Congressional Directory for the 105th Congress (1997-1998), June 1997.
[Pages 518-529]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
JOINT SESSIONS, JOINT MEETINGS, AND INAUGURATIONS
1st-105th CONGRESSES, 1789-1997 \1\
The parliamentary difference between a joint session and a joint
meeting has evolved over time. In recent years the distinctions have
become clearer: a joint session is more formal, and occurs upon the
adoption of a concurrent resolution; a joint meeting occurs when each
body adopts a unanimous consent agreement to recess to meet with the
other legislative body.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives usually presides over
joint sessions and joint meetings; however, the President of the Senate
does preside over counts of the electoral votes, as required by the
Constitution.
In the earliest years of the Republic, 1789 and 1790, when the
national legislature met in New York City, joint gatherings were held in
the Senate Chamber in Federal Hall. In Philadelphia, when the
legislature met in Congress Hall, such meetings were held in the Senate
Chamber, 1790-1793, and in the Hall of the House of Representatives,
1794-1799. Once the Congress moved to the Capitol in Washington in 1800,
the Senate Chamber again was used for joint gatherings through 1805.
Since 1809, with few exceptions, joint sessions and joint meetings have
occurred in the Hall of the House.
Presidential messages on the state of the Union were once known as
``Annual Messages,'' but since the 80th Congress have been called
``State of the Union Addresses.'' After President Adams' Annual Message
on November 22, 1800, these addresses were read by clerks to the
individual bodies until President Wilson resumed the practice of
delivering them to joint sessions on December 2, 1913.
In some instances more than one joint gathering has occurred on
the same day. For example, on January 6, 1941, Congress met in joint
session to count electoral votes for President and Vice President, and
then met again in joint session to receive President Roosevelt's Annual
Message.
Congress has hosted inaugurations since the first occasion in
1789. They always have been formal joint gatherings, and sometimes they
also were joint sessions. Inaugurations were joint sessions when both
houses of Congress were in session, and they processed to the ceremony
as part of the business of the day. In many cases, however, one or both
houses were not in session or were in recess at the time of the
ceremony. In the table below, inaugurations that were not joint sessions
are listed in the second column. Those that were joint sessions are so
identified and described in the third column.
JOINT SESSIONS, JOINT MEETINGS, AND INAUGURATIONS
1st-105th CONGRESSES, 1789-1997
[See notes at end of table]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name and position of
Congress & Date Type Occasion, topic, or location dignitary (where
applicable)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK CITY
1st CONGRESS
Apr. 6, 1789.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Apr. 30, 1789......... ......do............. Inauguration and church service \2\.... President George
Washington; Right
Reverend Samuel
Provoost, Senate-
appointed Chaplain.
Jan. 8, 1790.......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... President George
Washington.
PHILADELPHIA
Dec. 8, 1790.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
2d CONGRESS
Oct. 25, 1791......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
Nov. 6, 1792.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
Feb. 13, 1793......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
3d CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1793.......... Inauguration......... Senate Chamber......................... President George
Washington.
Dec. 3, 1793.......... Joint session........ Annual Message......................... Do.
Nov. 19, 1794......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
4th CONGRESS
Dec. 8, 1795.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
[[Page 519]]
Dec. 7, 1796.......... Joint session........ Annual Message......................... President George
Washington.
Feb. 8, 1797.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
5th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1797.......... Inauguration......... Hall of the House...................... President John Adams.
May 16, 1797.......... Joint session........ Relations with France.................. Do.
Nov. 23, 1797......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... Do.
Dec. 8, 1798.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
6th CONGRESS
Dec. 3, 1799.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
Dec. 26, 1799......... ......do............. Funeral procession and oration in Representative Henry
memory of George Washington \3\. Lee.
WASHINGTON
Nov. 22, 1800......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... President John Adams.
Feb. 11, 1801......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes \4\........... N.A.
7th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1801.......... Inauguration......... Senate Chamber......................... President Thomas
Jefferson.
8th CONGRESS
Feb. 13, 1805......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
9th CONGRESS
Mar. 5, 1805.......... Inauguration......... Senate Chamber......................... President Thomas
Jefferson.
10th CONGRESS
Feb. 8, 1809.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
11th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1809.......... Inauguration......... Hall of the House...................... President James
Madison.
12th CONGRESS
Feb. 10, 1813......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
13th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1813.......... Inauguration......... Hall of the House...................... President James
Madison.
14th CONGRESS
Feb. 12, 1817......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes \5\........... N.A.
15th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1817.......... Inauguration......... In front of Brick Capitol.............. President James
Monroe.
16th CONGRESS
Feb. 14, 1821......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes \6\........... N.A.
17th CONGRESS
Mar. 5, 1821.......... Inauguration......... Hall of the House...................... President James
Monroe.
18th CONGRESS
Dec. 10, 1824......... House address\7\..... Address................................ Speaker Henry Clay;
General Gilbert du
Motier, Marquis de
Lafayette.
Feb. 9, 1825.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes \8\........... N.A.
19th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1825.......... Inauguration......... Hall of the House...................... President John Quincy
Adams.
20th CONGRESS
Feb. 11, 1829......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
21st CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1829.......... Inauguration......... East Portico \9\....................... President Andrew
Jackson.
