What the Presidents Did On the Fourth of July
Researched by James Heintze. All rights reserved
This chronology gives information on what the presidents were doing on the Fourth of July,
but only during their tenures as presidents. Of course, many of the presidents remained in the
public eye after leaving office, giving speeches and participating in a variety of activities.
Information on some of the significant post-office activities may be found in the general
chronology. You will notice that many of the dates have not been filled in. That is because
the research is ongoing. Please check back periodically as this chronology is expanded.
Information on the presidents and the Fourth of July was researched in various newspapers,
including the National Intelligencer, New York Times, Washington Post,
as well as other sources (Jim Heintze)
George Washington
1789- Washington is in New York and is ill but writes a letter to the New York State's
Society of the Cinncinati letting that organization know that he received their
congratulations. (Writings of George Washington. Ed. John C. Fitzpatrick.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Govt. Printing Office, 1939, 30:353); Federal Gazette, and
Philadelphia Evening Post, 8 July 1789, 2.
1790- Washington is in New York on the Fourth attending services at Trinity Church.
(Writings of George Washington, 31:67). However, the actual celebration
occurs on the 5th. Together with members of Congress and other officials, Washington
attends a celebration held at St. Paul's Chapel. On that day he also receives many guests.
(Diaries of George Washington (1748-1799). Ed. John C. Fitzpatrick.
Houghton Mifflin Co., 1925, 4:135-36)
1791- Washington is in Lancaster, Pa. giving an address, dining, and walking "about the
town." (NYT, 5 July 1931, 2N; Diaries of George Washington 4:203-04)
1792-
1793- Washington is home at Mount Vernon writing a letter to the Secretary of State;
on that
day he also attends a public celebration in Alexandria, Va. (Writings of George
Washington, 33:2-3)
1794-
1795- Washington is in Philadelphia
1796- Washington is at Mount Vernon writing letters to the Secretaries of State and
Treasury and he also attends a public celebration in Alexandria, Va. (Writings of
George Washington, 35:113-18, 125)
John Adams
1797- Adams is in Philadelphia where the Society of the Cincinnati and House of
Representatives "and a great concorse of citizens" waited on him. "The volunteer corps pertook
of a cold collation prepared for them in the President's garden, drank his health with three
huzzas, and then filed off thro' the House."
1798- Adams is in Philadelphia reviewing a parade of military companies and later that afternoon
receiving and entertaining guests
1799- President Adams is at the Old South Meeting House in Boston listening to an
oration presented by John Lowell, Jr.
1800- the President is in Quincy, Massachusetts
Thomas Jefferson
1801- Jefferson hosts the first public Fourth of July Executive Mansion reception.
1802- The President is in Washington receiving guests.
1803- The President holds a reception at the Executive Mansion between the hours of 12
and 2 p.m. for the various heads of departments, foreign ministers, military officers, and
others. He also reviews a military parade.
1804- The President hosts a reception with refreshments at the Executive Mansion and
reviews a military parade.
1805- The President holds a reception at the Executive Mansion to the sounds of "a
powerful band of music, playing patriotic airs at short intervals."
1806- Jefferson hosts a reception at the Executive Mansion.
1807- The President "standing in the north portico" of the Executive Mansion reviews a
military parade and thereafter receives the officers, and opens the Mansion for guests.
1808- The President hosts a reception at the Executive Mansion and reviews a military
parade.
James Madison
1809- Madison is in the Executive Mansion entertaining guests, including various
"Heads of Departments."
1810- The President attends the ceremony in the Baptist Meeting House in Washington
and hears an oration given by Robert Polk there. Following, the President entertains the
assemblage at the Executive Mansion.
1811- Madison attends a church on F street, reviews a military parade, and entertains
guests in the Executive Mansion.
1812- The President attends a ceremony held in the Capitol and then returns to the
Executive Mansion to review a military parade and to entertain guests.
1813- Madison is ill and the "President's Mansion" is closed to the public for
entertainments (the Fourth fall on the sabbath and the official holiday is celebrated on
Monday, July 5).
1814- The President is in the Executive Mansion and receives guests, including "the
Mayor, aldermen and Common Council of the city." (On August 24, the Executive Mansion is
burned down by the British.)
