Congressional Directory for the 108th Congress (2003-2004), August 2004.
[Pages 528-542]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
JOINT SESSIONS AND MEETINGS, ADDRESSES TO THE SENATE OR THE HOUSE, AND
INAUGURATIONS
1st-108th CONGRESSES, 1789-2003 \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. Joint sessions typically are held to hear an
address from the President of the United States or to count electoral
votes. Joint meetings typically are held to hear an address from a
foreign dignitary or visitors other than the President.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives usually presides over
joint sessions and joint meetings; however, the President of the Senate
does preside over joint sessions where the electoral votes are counted,
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 originally
known as the ``Annual Message,'' but since the 80th Congress, in 1947,
have been called the ``State of the Union Address.'' After President
John Adams's Annual Message on November 22, 1800, these addresses were
read by clerks to the individual bodies until President Woodrow 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 Franklin Delano
Roosevelt's Annual Message.
Whereas in more recent decades, foreign dignitaries invited to
speak before Congress have typically done so at joint meetings, in
earlier times (and with several notable exceptions), such visitors were
received by the Senate and the House separately, or by one or the other
singly, a tradition begun with the visit of General Lafayette of France
in 1824. At that time a joint committee decided that each body would
honor Lafayette separately, establishing the precedent. (See fotnote 7
for more details.) Not all such occasions included formal addresses by
such dignitaries (e.g., Lafayette's reception by the Senate in their
chamber, at which he did not speak before they adjourned to greet him),
hence the ``occasions'' listed in the third column of the table include
not only addresses, but also remarks (defined as brief greetings or off-
the-cuff comments often requested of the visitor at the last minute) and
receptions. Relatively few foreign dignitaries were received by Congress
before World War I.
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 this table, 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.
[[Page 529]]
JOINT SESSIONS AND MEETINGS, ADDRESSES TO THE SENATE OR THE HOUSE, AND INAUGURATIONS
[See notes at end of table]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name and position of
Congress & Date Type Occasion, topic, or inaugural 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.
Dec. 7, 1796.......... Joint session........ Annual Message......................... Do.
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. 4, 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. 9, 1824.......... Senate............... Reception.............................. General Gilbert du
Motier, Marquis de
Lafayette, of France.
Dec. 10, 1824......... House \7\............ Address................................ Speaker Henry Clay;
General Gilbert du
Motier, Marquis de
Lafayette, of France.
Feb. 9, 1825.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes \8\........... N.A.
[[Page 530]]
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.
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
Jan. 5, 1852.......... Senate............... Reception.............................. Louis Kossuth, exiled
Governor of
Hungary.
Jan. 7, 1852.......... House................ Remarks and Reception.................. Do.
Feb. 9, 1853.......... Joint session........ 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
June 9, 1868.......... House................ Address................................ Anson Burlingame,
Envoy to the U.S.
from China, and
former
Representative.
Feb. 10, 1869......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
41st CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1869.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Ulysses S.
Grant.
42d CONGRESS
Mar. 6, 1872.......... House................ Address................................ Tomomi Iwakura,
Ambassador from
Japan.
[[Page 531]]
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 and Remarks.................. 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.
46th CONGRESS
Feb. 2, 1880.......... House................ Address................................ Charles Stewart
Parnell, member of
Parliament from
Ireland.
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......... Joint session........ 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.
[[Page 532]]
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.
Feb. 9, 1911.......... House................ Address................................ Count Albert Apponyi,
Minister of Education
from Hungary.
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.
Apr. 8, 1913.......... Joint session........ Tariff message......................... Do.
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......... Joint session........ Railroad message (labor-management Do.
dispute).
Dec. 5, 1916.......... ......do............. Annual Message......................... Do.
Jan. 22, 1917......... Senate............... Planning ahead for peace............... Do.
Feb. 3, 1917.......... Joint session........ 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.
May 1, 1917........... Senate............... Address................................ Rene Raphael Viviani,
Minister of Justice
from France; Jules
Jusserand, Ambassador
from France; address
attended by Marshal
Joseph Jacques
Cesaire Joffre,
member of French
Commission to U.S.
May 3, 1917........... House................ ......do............................... Do.
May 5, 1917........... ......do............. ......do............................... Arthur James Balfour,
British Secretary of
State for Foreign
Affairs.
May 8, 1917........... Senate............... ......do............................... Do.
May 31, 1917.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Ferdinando di'Savoia,
Prince of Udine, Head
of Italian Mission to
U.S.
June 2, 1917.......... House................ ......do............................... Ferdinando di'Savoia,
Prince of Udine, Head
of Italian Mission to
U.S.; Guglielmo
Marconi, member of
Italian Mission to
U.S.