22d CONGRESS
Feb. 13, 1833......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
23d CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1833.......... Inauguration......... Hall of the House \10\................. President Andrew
Jackson.
Dec. 31, 1834......... Joint session........ Lafayette eulogy....................... Representative and
former President John
Quincy Adams;
ceremony attended by
President Andrew
Jackson.
24th CONGRESS
Feb. 8, 1837.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
25th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1837.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Martin Van
Buren.
[[Page 520]]
26th CONGRESS
Feb. 10, 1841......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
27th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1841.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President William
Henry Harrison.
28th CONGRESS
Feb. 12, 1845......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
29th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1845.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President James Knox
Polk.
30th CONGRESS
Feb. 14, 1849......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
31st CONGRESS
Mar. 5, 1849.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Zachary
Taylor.
July 10, 1850......... Joint session........ Oath of office to President Millard N.A.
Fillmore \11\.
32d CONGRESS
Feb. 9, 1853.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
33d CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1853.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Franklin
Pierce.
34th CONGRESS
Feb. 11, 1857......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
35th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1857.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President James
Buchanan.
36th CONGRESS
Feb. 13, 1861......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
37th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1861.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Abraham
Lincoln.
Feb. 22, 1862......... Joint session........ Reading of Washington's farewell John W. Forney,
address. Secretary of the
Senate.
38th CONGRESS
Feb. 8, 1865.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
39th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1865.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Abraham
Lincoln.
Feb. 12, 1866......... Joint session........ Memorial to Abraham Lincoln............ George Bancroft,
historian; ceremony
attended by President
Andrew Johnson.
40th CONGRESS
Feb. 10, 1869......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
41st CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1869.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Ulysses S.
Grant.
42d CONGRESS
Feb. 12, 1873......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes \12\.......... N.A.
43d CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1873.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Ulysses S.
Grant.
Dec. 18, 1874......... Joint meeting........ Reception of King Kalakaua of Hawaii... Speaker James G.
Blaine; David
Kalakaua, King of the
Hawaiian Islands.\13\
44th CONGRESS
Feb. 1, 1877.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes \14\.......... N.A.
Feb. 10, 1877
Feb. 12, 1877
Feb. 19, 1877
Feb. 20, 1877
Feb. 21, 1877
Feb. 24, 1877
Feb. 26, 1877
Feb. 28, 1877
Mar. 1, 1877
Mar. 2, 1877
45th CONGRESS
Mar. 5, 1877.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Rutherford
B. Hayes.
[[Page 521]]
46th CONGRESS
Feb. 9, 1881.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
47th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1881.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President James A.
Garfield.
Feb. 27, 1882......... Joint session........ Memorial to James A. Garfield.......... James G. Blaine,
former Speaker,
Senator, and
Secretary of State;
ceremony attended by
President Chester A.
Arthur.
48th CONGRESS
Feb. 11, 1885......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Feb. 21, 1885......... ......do............. Completion of Washington Monument...... Representative John D.
Long; Representative-
elect John W. Daniel
\15\; ceremony
attended by President
Chester A. Arthur.
49th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1885.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Grover
Cleveland.
50th CONGRESS
Feb. 13, 1889......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
51st CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1889.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Benjamin
Harrison.
Dec. 11, 1889......... Joint session........ Centennial of George Washington's first Melville W. Fuller,
inauguration. Chief Justice of the
United States;
ceremony attended by
President Benjamin
Harrison.
52d CONGRESS
Feb. 8, 1893.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
53d CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1893.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Grover
Cleveland.
54th CONGRESS
Feb. 10, 1897......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
55th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1897.......... Inauguration......... In front of original Senate Wing of President William
Capitol. McKinley.
56th CONGRESS
Dec. 12, 1900......... Joint meeting........ Centennial of the Capital City......... Representatives James
D. Richardson and
Sereno E. Payne, and
Senator George F.
Hoar; ceremony
attended by President
William McKinley.
Feb. 13, 1901......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
57th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1901.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President William
McKinley.
Feb. 27, 1902......... Joint session........ Memorial to William McKinley........... John Hay, Secretary of
State; ceremony
attended by President
Theodore Roosevelt
and Prince Henry of
Prussia.
58th CONGRESS
Feb. 8, 1905.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
59th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1905.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Theodore
Roosevelt.
60th CONGRESS
Feb. 10, 1909......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
61st CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1909.......... Inauguration......... Senate Chamber \16\.................... President William
Howard Taft.
62d CONGRESS
Feb. 12, 1913......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Feb. 15, 1913......... ......do............. Memorial for Vice President James S. Senators Elihu Root,
Sherman \17\. Thomas S. Martin,
Jacob H. Gallinger,
John R. Thornton,
Henry Cabot Lodge,
John W. Kern, Robert
M. LaFollette, John
Sharp Williams,
Charles Curtis,
Albert B. Cummins,
George T. Oliver,
James A. O'Gorman;
Speaker Champ Clark;
President William
Howard Taft.
63d CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1913.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Woodrow
Wilson.
[[Page 522]]
Apr. 8, 1913.......... Joint session........ Tariff message......................... President Woodrow
Wilson.
June 23, 1913......... ......do............. Currency and bank reform message....... Do.
Aug. 27, 1913......... ......do............. Mexican affairs message................ Do.
Dec. 2, 1913.......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... Do.
