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House History

Joint Meetings, Joint Sessions, and Inaugurations

Scope of Congress

Background  |  1st to 19th  |  20th to 39th  |  40th to 59th | 60th to 79th |  80th to 99th  |  100th to Current | All
80th to 90th Congresses (January 6, 1947 to September 18, 1986)
Date Type Occasion, topic, or location Name and position of dignitary
(Where Applicable)
80th Congress
Jan. 6, 1947 Joint session State of the Union Address23 President Harry S Truman.
Mar. 12, 1947 Joint session Greek-Turkish aid policy President Harry S Truman.
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 Joint session State of the Union Address President Harry S Truman.
Mar. 17, 1948 Joint session National security and conditions in Europe President Harry S Truman.
Apr. 19, 1948 Joint session 50th anniversary, liberation of Cuba President Harry S Truman; Guillermo Belt, Ambassador of Cuba.
July 27, 1948 Joint session Inflation, housing, and civil rights President Harry S Truman.
81st Congress
Jan. 5, 1949 Joint session State of the Union Address President Harry S Truman.
Jan. 6, 1949 Joint session Counting electoral votes N.A.
Jan. 20, 1949 Joint session 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.
82nd Congress
Jan. 8, 1951 Joint session State of the Union Address President Harry S Truman.
Feb. 1, 1951 Joint meeting24 North Atlantic Treaty Organization General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Apr. 2, 1951 Joint meeting Address Vincent Auriol, President of France.
Apr. 19, 1951 Joint meeting Return from Pacific Command General Douglas MacArthur.
June 21, 1951 Joint meeting Address Galo Plaza, President of Ecuador.
Sept. 24, 1951 Joint meeting Address 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 Joint meeting Address Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands.
May 22, 1952 Joint meeting Korea General Matthew B. Ridgway.
June 10, 1952 Joint session Steel industry dispute President Harry S Truman.
83rd Congress
Jan. 6, 1953 Joint session Counting electoral votes N.A.
Jan. 20, 1953 Joint session Inauguration, East Portico President Dwight D. Eisenhower; Vice President Richard M. Nixon.
Feb. 2, 1953 Joint session State of the Union Address President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jan. 7, 1954 Joint session State of the Union Address President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jan. 29, 1954 Joint meeting Address Celal Bayar, President of Turkey.
May 4, 1954 Joint meeting Address Vincent Massey, Governor General of Canada.
May 28, 1954 Joint meeting Address Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia.
July 28, 1954 Joint meeting Address 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 Joint meeting Address Giovanni Gronchi, President of Italy.
May 17, 1956 Joint meeting Address Dr. Sukarno, President of Indonesia.
85th Congress
Jan. 5, 1957 Joint session Middle East message President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jan. 7, 1957 Joint session Counting electoral votes N.A.
Jan. 10, 1957 Joint session State of the Union Address President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jan. 21, 1957 Joint session 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 Joint meeting Address 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 birth Fredric March, actor; Carl Sandburg, poet.
Mar. 11, 1959 Joint meeting Address Jose Maria Lemus, President of El Salvador.
Mar. 18, 1959 Joint meeting Address Sean T. O'Kelly, President of Ireland.
May 12, 1959 Joint meeting Address 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.
Apr. 25, 1960 Joint meeting Address Charles de Gaulle, President of France.
Apr. 28, 1960 Joint meeting Address Mahendra, King of Nepal.
June 29, 1960 Joint meeting Address Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand.
87th Congress
Jan. 6, 1961 Joint session Counting electoral votes N.A.
Jan. 20, 1961 Joint session Inauguration, East Portico President John F. Kennedy; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Jan. 30, 1961 Joint session 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, defense, civil defense, and outer space President John F. Kennedy.
July 12, 1961 Joint meeting Address Mohammad Ayub Khan, President of Pakistan.
Sept. 21, 1961 Joint meeting Address 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 space flight Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr., USMC; Friendship 7 astronaut.
Apr. 4, 1962 Joint meeting Address Joao Goulart, President of Brazil.
Apr. 12, 1962 Joint meeting Address 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 Joint session State of the Union Address President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Jan. 15, 1964 Joint meeting Address Antonio Segni, President of Italy.
May 28, 1964 Joint meeting Address 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 Joint session Counting electoral votes N.A.
Jan. 20, 1965 Joint session25 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.