June 22, 1917......... Senate............... ......do............................... Baron Moncheur, Chief
of Political Bureau
of Belgian Foreign
Office at Havre.
June 23, 1917......... House................ ......do............................... Boris Bakhmetieff,
Ambassador from
Russia.\18\
June 26, 1917......... Senate............... ......do............................... Do.
June 27, 1917......... House................ ......do............................... Baron Moncheur, Chief
of Political Bureau
of Belgian Foreign
Office at Havre.
Aug. 30, 1917......... Senate............... ......do............................... Kikujiro Ishii,
Ambassador from
Japan.
Sept. 5, 1917......... House................ ......do............................... Do.
Dec. 4, 1917.......... Joint session........ Annual Message/War with Austria-Hungary President Woodrow
Wilson.
Jan. 4, 1918.......... ......do............. Federal operation of transportation Do.
systems.
Jan. 5, 1918.......... Senate............... Address................................ Milenko Vesnic, Head
of Serbian War
Mission.
[[Page 533]]
Jan. 8, 1918.......... House................ Address................................ Milenko Vesnic, Head
of Serbian War
Mission.
Do................ Joint session........ Program for world's peace.............. President Woodrow
Wilson.
Feb. 11, 1918......... ......do............. Peace message.......................... Do.
May 27, 1918.......... ......do............. War finance message.................... Do.
Sept. 24, 1918........ Senate............... Address and Reception \19\............. Jules Jusserand,
Ambassador from
France; Vice
President Thomas R.
Marshall.
Sept. 30 1918......... ......do............. Support of woman suffrage.............. President Woodrow
Wilson.
Nov. 11, 1918......... Joint session........ 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
June 23, 1919......... Senate............... Address................................ Epitacio da Silva
Pessoa, President-
elect of Brazil.
July 10, 1919......... ......do............. Versailles Treaty...................... President Woodrow
Wilson.
Aug. 8, 1919.......... Joint session........ Cost of living message................. Do.
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.
Oct. 28, 1919......... Senate............... ......do............................... Albert I, King of the
Belgians.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
Feb. 9, 1921.......... Joint session........ 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.
July 12, 1921......... Senate............... Adjusted compensation for veterans of Do.
the World War \20\.
Dec. 6, 1921.......... Joint session........ 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 \21\.................... 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
Jan. 25, 1928......... House................ Reception and Address.................. William Thomas
Cosgrave, President
of Executive Council
of Ireland.
Feb. 13, 1929......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
71st CONGRESS
Mar. 4, 1929.......... Inauguration......... East Portico........................... President Herbert
Hoover.
Oct. 7, 1929.......... Senate............... Address................................ James Ramsay
MacDonald, Prime
Minister of the
United Kingdom.
Jan. 13, 1930......... ......do............. Reception.............................. Jan Christiaan Smuts,
former Prime Minister
of South Africa.
72d CONGRESS
Feb. 22, 1932......... Joint session........ Bicentennial of George Washington's President Herbert
birth. Hoover.
May 31, 1932.......... Senate............... Emergency character of economic Do.
situation in U.S.
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.
[[Page 534]]
Jan. 3, 1934.......... Joint session........ Annual Message......................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
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.\22\
Apr. 1, 1937.......... Senate............... Address................................ John Buchan, Lord
Tweedsmuir, Governor
General of Canada.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
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.
May 8, 1939........... Senate............... Address................................ Anastasio Somoza
Garcia, President of
Nicaragua.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
June 9, 1939.......... Joint meeting........ Reception \23\......................... 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 \24\... Address................................ Winston Churchill,
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
Jan. 6, 1942.......... Joint session........ Annual Message......................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
May 11, 1942.......... Senate............... Address................................ Manuel Prado,
President of Peru.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
June 2, 1942.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Manuel Luis Quezon,
President of the
Philippines.\25\
June 4, 1942.......... Senate............... ......do............................... Do.
June 15, 1942......... ......do............. ......do............................... George II, King of
Greece.\26\
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
June 25, 1942......... Senate............... ......do............................... Peter II, King of
Yugoslavia.\26\
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
Aug. 6, 1942.......... Senate \27\.......... ......do............................... Wilhelmina, Queen of
the Netherlands.\26\
Nov. 24, 1942......... House................ ......do............................... Carlos Arroyo del Rio,
President of
Ecuador.
Nov. 25, 1942......... Senate............... ......do............................... Do.
Dec. 10, 1942......... House................ ......do............................... Fulgencio Batista,
President of Cuba.