Jan. 20, 1914......... ......do............. Trusts message......................... Do.
Mar. 5, 1914.......... ......do............. Panama Canal tolls..................... Do.
Apr. 20, 1914......... ......do............. Mexico message......................... Do.
Sept. 4, 1914......... ......do............. War tax message........................ Do.
Dec. 8, 1914.......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... Do.
64th CONGRESS
Dec. 7, 1915.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
Aug. 29, 1916......... ......do............. Railroad message (labor-management Do.
dispute).
Dec. 5, 1916.......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... Do.
Feb. 3, 1917.......... ......do............. Severing diplomatic relations with Do.
Germany.
Feb. 14, 1917......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Feb. 26, 1917......... ......do............. Arming of merchant ships............... President Woodrow
Wilson.
65th CONGRESS
Mar. 5, 1917.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... Do.
Apr. 2, 1917.......... Joint session........ War with Germany....................... Do.
Dec. 4, 1917.......... ......do............. Annual Message/War with Austria-Hungary Do.
Jan. 4, 1918.......... ......do............. Federal operation of transportation Do.
systems.
Jan. 8, 1918.......... ......do............. Program for world's peace.............. Do.
Feb. 11, 1918......... ......do............. Peace message.......................... Do.
May 27, 1918.......... ......do............. War finance message.................... Do.
Nov. 11, 1918......... ......do............. Terms of armistice signed by Germany... Do.
Dec. 2, 1918.......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... Do.
Feb. 9, 1919.......... ......do............. Memorial to Theodore Roosevelt......... Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge, Sr.; ceremony
attended by former
President William
Howard Taft.
66th CONGRESS
Aug. 8, 1919.......... ......do............. Cost of living message................. President Woodrow
Wilson.
Sept. 18, 1919........ ......do............. Address................................ President pro tempore
Albert B. Cummins;
Speaker Frederick H.
Gillett;
Representative and
former Speaker Champ
Clark; General John
J. Pershing.
Feb. 9, 1921.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
67th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1921.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Warren G.
Harding.
Apr. 12, 1921......... Joint session........ Federal problem message................ Do.
Dec. 6, 1921.......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... Do.
Feb. 28, 1922......... ......do............. Maintenance of the merchant marine..... Do.
Aug. 18, 1922......... ......do............. Coal and railroad message.............. Do.
Nov. 21, 1922......... ......do............. Promotion of the American merchant Do.
marine.
Dec. 8, 1922.......... ......do............. Annual Message \18\.................... Do.
Feb. 7, 1923.......... ......do............. British debt due to the United States.. Do.
68th CONGRESS
Dec. 6, 1923.......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... President Calvin
Coolidge.
Feb. 27, 1924......... ......do............. Memorial to Warren G. Harding.......... Charles Evans Hughes,
Secretary of State;
ceremony attended by
President Calvin
Coolidge.
Dec. 15, 1924......... ......do............. Memorial to Woodrow Wilson............. Dr. Edwin Anderson
Alderman, President
of the University of
Virginia; ceremony
attended by President
Calvin Coolidge.
Feb. 11, 1925......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
69th CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1925.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Calvin
Coolidge.
Feb. 22, 1927......... Joint session........ George Washington birthday message..... Do.
70th CONGRESS
Feb. 13, 1929......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
71st CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1929.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Herbert
Hoover.
72d CONGRESS
Feb. 22, 1932......... Joint session........ Bicentennial of George Washington's Do.
birth.
[[Page 523]]
Feb. 6, 1933.......... Joint meeting........ Memorial to Calvin Coolidge............ Arthur Prentice Rugg,
Chief Justice of the
Supreme Judicial
Court of
Massachusetts;
ceremony attended by
President Herbert
Hoover.
Feb. 8, 1933.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
73d CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1933.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 3, 1934.......... Joint session........ Annual Message......................... Do.
May 20, 1934.......... ......do............. 100th anniversary, death of Lafayette.. Andre de Laboulaye,
Ambassador of France;
President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt;
ceremony attended by
Count de Chambrun,
great-grandson of
Lafayette.
74th CONGRESS
Jan. 4, 1935.......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
May 22, 1935.......... ......do............. Veto message........................... Do.
Jan. 3, 1936.......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... Do.
75th CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1937.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Do................ ......do............. Annual Message......................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 20, 1937......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt;
Vice President John
Nance Garner.\19\
Jan. 3, 1938.......... Joint session........ Annual Message......................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
76th CONGRESS
Jan. 4, 1939.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
Mar. 4, 1939.......... ......do............. Sesquicentennial of the 1st Congress... Do.
June 9, 1939.......... Joint meeting........ Reception \20\......................... George VI and
Elizabeth, King and
Queen of the United
Kingdom.
Sept. 21, 1939........ Joint session........ Neutrality address..................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 3, 1940.......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... Do.
May 16, 1940.......... ......do............. National defense message............... Do.
77th CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1941.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Do................ ......do............. Annual Message......................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
Jan. 20, 1941......... ......do............. Inauguration, East Portico............. President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt;
Vice President Henry
A. Wallace.
Dec. 8, 1941.......... ......do............. War with Japan......................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
Dec. 26, 1941......... Joint meeting........ Address \21\........................... Winston Churchill,
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
Jan. 6, 1942.......... Joint session........ Annual Message......................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
78th CONGRESS
Jan. 7, 1943.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
May 19, 1943.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Winston Churchill,
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
Nov. 18, 1943......... ......do............. Moscow Conference...................... Cordell Hull,
Secretary of State.