1815- Madison attends a ceremony held at the Capitol and later entertains the
assemblage at the Octagon House.
1816- The White House is being rebuilt.
James Monroe
1817- The White House is not yet ready for receptions, so Monroe, on tour in New England,
is in Boston with various government officials and naval commodores and participates in the
ceremony there by giving a speech. He visits the ship-of-the-line Independence 74,
Fort Warren, and stops off at the Exchange Coffee House. From there he visits the Governor of
Massachusetts in Medford.
1818- Monroe is in Washington and issues a proclamation that the trade in "Plaster of
Paris" is no longer to be exported to the "Province of New-Brunswick."
1819- The President is in Lexington, Kentucky, in the company of General Andrew
Jackson, and visiting the Lexington Athenaeum and attending a ceremony at Dunlap's Hotel
there.
1820-
1821- The President is ill in the Executive Mansion which is closed to the public.
1822- The President is at his farm in Virginia.
1823- The President attends a ceremony held at the Capitol where he hears the
Declaration of Independence read by Richard Bland Lee. Back at the Executive Mansion,
because members of his family are ill, he does not receive visitors.
1824- The President rides in a carriage in a procession to the Capitol, attends a
ceremony there, and later holds a reception at the Executive Mansion.
John Quincy Adams
1825- Adams is at the White House where he hears the Marine Band perform; at 10
a.m. he and various Secretaries review several volunteer companies. He then goes to the
Capitol to hear the Declaration read. Following that, he returns to the White House to
receive numerous guests.
1826- The President, accompanied by the Vice President and others, joins a procession
that marches to the Capitol and later returns to the Executive Mansion to receive guests.
1827- The President attends services held in Washington at "the Church of Dr. Laurie,"
and later holds a public reception at the Executive Mansion.
1828-John Quincy Adams attends ground-breaking ceremony for the excavation of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal at Little Falls located just above Georgetown, and gives an
address, with music supplied by the U.S. Marine Band.
Andrew Jackson
1829- The President hold a public reception at the White House at 1 p.m. and at 3 p.m.
is supposed to participate in a ceremony for the laying of a cornerstone of one of the "Eastern
locks of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, near the mouth of Rock Creek," but a driving rain
forces the cancellation of the ceremony
1830- The President is on his way to his residence in Tennessee, with arrival expected
on July 6.
1831- Jackson is at Fortress Monroe in Norfolk and turns down an invitation to a public
dinner there. Later, he returns to the Executive Mansion in the steamboat
Potomac.
1832- The President is at the White House examining a bill to extend and modify the
Charter of the Bank of the United States. He vetoes the bill.
1833- Jackson returns to the White House on July 4 from his tour of New England and is ill
on this day.
1834- The President is in Washington and plans to leave for the Hermitage in a few
days.
1835- The President is in Washington and leaves the Executive Mansion on July 6 in the
steamboat Columbia for Fort Calhoun in Virginia.
1836-
Martin Van Buren
1837- The President reviews a military parade in Washington.
1838-
1839- Van Buren is in New York attending a festival and sabbath school celebration with
thousands of children participating
1840-
William Henry Harrison
1841- Harrison dies on 4 April 1841
John Tyler
1841- Tyler is in the Executive Mansion receiving guests.
1842- The President is in the White House receiving "an unusually large number of
citizens. President Tyler, dressed in a full suit of black silk, from the manufactory of Mr.
Rapp, of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, received them with his accustomed frank courtesy,
and all seemed in the highest spirits." In the morning, the President received the Sunday
Schools, listened to two addresses made to him by children, and the "temperance people made
a desent upon the White House, too, and the President made a capital speech to them."
1843-
1844- The President is in the White House.
James K. Polk
1845- Polk and the First Lady entertain guests at the White House, including Rev. John
C. Smith and the Sunday School of the Fourth Presbyterian Church.
1846- Polk is in the White House and briefly addresses about 200 young students.
1847- From Polk's Diary: "Spent the day in Portland [Maine] and attended a Unitarian
church in the morning, in company with the Hon. John Anderson; and a congregational
church in the afternoon, in company with the Mayor."
1848- The President receives guests in the Executive Mansion, attends the laying of the
cornerstone of the Washington Monument and also reviews a military parade.