78th CONGRESS
Jan. 7, 1943.......... Joint session........ Annual Message......................... President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt.
Feb. 18, 1943......... Senate............... Remarks................................ Madame Chiang Kai-
shek, of China.
Do................ House................ Address................................ Do.
May 6, 1943........... Senate............... ......do............................... Enrique Penaranda,
President of Bolivia.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
May 13, 1943.......... Senate............... ......do............................... Edvard Benes,
President of
Czechoslovakia.\26\
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
May 19, 1943.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Winston Churchill,
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
May 27, 1943.......... Senate............... Remarks................................ Edwin Barclay,
President of Liberia.
Do................ House................ Address................................ Do.
June 10, 1943......... Senate............... ......do............................... President Hininio
Morinigo M.,
President of
Paraguay.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
Oct. 15, 1943......... Senate............... ......do............................... Elie Lescot, President
of Haiti.
Nov. 18, 1943......... Joint meeting........ Moscow Conference...................... Cordell Hull,
Secretary of State.
Jan. 20, 1944......... Senate............... Address................................ Isaias Medina
Angarita, President
of
Venezuela.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
79th CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1945.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
[[Page 535]]
Jan. 6, 1945.......... Joint session........ 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 \28\.... 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.
July 2, 1945.......... Senate............... United Nations Charter................. President Harry S.
Truman.
Oct. 5, 1945.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ 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.
80th CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 1947.......... ......do............. State of the Union Address \29\........ 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.
Aug. 9, 1949.......... House................ ......do............................... Elpidio Quirino,
President of the
Philippines.
Do................ Senate............... ......do............................... Do.
Oct. 13, 1949......... ......do............. ......do............................... Jawaharlal Nehru,
Prime Minister of
India.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
Jan. 4, 1950.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Harry S.
Truman.
Apr. 13, 1950......... Senate............... Address................................ Gabriel Gonzalez-
Videla, President of
Chile.
May 4, 1950........... ......do............. ......do............................... Liaquat Ali Khan,
Prime Minister of
Pakistan.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
May 31, 1950.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Dean Acheson,
Secretary of State.
July 28, 1950......... Senate............... ......do............................... Chojiro Kuriyama,
member of Japanese
Diet.
July 31, 1950......... House................ ......do............................... Tokutaro Kitamura,
member of Japanese
Diet.
Aug. 1, 1950.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Robert Gordon Menzies,
Prime Minister of
Australia.
Do................ Senate............... ......do............................... Do.
82d CONGRESS
Jan. 8, 1951.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Harry S.
Truman.
Feb. 1, 1951.......... Joint meeting \30\... North Atlantic Treaty Organization..... General Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
Apr. 2, 1951.......... Joint meeting........ 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.
July 2, 1951.......... Senate............... Addresses.............................. Tadao Kuraishi, and
Aisuke Okamoto,
members of Japanese
Diet.
Aug. 23, 1951......... ......do............. Address................................ Zentaro Kosaka, member
of Japanese Diet.
Sept. 24, 1951........ Joint meeting........ ......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.
[[Page 536]]
Apr. 3, 1952.......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ 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.
Nov. 12, 1954......... Senate............... Remarks................................ Shigeru Yoshida, Prime
Minister of Japan.
Nov. 17, 1954......... ......do............. Address \31\........................... Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan, Vice
President of India.
Nov. 18, 1954......... ......do............. Remarks................................ Pierre Mendes-France,
Premier of France.
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.
Mar. 16, 1955......... Senate............... ......do............................... Robert Gordon Menzies,
Prime Minister of
Australia.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
Mar. 30, 1955......... Senate............... ......do............................... Mario Scelba, Prime
Minister of Italy.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
May 4, 1955........... Senate............... ......do............................... P. Phibunsongkhram,
Prime Minister of
Thailand.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
June 30, 1955......... Senate............... ......do............................... U Nu, Prime Minister
of Burma.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
Jan. 5, 1956.......... Senate............... ......do............................... Juscelino Kubitschek
de Oliverira,
President-elect of
Brazil.
Feb. 2, 1956.......... ......do............. ......do............................... Anthony Eden, Prime
Minister of the
United Kingdom.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
Feb. 29, 1956......... Joint meeting........ ......do............................... Giovanni Gronchi,
President of Italy.
Mar. 15, 1956......... Senate............... ......do............................... John Aloysius
Costello, Prime
Minister of Ireland.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
Apr. 30, 1956......... Senate............... ......do............................... Joao Goulart, Vice
President of Brazil.
May 17, 1956.......... Joint meeting........ ......do............................... 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.