79th CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1945.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Do................ ......do............. Annual Message......................... President Roosevelt
was not present. His
message was read
before the Joint
Session of Congress.
Jan. 20, 1945......... Inauguration......... South Portico, The White House \22\.... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt;
Vice President Harry
S. Truman.
Mar. 1, 1945.......... Joint session........ Yalta Conference....................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
Apr. 16, 1945......... ......do............. Prosecution of the War................. President Harry S.
Truman.
May 21, 1945.......... ......do............. Bestowal of Congressional Medal of General George C.
Honor on Tech. Sgt. Jake William Marshall, Chief of
Lindsey. Staff, U.S. Army;
President Harry S.
Truman.
June 18, 1945......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ General Dwight D.
Eisenhower, Supreme
Commander, Allied
Expeditionary Force.
Oct. 5, 1945.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Admiral Chester W.
Nimitz, Commander-in-
Chief, Pacific Fleet.
Oct. 23, 1945......... Joint session........ Universal military training message.... President Harry S.
Truman.
Nov. 13, 1945......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Clement R. Attlee,
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
May 25, 1946.......... Joint session........ Railroad strike message................ President Harry S.
Truman.
July 1, 1946.......... ......do............. Memorial to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.. John Winant, U.S.
Representative on the
Economic and Social
Council of the United
Nations; ceremony
attended by President
Harry S. Truman and
Mrs. Franklin Delano
Roosevelt.
[[Page 524]]
80th CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1947.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address \23\........ President Harry S.
Truman.
Mar. 12, 1947......... ......do............. Greek-Turkish aid policy............... Do.
May 1, 1947........... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Miguel Aleman,
President of Mexico.
Nov. 17, 1947......... Joint session........ Aid to Europe message.................. President Harry S.
Truman.
Jan. 7, 1948.......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. Do.
Mar. 17, 1948......... ......do............. National security and conditions in Do.
Europe.
Apr. 19, 1948......... ......do............. 50th anniversary, liberation of Cuba... President Harry S.
Truman; Guillermo
Belt, Ambassador of
Cuba.
July 27, 1948......... ......do............. Inflation, housing, and civil rights... President Harry S.
Truman.
81st CONGRESS
Jan. 5, 1949.......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. Do.
Jan. 6, 1949.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 20, 1949......... ......do............. Inauguration, East Portico............. President Harry S.
Truman; Vice
President Alben W.
Barkley.
May 19, 1949.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Eurico Gaspar Dutra,
President of Brazil.
Jan. 4, 1950.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Harry S.
Truman.
May 31, 1950.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Dean Acheson,
Secretary of State.
82d CONGRESS
Jan. 8, 1951.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Harry S.
Truman.
Feb. 1, 1951.......... Joint meeting \24\... North Atlantic Treaty Organization..... General Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
Apr. 2, 1951.......... ......do............. Address................................ Vincent Auriol,
President of France.
Apr. 19, 1951......... ......do............. Return from Pacific Command............ General Douglas
MacArthur.
June 21, 1951......... ......do............. Address................................ Galo Plaza, President
of Ecuador.
Sept. 24, 1951........ ......do............. ......do............................... Alcide de Gasperi,
Prime Minister of
Italy.
Jan. 9, 1952.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Harry S.
Truman.
Jan. 17, 1952......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Winston Churchill,
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
Apr. 3, 1952.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Juliana, Queen of the
Netherlands.
May 22, 1952.......... ......do............. Korea.................................. General Matthew B.
Ridgway.
June 10, 1952......... Joint session........ Steel industry dispute................. President Harry S.
Truman.
83d CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1953.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 20, 1953......... ......do............. Inauguration, East Portico............. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower; Vice
President Richard M.
Nixon.
Feb. 2, 1953.......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
Jan. 7, 1954.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
Jan. 29, 1954......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Celal Bayar, President
of Turkey.
May 4, 1954........... ......do............. ......do............................... Vincent Massey,
Governor General of
Canada.
May 28, 1954.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Haile Selassie I,
Emperor of Ethiopia.
July 28, 1954......... ......do............. ......do............................... Syngman Rhee,
President of South
Korea.
84th CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1955.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
Jan. 27, 1955......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Paul E. Magliore,
President of Haiti.
Feb. 29, 1956......... ......do............. ......do............................... Giovanni Gronchi,
President of Italy.
May 17, 1956.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Dr. Sukarno, President
of Indonesia.
85th CONGRESS
Jan. 5, 1957.......... Joint session........ Middle East message.................... President Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
Jan. 7, 1957.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 10, 1957......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
Jan. 21, 1957......... ......do............. Inauguration, East Portico............. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower; Vice
President Richard M.
Nixon.
May 9, 1957........... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Ngo Dinh Diem,
President of Vietnam.
Jan. 9, 1958.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
June 5, 1958.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Theodor Heuss,
President of West
Germany.
June 18, 1958......... ......do............. ......do............................... Carlos F. Garcia,
President of the
Philippines.
86th CONGRESS
Jan. 9, 1959.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
Jan. 21, 1959......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Arturo Frondizi,
President of
Argentina.