Zachary Taylor
1849- Taylor receives guests in the White House, including the E Street Baptist School
children, and Master R.W. Wilcox.
1850- Taylor attends a ceremony at the Washington Monument, eats a bowl of cherries and
milk, gets sick, and dies a few days later.
Millard Fillmore
1850- Vice-President Fillmore attends a ceremony held at the Washington Monument and
takes over as President on July 9 upon the death of Zachary Taylor.
1851- The President has a busy day attenting a ceremony at the Washington Monument
in the company of various military officials and other dignitaries, then joins in a procession
from City Hall to the Capitol where he ceremonially participates in the laying of the
"cornerstone of the new Capitol edifice."
1852-
Franklin Pierce
1853- Pierce is in the White House, but walks over to the Post Office to see about having an
employee there reinstated after his firing. He writes a letter of acceptance that he will attend the
opening of the new Crystal Palace in New York on July 15.
1854- The "Chief Magistrate" is in the Executive Mansion and receives guests, including
members of the Western Presbyterian Sabbath School. Pierce later views the fireworks set off
on Monument Square.
1855- The President and First Lady are in Cape May, N.J. vacationing and they return
to the White House on 7 July.
1856-
James Buchanan
1857-
1858- Buchanan is in the White House entertaining guests.
1859- The President is in the White House.
1860-
Abraham Lincoln
1861- Lincoln calls an "extraordinary" session of Congress and presents an address
regarding the suspension of Federal government functions by seccessionists in the South; the
President also reviews 29 New York military regiments in front of the White House and also
raises the stars and stripes (the flag presented to the city of Washington by the Union
Committee of New York) on a 100-foot high flagstaff located at the south front of the
Treasury Department.
1862- Lincoln is in the White House and receives the "Soldiers of the War of 1812"; "Mr.
Lincoln replied appropriately, thanking them for the call."
1863- The President issues an address to the people honoring the Army of the Potomac
and "for the many gallant fallen." There was a ceremony on the grounds of the Executive
Mansion. Upon hearing of the news of the surrender of Vicksburg, the President gives a
"Fourth of July" speech on July 7 from the upper window of the White House to an
"immense" crowd.
1864- The President is at the White House reviewing the Reconstruction Bill and
meeting with various officials.
Andrew Johnson
1865- Due to illness Johnson cancels a trip to Gettysburg where he is to honor the
return of peace by consecrating a national monument. He remains in the Executive Mansion.
(Letter, Andrew Johnson to David Wills, 3 July 1865. Papers of Andrew
Johnson, Paul H. Bergeron, ed. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1989,
8:344-45).
1866- Johnson is in the White House entertaining guests, including members of the
Survivors of the Associated Soldiers of the War of 1812.
1867-
1868- Johnson issues a Third Amnesty Proclamation to all participants in the
Confederate rebellion. Papers of Andrew Johnson, Paul H. Bergeron, ed.
Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1989, 14:317-18).
Ulysses S. Grant
1869- July 4th falls on Sunday and the official celebration occurs on the 5th. The
President is at the White House having declined to attend the reunion meeting in New York
of the Army of the Potomac.
1870- Grant is on the Presidential train in New England on his way to Woodstock,
Conn. He stops in several towns along the way where he is received by cheering crowds. In
Woodstock, he participates in that town's celebration and hears speeches by several persons,
including one given by Henry Ward Beecher.
1871- The President issues a proclamation in Washington regardng the "Treaty of
Washington" between the U.S. and Great Britain regarding the settling of certain "cases of
difference."
1872- Grant is at Long Branch, N.J., amidst canons firing, bells ringing, and fireworks
going off.
1873- The President has his proclamation read in Philadelphia announcing the future
Cenntennial which is to be held there. Grant does not attend the Philadelphia ceremony, due
to the recent death of his father Jesse R. Grant on 29 June. President Grant is in Covington,
Kentucky, at the funeral.
1874-
1875- Grant visits Heightstown, N.J., and returns to the "President's Cottage" at Long
Branch later that evening.
1876- The President is in the Executive Mansion where Mr. Cadwallader, Acting
Secretary of State, introduces a Mr. Schlozer, the German Minister, who delivers an autograph
letter of congratulations from the Emperor of Germany to the President.
