U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Historian.[5]
- President Woodrow Wilson (D), whose administration overlapped with World War I, delivered the most addresses: 23.
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) followed with 19 addresses, which included a joint speech with the ambassador of France in 1934 and an address read before Congress on his behalf in 1945. World War II took place during his administration.
- President Harry S. Truman had the third-most addresses at 16. His administration covered the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War.
- Among presidents who served between 1981 and 2026, Presidents Ronald Reagan (R) and Barack Obama (D) delivered the most addresses with 11 and 10, respectively.
| Date | Session of Congress | Occasion or topic | President and other speaking dignitaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 24, 2026 | 119th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Donald J. Trump |
| March 4, 2025 | 119th Congress | Address | President Donald J. Trump |
| March 7, 2024 | 118th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. |
| February 7, 2023 | 118th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. |
| March 1, 2022 | 117th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. |
| April 28, 2021 | 117th Congress | Address | President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. |
| Feb. 4, 2020 | 116th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Donald J. Trump |
| Feb. 5, 2019 | 116th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Donald J. Trump |
| Jan. 30, 2018 | 115th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Donald J. Trump |
| Feb. 28, 2017 | 115th Congress | Address | President Donald J. Trump |
| Jan. 12, 2016 | 114th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama |
| Jan. 20, 2015 | 114th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama |
| Jan. 28, 2014 | 113th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama |
| Feb. 12, 2013 | 113th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama |
| Jan. 24, 2012 | 112th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama |
| Sept. 8, 2011 | 112th Congress | Address on American Jobs Act | President Barack H. Obama |
| Jan. 25, 2011 | 112th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama |
| Jan. 27, 2010 | 111th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Barack H. Obama |
| Sept. 8, 2009 | 111th Congress | Address on Health Care Reform | President Barack H. Obama |
| Feb. 24, 2009 | 111th Congress | Address | President Barack H. Obama |
| Jan. 28, 2008 | 110th Congress | State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush |
| Jan. 23, 2007 | 110th Congress | State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush |
| Jan. 31, 2006 | 109th Congress | State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush |
| Feb. 2, 2005 | 109th Congress | State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush |
| Jan. 20, 2004 | 108th Congress | State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush. |
| Jan. 28, 2003 | 108th Congress | State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush. |
| Jan. 29, 2002 | 107th Congress | State of the Union Address | President George W. Bush. |
| Sept. 20, 2001 | 107th Congress | Address on the War on Terrorism | President George W. Bush. |
| Feb. 27, 2001 | 107th Congress | Budget Message | President George W. Bush. |
| Jan. 27, 2000 | 106th Congress | State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton. |
| Jan. 19, 1999 | 106th Congress | State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton. |
| Jan. 27, 1998 | 105th Congress | State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton. |
| Feb. 4, 1997 | 105th Congress | State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton. |
| Jan. 23, 1996 | 104th Congress | State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton. |
| Jan. 24, 1995 | 104th Congress | State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton. |
| Jan. 25, 1994 | 103rd Congress | State of the Union Address | President William J. Clinton. |
| Sept. 22, 1993 | 103rd Congress | Address on Health Care Reform | President William J. Clinton. |
| Feb. 17, 1993 | 103rd Congress | Economic Address | President William J. Clinton. |
| Jan. 28, 1992 | 102nd Congress | State of the Union Address | President George Bush. |
| Mar. 6, 1991 | 102nd Congress | Conclusion of Persian Gulf War | President George Bush. |
| Jan. 29, 1991 | 102nd Congress | State of the Union Address | President George Bush. |
| Sept. 11, 1990 | 101st Congress | Invasion of Kuwait by Iraq | President George Bush. |