Feb. 12, 1959......... Joint session........ Sesquicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's Fredric March, actor;
birth. Carl Sandburg, poet.
Mar. 11, 1959......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Jose Maria Lemus,
President of El
Salvador.
Mar. 18, 1959......... ......do............. ......do............................... Sean T. O'Kelly,
President of Ireland.
May 12, 1959.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Baudouin, King of the
Belgians.
Jan. 7, 1960.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
Apr. 6, 1960.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Alberto Lleras-
Camargo, President of
Colombia.
[[Page 525]]
Apr. 25, 1960......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Charles de Gaulle,
President of France.
Apr. 28, 1960......... ......do............. ......do............................... Mahendra, King of
Nepal.
June 29, 1960......... ......do............. ......do............................... Bhumibol Adulyadej,
King of Thailand.
87th CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1961.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 20, 1961......... ......do............. Inauguration, East Portico............. President John F.
Kennedy; Vice
President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
Jan. 30, 1961......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. President John F.
Kennedy.
May 4, 1961........... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Habib Bourguiba,
President of Tunisia.
May 25, 1961.......... Joint session........ Urgent national needs: foreign aid, President John F.
defense, civil defense, and outer Kennedy.
space.
July 12, 1961......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Mohammad Ayub Khan,
President of
Pakistan.
Sept. 21, 1961........ ......do............. ......do............................... Manuel Prado,
President of Peru.
Jan. 11, 1962......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President John F.
Kennedy.
Feb. 26, 1962......... Joint meeting........ Friendship 7: 1st United States orbital Lt. Col. John H.
space flight. Glenn, Jr., USMC;
Friendship 7
astronaut.
Apr. 4, 1962.......... ......do............. Address................................ Joao Goulart,
President of Brazil.
Apr. 12, 1962......... ......do............. ......do............................... Mohammad Reza Shah
Pahlavi, Shahanshah
of Iran.
88th CONGRESS
Jan. 14, 1963......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President John F.
Kennedy.
May 21, 1963.......... Joint meeting........ Flight of Faith 7 Spacecraft........... Maj. Gordon L. Cooper,
Jr., USAF, Faith 7
astronaut.
Nov. 27, 1963......... Joint session........ Assumption of office................... President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
Jan. 8, 1964.......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. Do.
Jan. 15, 1964......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Antonio Segni,
President of Italy.
May 28, 1964.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Eamon de Valera,
President of Ireland.
89th CONGRESS
Jan. 4, 1965.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
Jan. 6, 1965.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 20, 1965......... ......do \25\........ Inauguration, East Portico............. President Lyndon B.
Johnson; Vice
President Hubert H.
Humphrey.
Mar. 15, 1965......... ......do............. Voting rights.......................... President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
Sept. 14, 1965........ Joint meeting........ Flight of Gemini 5 Spacecraft.......... Lt. Col. Gordon L.
Cooper, Jr., USAF;
and Charles Conrad,
Jr., USN; Gemini 5
astronauts.
Jan. 12, 1966......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
Sept. 15, 1966........ Joint meeting........ Address................................ Ferdinand E. Marcos,
President of the
Philippines.
90th CONGRESS
Jan. 10, 1967......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
Apr. 28, 1967......... Joint meeting........ Vietnam policy......................... General William C.
Westmoreland.
Oct. 27, 1967......... ......do............. Address................................ Gustavo Diaz Ordaz,
President of Mexico.
Jan. 17, 1968......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
91st CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1969.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes \26\.......... N.A.
Jan. 9, 1969.......... Joint meeting........ Apollo 8: 1st flight around the moon... Col. Frank Borman,
USAF; Capt. James A.
Lowell, Jr., USN; Lt.
Col. William A.
Anders, USAF; Apollo
8 astronauts.
Jan. 14, 1969......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
Jan. 20, 1969......... ......do \25\........ Inauguration, East Portico............. President Richard M.
Nixon; Vice President
Spiro T. Agnew.
Sept. 16, 1969........ Joint meeting........ Apollo 11: 1st lunar landing........... Neil A. Armstrong;
Col. Edwin E. Aldrin,
Jr., USAF; and Lt.
Col. Michael Collins,
USAF; Apollo 11
astronauts.
Jan. 22, 1970......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Richard M.
Nixon.
Feb. 25, 1970......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Georges Pompidou,
President of France.
June 3, 1970.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Dr. Rafael Caldera,
President of
Venezuela.
Sept. 22, 1970........ ......do............. Report on prisoners of war............. Col. Frank Borman,
Representative to the
President on
Prisoners of War.
92d CONGRESS
Jan. 22, 1971......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Richard M.
Nixon.
Sept. 9, 1971......... ......do............. Economic policy........................ Do.
Do................ Joint meeting........ Apollo 15: lunar mission............... Col. David R. Scott,
USAF; Col. James B.
Irwin, USAF; and Lt.
Col. Alfred M.
Worden, USAF; Apollo
15 astronauts.
Jan. 20, 1972......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Richard M.
Nixon.
June 1, 1972.......... ......do............. European trip report................... Do.
June 15, 1972......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Luis Echeverria
Alvarez, President of
Mexico.
[[Page 526]]
93d CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1973.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 20, 1973......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Richard M.
Nixon; Vice President
Spiro T. Agnew.