Feb. 27, 1957......... House................ Address................................ Guy Mollet, Premier of
France.
Do................ Senate............... ......do............................... Do.
May 9, 1957........... Joint meeting........ ......do............................... Ngo Dinh Diem,
President of Vietnam.
May 28, 1957.......... House................ ......do............................... Konrad Adenauer,
Chancellor of West
Germany.
Do................ Senate............... ......do............................... Do.
June 20, 1957......... ......do............. ......do............................... Nobusuke Kishi, Prime
Minister of Japan.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
July 11, 1957......... Senate............... ......do............................... Husseyn Shaheed
Suhrawardy, Prime
Minister of Pakistan.
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 10, 1958......... Senate............... ......do............................... Harold Macmillan,
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
June 18, 1958......... Joint meeting........ ......do............................... Carlos F. Garcia,
President of the
Philippines.
June 25, 1958......... House................ ......do............................... Muhammad Daoud Khan,
Prime Minister of
Afghanistan.
Do................ Senate............... ......do............................... Do.
July 24, 1958......... ......do............. ......do............................... Kwame Nkrumah, Prime
Minister of Ghana.
July 25, 1958......... House................ ......do............................... Do.
July 29, 1958......... Senate............... ......do............................... Amintore Fanfani,
Prime Minister of
Italy.
Do................ House................ ......do............................... Do.
86th CONGRESS
Jan. 9, 1959.......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
[[Page 537]]
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.
Mar. 30, 1960......... Senate............... Address................................ Harold Macmillan,
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
Apr. 6, 1960.......... Joint meeting........ ......do............................... Alberto Lleras-
Camargo, President of
Colombia.
Apr. 25, 1960......... ......do............. ......do............................... 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.
Apr. 13, 1961......... Senate............... Remarks................................ Konrad Adenauer,
Chancellor of West
Germany.
Apr. 18, 1961......... House................ Address................................ Constantine
Karamanlis, Prime
Minister of Greece.
May 4, 1961........... Joint meeting........ ......do............................... 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.
June 22, 1961......... Senate............... Remarks................................ Hayato Ikeda, Prime
Minister of Japan.
Do................ House................ Address................................ Do.
July 12, 1961......... Joint meeting........ ......do............................... Mohammad Ayub Khan,
President of
Pakistan.
July 26, 1961......... House................ ......do............................... Abubakar Tafawa
Balewa, Prime
Minister of Nigeria.
Sept. 21, 1961........ Joint meeting........ ......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.
Oct. 2, 1963.......... Senate............... Address................................ Haile Selassie I,
Emperor of Ethiopia.
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 \32\........ Inauguration, East Portico............. President Lyndon B.
Johnson; Vice
President Hubert H.
Humphrey.
Mar. 15, 1965......... Joint session........ 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.
Aug. 16, 1967......... Senate............... Address................................ Kurt George Kiesinger,
Chancellor of West
Germany.
Oct. 27, 1967......... Joint meeting........ ......do............................... 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 \33\.......... 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.
[[Page 538]]
Jan. 20, 1969......... Joint session \32\... 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.
Nov. 13, 1969......... House................ Executive-Legislative branch relations President Richard M.
and Vietnam policy. Nixon.
Do................ Senate............... ......do............................... Do.
Jan. 22, 1970......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. Do.
Feb. 25, 1970......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Georges Pompidou,
President of France.
June 3, 1970.......... ......do............. ......do............................... 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.
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, and Address by Vice Vice President Gerald
President Gerald R. Ford. R. Ford; ceremony
attended by President
Richard M. Nixon.
Do................ Senate............... Remarks and Reception.................. Vice President Gerald
R. Ford.
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.
Dec. 19, 1974......... Senate............... Address \34\........................... Vice President Nelson
A. Rockefeller.
94th CONGRESS
Jan. 15, 1975......... Joint session........ 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............................... 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. 17, 1977......... House................ Address................................ Jose Lopez Portillo,
President of Mexico.
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........... President Jimmy
Carter; 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......... Joint session \32\... Inauguration, West Front............... President Ronald
Reagan; Vice
President George
Bush.
[[Page 539]]
Feb. 18, 1981......... Joint session........ 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
\35\; 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.
Jan. 21, 1985......... Inauguration......... Rotunda \36\........................... 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.
Apr. 6, 1989.......... Senate \37\.......... Addresses on the 200th anniversary Former Senators Thomas
commemoration of Senate's first F. Eagleton and
legislative session. Howard H. Baker, Jr..
June 7, 1989.......... Joint meeting........ 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.