Rutherford B. Hayes
1877-
1878- Hayes is in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., being entertained by friends
1879- Early on the Fourth, Hayes is at Fortress Monroe in Virginia with Secretaries of
the Treasury, War, Navy, the Attorney-General, and others, and witnesses test firing of
bombs and large guns. Later that afternoon, he spends two or three hours on the U.S.
steamboat Tallapoosacruising around in the ocean. The evening is spent
viewing fireworks.
1880- Hayes celebrates the fourth on 5 July when he returns to Washington from a trip
to New Haven, Conn.
James A. Garfield
1881- Garfield lays gravely ill in Washington, D.C. as a result of an assassin's bullet
there.
Chester A. Arthur
1882-
1883-
1884- Arthur spends the Fourth in his office from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. signing bills
and receiving calls.
Grover Cleveland
1885- Cleveland is at the White House with no callers admitted. In the early evening,
he receives a cable dispatch from Cyrus W. Field in London which announces the celebration
of the Fourth there. The President ends the evening with a drive around Washington which
lasts about two hours.
1886-
1887- Cleveland declines an invitation to attend a meeting of the Tammany Society in
New York, but his letter (June 25) declining the offer is read at the July 4th ceremony there.
1888- Cleveland declines an invitation to attend a meeting of the Tammany Society in
New York, but his letter (June 29) to them is read at the July 4th ceremony there.
Benjamin Harrison
1889- Harrison is in Woodstock, Conn., giving a traditional Fourth of July speech
1890-
1891- Harrison is in Cape May, N.J., vacationing
1892- Harrison spends "a very quiet and uneventful day [in Washington]. In the
morning he drives to the Monument Grounds with Secretary Halford to witness the
celebration there, returning to the Executive Mansion about 11 o'clock. He occupied his time
until the luncheon hour arrived by looking over his mail and going through some official
papers. In the afternoon he took a drive with Mrs. Harrison out into the country, away from
the noise and din of the city."
Grover Cleveland
1893- On the evening of July 3, Cleveland is on the steamship Oneida on his
way to Buzzard's Bay, Massachusetts, where he is expects to stay during the month of July. On
July 4, he is ill with rheumatism in his foot and knee, limits his visitors, and prepares to write a
message to Congress for the extra Congressional session that is scheduled.
1894-
1895-
1896-
William McKinley
1897- McKinley spends the day with his mother in Canton, Ohio, and attends services at the
First M.E. Church.
1898- McKinley is in the White House receiving hundreds of telegrams congratulating him
on the progress of the war with Spain
1899- McKinley is in the White House
1900- McKinley is in Canton, Ohio, reviewing a parade.
1901- The President is in the White House. Note: McKinley dies from a gunshot
wound on September 14.
Theodore Roosevelt
1902- Roosevelt gives a speech before 200,000 persons at Schenley Park, Pittsburgh.
1903- President Roosevelt gives a speech in Huntington, N.Y., as the town celebrates its
250th anniversary.
1904-
1905-
1906- The President gives an address using a text by Lincoln at Oyster Bay, N.Y.
1907-
1908-
William Howard Taft
1909- On Sunday, 4 July, Taft is in Beverly, Mass., visiting "the new Summer White
House." He attends church in that town. On Monday, 5 July, the President is in Norwich,
Conn. assisting in that town's 250th anniversary of its founding. He reviews a military
parade,
gives a speech, and holds a public reception.
1910- Taft is in Somerville, Mass., reviewing the parade there, and receives the news that
Chief Justice Melville W. Fuller dies.
1911- Taft is in Indianapolis as the guest of former Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks.
The President gives a speech there about the "third most important measure" of the
administration, i.e., reciprocity with Canada. Taft also reviews the parade in Indianapolis.
1912- Taft rides in the Beverly, Mass., parade. He also gives a speech. From there he
goes to Parramatta, the Summer White House, has his picture taken with members of the Taft
Club, and then goes to Magnolia to have lunch with Mr. & Mrs. John Hays Hammond,
followed by a round of golf.
Woodrow Wilson
1913- President Wilson is at Gettysburg giving a Fourth of July battle reunion speech.
After one hour, he leaves by train for New York on way to Cornish, N.H. to spend a few
days with his family.
1914- President Wilson gives an address on the meaning of the Declaration of
Independence and utters the famous words, "Our country, right or wrong," at Independence
Hall in Philadelphia.