Dec. 6, 1973.......... Joint meeting........ Oath of office to Vice President Gerald Vice President Gerald
R. Ford. R. Ford; ceremony
attended by President
Richard M. Nixon.
Jan. 30 1974.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Richard M.
Nixon.
Aug. 12, 1974......... ......do............. Assumption of office................... President Gerald R.
Ford.
Oct. 8, 1974.......... ......do............. Economy................................ Do.
94th CONGRESS
Jan. 15, 1975......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. President Gerald R.
Ford.
Apr. 10, 1975......... ......do............. State of the World message............. Do.
June 17, 1975......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Walter Scheel,
President of West
Germany.
Nov. 5, 1975.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Anwar El Sadat,
President of Egypt.
Jan. 19, 1976......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Gerald R.
Ford.
Jan. 28, 1976......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Yitzhak Rabin, Prime
Minister of Israel.
Mar. 17, 1976......... ......do............. ......do............................... Liam Cosgrave, Prime
Minister of Ireland.
May 18, 1976.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Valery Giscard
d'Estaing, President
of France.
June 2, 1976.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Juan Carlos I, King of
Spain.
Sept. 23, 1976........ ......do............. ......do............................... Dr. William R.
Tolbert, Jr.,
President of Liberia.
95th CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1977.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 12, 1977......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. President Gerald R.
Ford.
Jan. 20, 1977......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Jimmy
Carter; Vice
President Walter F.
Mondale.
Feb. 22, 1977......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Pierre Elliot Trudeau,
Prime Minister of
Canada.
Apr. 20, 1977......... Joint session........ Energy................................. President Jimmy
Carter.
Jan. 19, 1978......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. Do.
Sept. 18, 1978........ ......do............. Middle East Peace agreements........... Do.; joint session
attended by Anwar El
Sadat, President of
Egypt, and by
Menachem Begin, Prime
Minister of Israel.
96th CONGRESS
Jan. 23, 1979......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. Do.
June 18, 1979......... ......do............. Salt II agreements..................... Do.
Jan. 23, 1980......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. Do.
97th CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1981.......... ......do............. Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 20, 1981......... ......do \25\........ Inauguration, West Front............... President Ronald
Reagan; Vice
President George
Bush.
Feb. 18, 1981......... ......do............. Economic recovery...................... President Ronald
Reagan.
Apr. 28, 1981......... ......do............. Economic recovery--inflation........... Do.
Jan. 26, 1982......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. Do.
Jan. 28, 1982......... Joint meeting........ Centennial of birth of Franklin Delano Dr. Arthur
Roosevelt. Schlesinger,
historian; Senator
Jennings Randolph;
Representative Claude
Pepper; Averell
Harriman, former
Governor of New York
\27\; former
Representative James
Roosevelt, son of
President Roosevelt.
Apr. 21, 1982......... ......do............. Address................................ Beatrix, Queen of the
Netherlands.
98th CONGRESS
Jan. 25, 1983......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Ronald
Reagan.
Apr. 27, 1983......... ......do............. Central America........................ Do.
Oct. 5, 1983.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Karl Carstens,
President of West
Germany.
Jan. 25, 1984......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Ronald
Reagan.
Mar. 15, 1984......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Dr. Garett FitzGerald,
Prime Minister of
Ireland.
Mar. 22, 1984......... ......do............. ......do............................... Francois Mitterand,
President of France.
May 8, 1984........... ......do............. Centennial of birth of Harry S. Truman. Representatives Ike
Skelton and Alan
Wheat; former Senator
Stuart Symington;
Margaret Truman
Daniel, daughter of
President Truman; and
Senator Mark
Hatfield.
May 16, 1984.......... ......do............. Address................................ Miguel de la Madrid,
President of Mexico.
99th CONGRESS
Jan. 7, 1985.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
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Jan. 21, 1985......... Inauguration......... Rotunda \28\........................... President Ronald
Reagan; Vice
President George
Bush.
Feb. 6, 1985.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Ronald
Reagan.
Feb. 20, 1985......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Margaret Thatcher,
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
Mar. 6, 1985.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Bettino Craxi,
President of the
Council of Ministers
of Italy.
Mar. 20, 1985......... ......do............. ......do............................... Raul Alfonsin,
President of
Argentina.
June 13, 1985......... ......do............. ......do............................... Rajiv Gandhi, Prime
Minister of India.
Oct. 9, 1985.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Lee Kuan Yew, Prime
Minister of
Singapore.
Nov. 21, 1985......... Joint session........ Geneva Summit.......................... President Ronald
Reagan.
Feb. 4, 1986.......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. Do.
Sept. 11, 1986........ Joint meeting........ Address................................ Jose Sarney, President
of Brazil.
Sept. 18, 1986........ ......do............. ......do............................... Corazon C. Aquino,
President of the
Philippines.
100th CONGRESS
Jan. 27, 1987......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Ronald
Reagan.
Nov. 10, 1987......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Chaim Herzog,
President of Israel.
Jan. 25, 1988......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Ronald
Reagan.
Apr. 27, 1988......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Brian Mulroney, Prime
Minister of Canada.
June 23, 1988......... ......do............. ......do............................... Robert Hawke, Prime
Minister of
Australia.
101st CONGRESS
Jan. 4, 1989.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 20, 1989......... Inauguration......... West Front............................. President George Bush;
Vice President Dan
Quayle.
