Speech lengths of previous presidents’ State of the Union oral addresses

Speech lengths of previous presidents’ addresses

Speech lengths of previous presidents’ State of the Union oral addresses:

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Lyndon Johnson

Shortest — Jan. 14, 1969: 43 minutes, 41 seconds

Longest — Jan. 10, 1967: 1 hour, 11 minutes, 16 seconds

Richard Nixon

Shortest — Jan. 20, 1972: 28 minutes, 55 seconds

Longest — January 30, 1974: 42 minutes, 51 seconds

Gerald Ford

Shortest — Jan. 15, 1975: 41 minutes

Longest — Jan. 19, 1976: 50 minutes, 38 seconds

Jimmy Carter

Shortest — Jan. 21, 1980: 32 minutes, 4 seconds

Longest — Jan. 19, 1978: 46 minutes, 4 seconds

Ronald Reagan

Shortest — Feb. 4, 1986: About 31 minutes

Longest — Jan. 25, 1983: About 46 minutes

George H.W. Bush

Shortest — Jan. 31, 1990: 35 minutes, 43 seconds

Longest — Jan. 28, 1992: 51 minutes, 4 seconds

Bill Clinton

Shortest — Jan. 25, 1994: 1 hour, 3 minutes, 44 seconds

Longest — Jan. 27, 2000: 1 hour, 28 minutes, 49 seconds

George W. Bush

Shortest — Jan. 29, 2002: 47 minutes, 49 seconds

Longest — Jan. 28, 2003: 59 minutes, 35 seconds

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Note: Johnson’s 1964 and 1965 addresses were not measured.

Source: John Woolley and Gerhard Peters, of The American Presidency Project.