| Jan. 31, 1990 | 101st Congress | State of the Union Address | President George Bush. |
| Feb. 9, 1989 | 101st Congress | Address on Building a Better America | President George Bush. |
| Jan. 25, 1988 | 100th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan. |
| Jan. 27, 1987 | 100th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan. |
| Feb. 4, 1986 | 99th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan. |
| Nov. 21, 1985 | 99th Congress | Address on Geneva Summit | President Ronald Reagan. |
| Feb. 6, 1985 | 99th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan. |
| Jan. 25, 1984 | 98th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan. |
| Apr. 27, 1983 | 98th Congress | Address on Central America | President Ronald Reagan. |
| Jan. 25, 1983 | 98th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan. |
| Jan. 26, 1982 | 97th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Ronald Reagan. |
| Apr. 28, 1981 | 97th Congress | Address on Economic Recovery--inflation | President Ronald Reagan. |
| Feb. 18, 1981 | 97th Congress | Address on Economic Recovery | President Ronald Reagan. |
| Jan. 23, 1980 | 96th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Jimmy Carter. |
| June 18, 1979 | 96th Congress | Address on Salt II agreements | President Jimmy Carter. |
| Jan. 23, 1979 | 96th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Jimmy Carter. |
| Sept. 18, 1978 | 95th Congress | Address on Middle East Peace agreements | President Jimmy Carter; Joint session attended by Anwar El Sadat, President of Egypt, and by Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel. |
| Jan. 19, 1978 | 95th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Jimmy Carter. |
| Apr. 20, 1977 | 95th Congress | Address on Energy | President Jimmy Carter. |
| Jan. 12, 1977 | 95th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Gerald R. Ford. |
| Jan. 19, 1976 | 94th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Gerald R. Ford. |
| Apr. 10, 1975 | 94th Congress | Address on State of the World | President Gerald R. Ford. |
| Jan. 15, 1975 | 94th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Gerald R. Ford. |
| Oct. 8, 1974 | 93rd Congress | Address on the Economy | President Gerald R. Ford. |
| Aug. 12, 1974 | 93rd Congress | Assumption of office | President Gerald R. Ford. |
| Jan. 30 1974 | 93rd Congress | State of the Union Address | President Richard M. Nixon. |
| June 1, 1972 | 92nd Congress | Address on Europe trip | President Richard M. Nixon. |
| Jan. 20, 1972 | 92nd Congress | State of the Union Address | President Richard M. Nixon. |
| Sept. 9, 1971 | 92nd Congress | Address on Economic policy | President Richard M. Nixon. |
| Jan. 22, 1971 | 92nd Congress | State of the Union Address | President Richard M. Nixon. |
| Jan. 22, 1970 | 91st Congress | State of the Union Address | President Richard M. Nixon. |
| Jan. 14, 1969 | 91st Congress | State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson. |
| Jan. 17, 1968 | 90th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson. |
| Jan. 10, 1967 | 90th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson. |
| Jan. 12, 1966 | 89th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson. |
| Mar. 15, 1965 | 89th Congress | Voting rights | President Lyndon B. Johnson. |
| Jan. 4, 1965 | 89th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson. |
| Jan. 8, 1964 | 88th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Lyndon B. Johnson. |
| Nov. 27, 1963 | 88th Congress | Assumption of office | President Lyndon B. Johnson. |
| Jan. 14, 1963 | 88th Congress | State of the Union Address | President John F. Kennedy. |
| Jan. 11, 1962 | 87th Congress | State of the Union Address | President John F. Kennedy. |
| May 25, 1961 | 87th Congress | Urgent national needs: foreign aid, defense, civil defense, and outer space | President John F. Kennedy. |
| Jan. 30, 1961 | 87th Congress | State of the Union Address | President John F. Kennedy. |
| Jan. 7, 1960 | 86th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
| Jan. 9, 1959 | 86th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
| Jan. 9, 1958 | 85th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
| Jan. 10, 1957 | 85th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
| Jan. 5, 1957 | 85th Congress | Address on the Middle East | President Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
| Jan. 6, 1955 | 84th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
| Jan. 7, 1954 | 83rd Congress | State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
| Feb. 2, 1953 | 83rd Congress | State of the Union Address | President Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
| June 10, 1952 | 82nd Congress | Address on Steel Strike | President Harry S. Truman. |