Feb. 9, 1989.......... Joint session........ Building a Better America.............. President George Bush.
Mar. 2, 1989.......... Joint meeting........ Bicentennial of the 1st Congress....... President Pro Tempore
Robert C. Byrd;
Speaker James C.
Wright, Jr.;
Representatives Lindy
Boggs, Thomas S.
Foley, and Robert H.
Michel; Senators
George Mitchell and
Robert Dole; Howard
Nemerov, Poet
Laureate of the
United States; David
McCullough,
historian; Anthony M.
Frank, Postmaster
General; former
Senator Nicholas
Brady, Secretary of
the Treasury.
June 7, 1989.......... ......do............. Address................................ Benazir Bhutto, Prime
Minister of Pakistan.
Oct. 4, 1989.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Carlos Salinas de
Gortari, President of
Mexico.
Oct. 18, 1989......... ......do............. ......do............................... Roh Tae Woo, President
of South Korea.
Nov. 15, 1989......... ......do............. Address................................ Lech Walesa, chairman
of Solidarnosc labor
union, Poland.
Jan. 31, 1990......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President George Bush.
Feb. 21, 1990......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Vaclav Havel,
President of
Czechoslovakia.
Mar. 7, 1990.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Giulio
Andreotti,President
of the Council of
Ministers of Italy.
Mar. 27, 1990......... ......do............. Centennial of birth of Dwight D. Senator Robert Dole;
Eisenhower. Walter Cronkite,
television
journalist; Winston
S. Churchill, member
of British Parliament
and grandson of Prime
Minister Churchill;
Clark M. Clifford,
former Secretary of
Defense; James D.
Robinson III,
chairman of
Eisenhower Centennial
Foundation; Arnold
Palmer, professional
golfer; John S.D.
Eisenhower, former
Ambassador to Belgium
and son of President
Eisenhower;
Representatives
Beverly Byron,
William F. Goodling,
and Pat Roberts.
June 26, 1990......... ......do............. Address................................ Nelson Mandela, Deputy
President of the
African National
Congress, South
Africa.
Sept. 11, 1990........ Joint session........ Invasion of Kuwait by Iraq............. President George Bush.
102d CONGRESS
Jan. 29, 1991......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. Do.
Mar. 6, 1991.......... ......do............. Conclusion of Persian Gulf War......... Do.
Apr. 16, 1991......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Violeta B. de
Chamorro, President
of Nicaragua.
[[Page 528]]
May 16, 1991.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Elizabeth II, Queen of
the United Kingdom;
joint meeting also
attended by Prince
Philip.
Nov. 14, 1991......... ......do............. ......do............................... Carlos Saul Menem,
President of
Argentina.
Jan. 28, 1992......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President George Bush.
Apr. 30, 1992......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Richard von
Weizsacker, President
of Germany.
June 17, 1992......... ......do............. ......do............................... Boris Yeltsin,
President of Russia.
103d CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1993.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 20, 1993......... Inauguration......... West Front............................. President William J.
Clinton; Vice
President Albert
Gore.
Feb. 17, 1993......... Joint session........ Economic Address \29\.................. President William J.
Clinton.
Sept. 22, 1993........ ......do............. Health care reform..................... Do.
Jan. 25, 1994......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. Do.
May 18, 1994.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Narasimha Rao, Prime
Minister of India.
July 26, 1994......... ......do............. Addresses.............................. Hussein I, King of
Jordan; Yitzhak
Rabin, Prime Minister
of Israel.
Oct. 6, 1994.......... ......do............. Address................................ Nelson Mandela,
President of South
Africa.
105th CONGRESS
Jan. 24, 1995......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President William J.
Clinton.
July 26, 1995......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Kim Yong-sam,
President of South
Korea \30\.
Oct. 11, 1995......... ......do............. Close of the Commemoration of the 50th Speaker Newt Gingrich;
Anniversary of World War II. Vice President Albert
Gore; President Pro
Tempore Strom
Thurmond;
Representatives Henry
J. Hyde and G. V.
``Sonny'' Montgomery;
Senators Daniel K.
Inouye and Robert
Dole; former
Representative Robert
H. Michel; General
Louis H. Wilson
(ret.), former
Commandant of the
Marine Corps.
Dec. 12, 1995......... ......do............. Address................................ Shimon Peres, Prime
Minister of Israel.
Jan. 30, 1996......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President William J.
Clinton.
Feb. 1, 1996.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Jacques Chirac,
President of France.
July 10, 1996......... ......do............. ......do............................... Benyamin Netanyahu,
Prime Minister of
Israel.
Sept. 11, 1996........ ......do............. ......do............................... John Bruton, Prime
Minister of Ireland.
105th CONGRESS
Jan. 9, 1997.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 20, 1997......... Inauguration......... West Front............................. President William J.
Clinton, Vice
President Albert
Gore.
Feb. 4, 1997.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address \31\........ President William J.
Clinton.
Feb. 27, 1997......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Edurado Frei,
President of Chile.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Closing date for this table was May 12, 1997.
\2\ The oath of office was administered to George Washington outside on the gallery in front of the Senate
Chamber, after which the Congress and the President returned to the chamber to hear the inaugural address.