1915- President Wilson is in Cornish, N.H., and takes an auto ride with his family and
stops to offer assistance to persons involved in an automobile wreck. Otherwise, Wilson,
staying at the Harlakenden House, spends a quiet Fourth.
1916-In Washington, D.C., President Wilson gives a speech at the dedication of the new
American Federation of Labor building.
1917- The President is in the White House faced with the challenge of assembling a war
machine for the impending conflict. He receives a Fourth of July congratulatory letter from Jean
Jules Jusserand who notes the similarities of the "fight for liberty" that France and the United
States share.
1918- President Wilson gives a speech at an "International Fourth of July celebration" at
Mount Vernon and in Washington, he attends a presentation of a pageantry entitled
"Democracy Triumphant," presented at the Capitol.
1919- Wilson in on board the USS George Washington and presents a Fourth
of July address to the passengers.
1920- The President is in the White House reading and writing correspondence.
Warren G. Harding
1921- Harding spends the weekend at the home of Senator Joseph S. Frelinghuysen at
Raritan, N.J., attends a service at the Third Dutch Reformed Church, holds a public
reception, and plays a round of golf.
1922- Harding and the First Lady are in Marion, Ohio, with family. Harding
participates in centennial exercises there at the Fair Grounds.
1923- In Meacham, Oregon, President Harding participates in the 80th anniversary of
the arrival of the first immigrant wagon there. He rides in a Concord stage coach drawn by
six horses and gives a speech. Note: Harding dies while in office on August 2, 1923.
Calvin Coolidge
1924- President Coolidge addresses the national convention of the National Educational
Association in Washington, D.C. in the morning but spends most of his time at the bedside of his
son, Calvin Coolidge, Jr. who is very ill with septic poisoning.
1925-
1926- Coolidge plants a willow tree (the same kind of tree near the grave of George
Washington at Mount Vernon) on the South Jersey exposition grounds in connection with the
opening of the Delaware River bridge, and on 5 July he gives a speech in Philadelphia at the
Sesquicentennial Exposition there.
1927- Coolidge is in Rapid City, S.D., celebrating the Fourth and his 55-th birthday and
he appears in western attire.
1928- President Coolidge is at the Cedar Island Lodge in Superior, Wisc., fishing for
trout.
Herbert Hoover
1929-
1930- Hoover is at his Virginia retreat on the Rapidan with a large group of guests. On
that day he issues a proclamation to the Senate asking that that body take the London naval
treaty under its consideration.
1931- The President is in the White House waiting for news regarding the War Debt
Accord proposal. In addition, he has his message read by Ambassador Willys at the unveiling
of the Woodrow Wilson Monument at Poznan, Poland.
1932- President Hoover is at his "retreat" with Secretaries Hyde and Hurley and
Representative Snell of N.Y. and is enjoying a quiet Fourth of July.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
1933- Roosevelt is on board the cruiser Indianapolis in the Chesapeake
Bay, returns later that evening and sends an urgent cable to Secretary Hull in London
"instructing the American delegates to the World Economic Conference to do everything in
their power to prevent adjournment until important items on the agenda had been dealt
with."
1934- Roosevelt is vacationing in the Bahamas.
1935- The President is in the White House working on his tax bill with various officials.
He gives up "all idea of a holiday because of this and other legislative affairs."
1936- The President visits Monticello and presents a eulogy to Thomas Jefferson.
1937- Roosevelt attends a church fair on July 3 at Mount Marion, on the west bank of
the Hudson, and on July 4, attends services at St. James' Episcopal Church and gives a picnic
at his Val-Kill farm for White House staff and newspapermen.
1938- Roosevelt returns to Washington from Gettysburg on the evening of July 3 after
having assisted in the dedication of the "Peace Eternal" flame dedication there by presenting
his own "Gettysburg Address."
1939- The President gives a press conference on neutrality legislation at Hyde Park.
1940- Roosevelt is at his Hyde Park, N.Y., residence. On this day he officially turns the
library bearing his name over to the Federal Government. Earlier in the day, he reads the
Declaration of Independence and Preamble to the Constitution to a group of 50 of his estate
employees assembled there. In addition, the President from his home touches "a button"
officially turning on the lights in the Chicago Coliseum, opening the American Negro
Exposition there.