| Jan. 9, 1952 | 82nd Congress | State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman. |
| Jan. 8, 1951 | 82nd Congress | State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman. |
| Jan. 4, 1950 | 81st Congress | State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman. |
| Jan. 5, 1949 | 81st Congress | State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman. |
| July 27, 1948 | 80th Congress | Address on inflation, housing, and civil rights | President Harry S. Truman. |
| Apr. 19, 1948 | 80th Congress | Address on 50th anniversary, liberation of Cuba | President Harry S. Truman; Guillermo Belt, Ambassador of Cuba. |
| Mar. 17, 1948 | 80th Congress | National security and conditions in Europe | President Harry S. Truman. |
| Jan. 7, 1948 | 80th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman. |
| Nov. 17, 1947 | 80th Congress | Address on Aid to Europe | President Harry S. Truman. |
| Mar. 12, 1947 | 80th Congress | Address on Greek-Turkish aid policy | President Harry S. Truman. |
| Jan. 6, 1947 | 80th Congress | State of the Union Address | President Harry S. Truman. |
| May 25, 1946 | 79th Congress | Address on Railroad Strike | President Harry S. Truman. |
| Oct. 23, 1945 | 79th Congress | Address on Universal Military Training | President Harry S. Truman. |
| May 21, 1945 | 79th Congress | Address on Bestowal of Congressional Medal of Honor to Tech. Sgt. Jake William Lindsey | General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; President Harry S. Truman. |
| Apr. 16, 1945 | 79th Congress | Address on Assumption of Office and War | President Harry S. Truman. |
| Mar. 1, 1945 | 79th Congress | Address on Yalta Conference | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Jan. 6, 1945 | 79th Congress | Annual Message | President Roosevelt was not present. His message was read before the Joint Session of Congress. |
| Jan. 11, 1944 | 78th Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Jan. 7, 1943 | 78th Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Jan. 6, 1942 | 77th Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Dec. 8, 1941 | 77th Congress | Address on the "Day of Infamy" | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Jan. 6, 1941 | 77th Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| May 16, 1940 | 76th Congress | Address on National Defense | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Jan. 3, 1940 | 76th Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Sept. 21, 1939 | 76th Congress | Address on Neutrality | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Mar. 4, 1939 | 76th Congress | Address on Sesquicentennial of the 1st Congress | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Jan. 4, 1939 | 76th Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Jan. 3, 1938 | 75th Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Jan. 6, 1937 | 75th Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Jan. 3, 1936 | 74th Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| May 22, 1935 | 74th Congress | Address on Budget Bill Veto | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Jan. 4, 1935 | 74th Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| May 20, 1934 | 73rd Congress | Address on 100th anniversary of the death of the Marquis de Lafayette | Andre de Laboulaye, Ambassador of France; President Franklin Delano Roosevelt; ceremony attended by Count de Chambrun, great-grandson of Lafayette. |
| Jan. 3, 1934 | 73rd Congress | Annual Message | President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. |
| Feb. 22, 1932 | 72nd Congress | Address on bicentennial of George Washington's birth | President Herbert Hoover. |
| Dec. 6, 1932 | 72nd Congress | Annual Message | President Herbert Hoover. |
| Dec. 8, 1931 | 72nd Congress | Annual Message | President Herbert Hoover. |
| Dec. 2, 1930 | 71st Congress | Annual Message | President Herbert Hoover. |
| Dec. 3, 1929 | 71st Congress | Annual Message | President Herbert Hoover. |
| Dec. 4, 1928 | 70th Congress | Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge. |
| Feb. 22, 1927 | 70th Congress | Address on upcoming George Washington birthday bicentennial | President Calvin Coolidge. |
| Dec. 6, 1927 | 70th Congress | Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge. |
| Dec. 6, 1926 | 69th Congress | Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge. |
| Dec. 8, 1925 | 69th Congress | Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge. |
| Dec. 6, 1924 | 68th Congress | Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge. |
| Dec. 3, 1923 | 68th Congress | Annual Message | President Calvin Coolidge. |