Oct. 27, 1967   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 Joint session Counting electoral votes26 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 Joint session25 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 Joint meeting Address Dr. Rafael Caldera, President of Venezuela.
Sept. 22, 1970 Joint meeting Report on prisoners of war Col. Frank Borman, Representative to the President on Prisoners of War.
92nd Congress
Jan. 22, 1971 Joint session State of the Union Address President Richard M. Nixon.
Sept. 9, 1971 Joint session Economic policy President Richard M. Nixon.
Sept. 9, 1971 Joint meeting Apollo 15: lunar mission Col. David R. Scott, USAF; Col. James B. Irwin, USAF; and Lt. Col. Alfred M. Worden, USAF; Apollo15 astronauts.
Jan. 20, 1972 Joint session State of the Union Address President Richard M. Nixon.
June 1, 1972 Joint session European trip report President Richard M. Nixon.
June 15, 1972 Joint meeting Address Luis Echeverria Alvarez, President of Mexico.
93rd 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 R. Ford Vice President Gerald 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 Joint session Assumption of office President Gerald R. Ford.
Oct. 8, 1974 Joint session Economy President Gerald R. Ford.
94th Congress
Jan. 15, 1975 Joint session State of the Union Address President Gerald R. Ford.
Apr. 10, 1975 Joint session State of the World message President Gerald R. Ford.
June 17, 1975 Joint meeting Address Walter Scheel, President of West Germany.
Nov. 5, 1975 Joint meeting Address 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 Joint meeting Address Liam Cosgrave, Prime Minister of Ireland.
May 18, 1976 Joint meeting Address Valery Giscard d'Estaing, President of France.
June 2, 1976 Joint meeting Address Juan Carlos I, King of Spain.
Sept. 23, 1976 Joint meeting Address Dr. William R. Tolbert, Jr., President of Liberia.
95th Congress
Jan. 6, 1977 Joint session Counting electoral votes N.A.
Jan. 12, 1977 Joint session 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 Joint session State of the Union Address President Jimmy Carter.
Sept. 18, 1978 Joint session Middle East Peace agreements joint session attended by Anwar El Sadat, President of Egypt, and by Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel.
96th Congress
Jan. 23, 1979 Joint session State of the Union Address President Jimmy Carter.
June 18, 1979 Joint session Salt II agreements President Jimmy Carter.
Jan. 23, 1980 Joint session State of the Union Address President Jimmy Carter.
97th Congress
Jan. 6, 1981 Joint session Counting electoral votes N.A.
Jan. 20, 1981 Joint session25 Inauguration, West Front President Ronald Reagan; Vice President George Bush.
Feb. 18, 1981 Joint session Economic recovery President Ronald Reagan.
Apr. 28, 1981 Joint session Economic recovery--inflation President Ronald Reagan.
Jan. 26, 1982 Joint session State of the Union Address President Ronald Reagan.
Jan. 28, 1982 Joint meeting Centennial of birth of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Dr. Arthur Schlesinger, historian; Senator Jennings Randolph; Representative Claude Pepper; Averell Harriman, former Governor of New York27; former Representative James Roosevelt, son of President Roosevelt.
Apr. 21, 1982 Joint meeting Address Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands.
98th Congress
Jan. 25, 1983 Joint session State of the Union Address President Ronald Reagan.
Apr. 27, 1983 Joint session Central America President Ronald Reagan.
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 Joint meeting Address Francois Mitterand, President of France.
May 8, 1984 Joint meeting 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 Joint meeting Address Miguel de la Madrid, President of Mexico.
99th Congress
Jan. 7, 1985 Joint session Counting electoral votes N.A.
Jan. 21, 1985 Inauguration Rotunda28 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 Joint meeting Address Bettino Craxi, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy.
Mar. 20, 1985 Joint meeting Address Raul Alfonsin, President of Argentina.
June 13, 1985 Joint meeting Address Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India.
Oct. 9, 1985 Joint meeting Address Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore.
Nov. 21, 1985 Joint session Geneva Summit President Ronald Reagan.
Feb. 4, 1986 Joint session State of the Union Address President Ronald Reagan.
Sept. 11, 1986 Joint meeting Address Jose Sarney, President of Brazil.
Sept. 18, 1986 Joint meeting Address Corazon C. Aquino, President of the Philippines.
Notes 23 - 28:

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. [ Return to Jan. 6, 1947 ]

24 An informal meeting in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress. [ Return to Feb. 1, 1951 ]

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.
[ Return to Jan. 20, 1965 ] [ Return to Jan. 20, 1969 ] [ Return to Jan. 20, 1981 ]

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. [ Return to Jan. 6, 1969 ]

27 Because the Governor had laryngitis, his speech was read by his wife, Pamela. [ Return to Jan. 28, 1982 ]

28 The ceremony was moved inside because of extremely cold weather. [ Return to Jan. 21, 1985 ]

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