[[Page 540]]
Nov. 15, 1989......... Joint meeting........ 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.
May 8, 1991........... House \38\........... ......do............................... General H. Norman
Schwarzkopf.
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 \39\.................. President William J.
Clinton.
Sept. 22, 1993........ ......do............. Health care reform..................... Do.
Jan. 25, 1994......... Joint session........ 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.
104th 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.\40\
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 \41\........ President William J.
Clinton.
Feb. 27, 1997......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Eduardo Frei,
President of Chile.
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Jan. 27, 1998......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President William J.
Clinton.
June 10, 1998......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Kim Dae-jung,
President of South
Korea.
July 15, 1998......... ......do............. ......do............................... Emil Constantinescu,
President of Romania.
106th CONGRESS
Jan. 19, 1999......... Joint session........ State of the Union Address............. President William J.
Clinton.
Jan. 27, 2000......... ......do............. ......do............................... Do.
Sept. 14, 2000........ Joint meeting........ Address................................ Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
Prime Minister of
India.
107th CONGRESS
Jan. 6, 2001.......... Joint session........ Counting electoral votes............... N.A.
Jan. 20, 2001......... Inauguration......... West Front............................. President George W.
Bush; Vice President
Richard B. Cheney.
Feb. 27, 2001......... Joint session........ Budget message \39\.................... President George W.
Bush.
Sept. 6, 2001......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Vicente Fox, President
of Mexico.
Sept. 20, 2001........ Joint session........ War on terrorism....................... President George W.
Bush; joint session
attended by Tony
Blair, Prime Minister
of the United
Kingdom, by Tom
Ridge, Governor of
Pennsylvania, by
George Pataki,
Governor of New York,
and by Rudolph
Giuliani, Mayor of
New York City.
Jan. 29, 2002......... ......do............. State of the Union Address............. President George W.
Bush; joint session
attended by Hamid
Karzai, Chairman of
the Interim Authority
of Afghanistan.
108th CONGRESS
Jan. 28, 2003......... ......do............. ......do............................... President George W.
Bush.
July 17, 2003......... Joint meeting........ Address................................ Tony Blair, Prime
Minister of the
United Kingdom; joint
meeting attended by
Mrs. George W. Bush.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Closing date for this table was July 17, 2003.
\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 Senate indicate that Lafayette actually addressed the House of Representatives, with some of
the Senators present as guests of the House (having been invited at the last minute to attend). 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.
\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.
[[Page 542]]
\18\ Bakhmetieff represented the provisional government of Russia set up after the overthrow of the monarchy in
March 1917 and recognized by the United States. The Bolsheviks took over in November 1917.
\19\ The address and reception were in conjunction with the presentation to the Senate by France of two Sevres
vases in appreciation of the United States' involvement in World War I. The vases are today in the Senate
lobby, just off the Senate floor. Two additional Sevres vases were given without ceremony to the House of
Representatives, which today are in the Rayburn Room, not far from the floor of the House.
\20\ Senators later objected to President Harding's speech (given with no advance notice to most of the
Senators) as an unconstitutional effort to interfere with the deliberations of the Senate, and Harding did not
repeat visits of this kind.
\21\ This was the first Annual Message broadcast live on radio.
\22\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.
\23\ 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.
\24\ Held in the Senate Chamber.
\25\ At this time, the Philippines was still a possession of the United States, although it had been made a self-
governing commonwealth in 1935, in preparation for full independence in 1946. From 1909 to 1916, Quezon had
served in the U.S. House of Representatives as the resident commissioner from the Philippines.
\26\ In exile.
\27\ For this Senate Address by Queen Wilhelmina, the members of the House of Representatives were invited as
guests. This occasion has sometimes been mistakenly referred to as a joint meeting.
\28\ 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.
\29\ 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.
\30\ This was an informal meeting in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress.
\31\ Presentation of new ivory gavel to the Senate.
\32\ 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.
\33\ 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.
\34\ Rockefeller was sworn in as Vice President by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, after which, by unanimous
consent, he was allowed to address the Senate.
\35\ Because the Governor had laryngitis, his speech was read by his wife, Pamela.
\36\ The ceremony was moved inside because of extremely cold weather.
\37\ These commemorative addresses were given in the Old Senate Chamber during a regular legislative session.
\38\ For this House Address by General Schwarzkopf, the members of the Senate were invited as guests.
\39\ This speech was mislabeled in many sources as a State of the Union Address.
\40\ President Kim Yong-sam was in Washington for the dedication of the Korean Veterans' Memorial, held the day
after this joint meeting.
\41\ This was the first State of the Union Address carried live on the Internet.