| Feb. 7, 1923 | 67th Congress | Address on British debt due to the United States | President Warren G. Harding. |
| Dec. 8, 1922 | 67th Congress | Annual Message | President Warren G. Harding. |
| Nov. 21, 1922 | 67th Congress | Address on promotion of the American Merchant Marine | President Warren G. Harding. |
| Aug. 18, 1922 | 67th Congress | Address on coal and railroad strikes | President Warren G. Harding. |
| Feb. 28, 1922 | 67th Congress | Address on maintenance of the Merchant Marine | President Warren G. Harding. |
| Dec. 6, 1921 | 67th Congress | Annual Message | President Warren G. Harding. |
| Apr. 12, 1921 | 67th Congress | Federal problem message | President Warren G. Harding. |
| Aug. 8, 1919 | 66th Congress | Cost of living message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Dec. 2, 1918 | 65th Congress | Annual Message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Nov. 11, 1918 | 65th Congress | Terms of armistice signed by Germany | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| May 27, 1918 | 65th Congress | War finance message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Feb. 11, 1918 | 65th Congress | Peace message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Jan. 8, 1918 | 65th Congress | Program for world's peace | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Jan. 4, 1918 | 65th Congress | Federal operation of transportation systems | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Dec. 4, 1917 | 65th Congress | Annual Message/War with Austria-Hungary | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Apr. 2, 1917 | 65th Congress | War with Germany | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Feb. 26, 1917 | 64th Congress | Arming of merchant ships | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Feb. 3, 1917 | 64th Congress | Severing diplomatic relations with Germany | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Dec. 5, 1916 | 64th Congress | Annual Message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Aug. 29, 1916 | 64th Congress | Railroad message (labor-management dispute) | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Dec. 7, 1915 | 64th Congress | Annual Message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Dec. 8, 1914 | 63rd Congress | Annual Message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Sept. 4, 1914 | 63rd Congress | War tax message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Apr. 20, 1914 | 63rd Congress | Mexico message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Mar. 5, 1914 | 63rd Congress | Panama Canal tolls | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Jan. 20, 1914 | 63rd Congress | Trusts message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Dec. 2, 1913 | 63rd Congress | Annual Message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Aug. 27, 1913 | 63rd Congress | Mexican affairs message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| June 23, 1913 | 63rd Congress | Currency and bank reform message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Apr. 8, 1913 | 63rd Congress | Tariff message | President Woodrow Wilson. |
| Nov. 22, 1800 | 6th Congress | Annual Message | President John Adams. |
| Dec. 3, 1799 | 6th Congress | Annual Message | President John Adams. |
| Dec. 8, 1798 | 5th Congress | Annual Message | President John Adams. |
| Nov. 23, 1797 | 5th Congress | Annual Message | President John Adams. |
| May 16, 1797 | 5th Congress | Relations with France | President John Adams. |
| Dec. 7, 1796 | 4th Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington. |
| Dec. 8, 1795 | 4th Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington. |
| Nov. 19, 1794 | 3rd Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington. |
| Dec. 3, 1793 | 3rd Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington. |
| Nov. 6, 1792 | 2nd Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington. |
| Oct. 25, 1791 | 2nd Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington. |
| Dec. 8, 1790 | 1st Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington. |
| Jan. 8, 1790 | 1st Congress | Annual Message | President George Washington. |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The American Presidency Project, “Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on,“ May 20, 1934
- ↑ History, Art & Archives of the United States House of Representatives, "Joint Meetings, Joint Sessions, & Inaugurations," accessed Feb. 28, 2022
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ United States Senate, "Cabinet Members Who Did Not Attend the State of the Union Address," accessed Feb. 23, 2022.
- ↑ United States House of Representatives, "Joint Meetings, Joint Sessions, & Inaugurations," accessed June 14, 2021