They then proceeded to St. Paul's Chapel for the ``divine service'' performed by the Chaplain of the Congress.
Adjournment of the ceremony did not occur until the Congress returned to Federal Hall.
\3\ Funeral oration was delivered at the German Lutheran Church in Philadelphia.
\4\ Because of a tie in the electoral vote between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, the House of Representatives
had to decide the election. Thirty-six ballots were required to break the deadlock, with Jefferson's election
as President and Burr's as Vice President on February 17. The Twelfth Amendment was added to the Constitution
to prevent the 1800 problem from recurring.
\5\ During most of the period while the Capitol was being reconstructed following the fire of 1814, the Congress
met in the ``Brick Capitol,'' constructed on the site of the present Supreme Court building. This joint
session took place in the Representatives' chamber on the 2d floor of the building.
\6\ The joint session to count electoral votes was dissolved because the House and Senate disagreed on
Missouri's status regarding statehood. The joint session was reconvened the same day and Missouri's votes were
counted.
\7\ While this occasion has historically been referred to as the first joint meeting of Congress, the Journals
of the House and of the Senate indicate that Lafayette actually addressed the House of Representatives, with
some of the Senators present as guests of the House. Similar occasions, when members of the one body were
invited as guests of the other, include the Senate address by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands on Aug. 6,
1942, and the House address by General H. Norman Schwarzkopf on May 8, 1991.
\8\ Although Andrew Jackson won the popular vote by a substantial amount and had the highest number of electoral
votes from among the several candidates, he did not receive the required majority of the electoral votes. The
responsibility for choosing the new President therefore devolved upon the House of Representatives. As soon as
the Senators left the chamber, the balloting proceeded, and John Quincy Adams was elected on the first ballot.
\9\ The ceremony was moved outside to accommodate the extraordinarily large crowd of people who had come to
Washington to see the inauguration.
\10\ The ceremony was moved inside because of cold weather.
\11\ Following the death of President Zachary Taylor, Vice President Millard Fillmore took the presidential oath
of office in a special joint session in the Hall of the House.
[[Page 529]]
\12\ The joint session to count electoral votes was dissolved three times so that the House and Senate could
resolve several electoral disputes.
\13\ Because of a severe cold and hoarseness, the King could not deliver his speech, which was read by former
Representative Elisha Hunt Allen, then serving as Chancellor and Chief Justice of the Hawaiian Islands.
\14\ The contested election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden created a constitutional crisis.
Tilden won the popular vote by a close margin, but disputes concerning the electoral vote returns from four
states deadlocked the proceedings of the joint session. Anticipating this development, the Congress had
created a special commission of five Senators, five Representatives, and five Supreme Court Justices to
resolve such disputes. The Commission met in the Supreme Court Chamber (the present Old Senate Chamber) as
each problem arose. In each case, the Commission accepted the Hayes' electors, securing his election by one
electoral vote. The joint session was convened on 15 occasions, with the last on March 2, just three days
before the inauguration.
\15\ The speech was written by former Speaker and Senator Robert C. Winthrop, who could not attend the ceremony
because of ill health.
\16\ Because of a blizzard, the ceremony was moved inside, where it was held as part of the Senate's special
session. President William Howard Taft took the oath of office and gave his inaugural address after Vice
President James S. Sherman's inaugural address and the swearing-in of the new senators.
\17\ Held in the Senate Chamber.
\18\ This was the first Annual Message broadcast live on radio.
\19\This was the first inauguration held pursuant to the Twentieth Amendment, which changed the date from March
4 to January 20. The Vice Presidential oath, which previously had been given earlier on the same day in the
Senate Chamber, was added to the inaugural ceremony as well, but the Vice Presidential inaugural address was
discontinued.
\20\ A joint reception for the King and Queen of the United Kingdom was held in the Rotunda, authorized by
Senate Concurrent Resolution 17, 76th Congress. Although the concurrent resolution was structured to establish
a joint meeting, the Senate, in fact, adjourned rather than recessed as called for by the resolution.
\21\ Delivered in the Senate Chamber.
\22\ The oaths of office were taken in simple ceremonies at the White House because the expense and festivity of
a Capitol ceremony were thought inappropriate because of the war. The Joint Committee on Arrangements of the
Congress was in charge, however, and both the Senate and the House of Representatives were present.
\23\ This was the first time the term ``State of the Union Address'' was used for the President's Annual
Message. Also, it was the first time the address was shown live on television.
\24\ An informal meeting in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress.
\25\ According to the Congressional Record, the Senate adjourned prior to the inaugural ceremonies, even though
the previously adopted resolution had stated the adjournment would come immediately following the
inauguration. The Senate Journal records the adjournment as called for in the resolution, hence this listing
as a joint session.
\26\ The joint session to count electoral votes was dissolved so that the House and Senate could resolve the
dispute regarding a ballot from North Carolina. The joint session was reconvened the same day and the North
Carolina vote was counted.
\27\ Because the Governor had laryngitis, his speech was read by his wife, Pamela.
\28\ The ceremony was moved inside because of extremely cold weather.
\29\ This speech was mislabeled in many sources as a State of the Union Address.
\30\ President Kim Yong-sam was in Washington for the dedication of the Korean Veterans' Memorial, held the day
after this joint meeting.
\31\ This was the first State of the Union Address carried live on the Internet.
[[Page 530]]