1941- Roosevelt is at Hyde Park where he delivers a live radio address to the nation from the
Roosevelt Library.
1942- The President is in the White House working, and purchases a set of "Win the War"
stamps to help symbolically to support the war effort. He also issues a Fourth of July freedom
and independence statement to the nation.
1943-
1944-
Harry S. Truman
1945- Truman issues a Fourth of July statement congratulating the American people for
bringing the United National Clothing Collection program to a climax and he marks this
historic day by asking all Americans to honor this country's fighting men.
1946- Truman is in the Catoctin Mountains (Maryland), near Thurmont.
1947- President Truman is at Monticello giving a speech denouncing the Soviet stand
against a joint European recovery project. He also lays a wreath on the tomb of Jefferson.
1948- Truman is on a train heading for Bolivar, Missouri, and a July 5 dedication of a statue
in honor of Simon Bolivar.
1949- Truman is aboard the presidential yacht Williamsburg relaxing
and preparing for his semi-annual economic report to Congress. He returns to the White
House later that day.
1950-
1951- Truman is on the Washington Monument grounds giving an address
commemorating the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
1952- Truman is at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C., watching a baseball game,
but leaves after 3 innings due to rain.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
1953- Eisenhower is at Camp David. He plays golf at the Monterey Country Club
course at Blue Ridge Summit, Pa., 12 miles from Camp David.
1954- Eisenhower is at Camp David.
1955- Eisenhower is at Camp David where he signs legislation providing Federal aid for
irrigation projects in the West. He also spends time on that day at his Gettysburg, Pa., farm.
1956- The President is at his Gettysburg farm.
1957- Eisenhower plays a round of golf nearby his Gettysburg farm.
1958- Eisenhower plays a round of golf nearby his Gettysburg farm
1959- President Eisenhower gives a speech and lays the third cornerstone in the 166-year
history of the U.S. Capitol. He spends the remainder of the day at Camp David with military
officials.
1960- Eisenhower plays golf nearby his farm at Gettysburg.
John F. Kennedy
1961- Kennedy is at his summer home at Hyannis Port, Mass. spending time on his
father's yacht and watching fireworks. The President also replies to a congratulatory note sent
to him on July 3 from Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev on the 185th anniversary of the Fourth of
July, stating the United States is still dedicated to the "revolutionary principles of individual
liberty and national freedom."
1962- Kennedy gives a speech on "Atlantic Partnership" at Independence Hall,
Philadelphia, with 42 state governors in attendence. Following that event, the President leaves
for Camp David.
1963- President Kennedy chooses 31 persons to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
and sends an Independence Day request to Congress for 108 million dollars to increase the size
of the Peace Corps by one-third. Kennedy spends the remainder of the Fourth at Hyannis
Port, Mass.
Lyndon B. Johnson
(Johnson is sworn in as President on November 22, 1963 upon the death of Kennedy)
1964- President Johnson is at his ranch in Texas entertaining guests Texas Gov. and Mrs.
John B. Connally
1965- Johnson is at his ranch in Texas.
1966- President Johnson is at his LBJ Ranch where he signs the freedom of information
bill
1967- Johnson begins his day travelling from his ranch in Texas to attend the
christening of his grandson Patrick Lyndon in the St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church
in Stonewall. From there he goes to Texarkana to attend the funeral of the wife of Rep.
Wright Patman (D., Tex.). He then returns to his ranch.
1968- Johnson gives an Independence Day address at the HemisFair exhibit grounds in
San Antonio, Tex., after having arrived from the LBJ Ranch, some 65 miles away. He visits
several pavilions at the exhibit.
Richard M. Nixon
1969- Nixon spends the holiday weekend in Key Biscayne, Fla., where he watches a
parade and exchanges messages with anthropologist Thor Heyerdawl, who is on the boat
"Expedition Ra" on his way across the Atlantic.
1970- Nixon is at the Western White House in San Clemente, California, meeting with
Vietnam peace talks envoy David K.E. Bruce. Meanwhile, Nixon's tape recorded July Fourth
message is played at the Mall in Washington, D.C. at 7:30 p.m.
1971- The official Fourth celebration occurs on the 5th this year and Nixon witnesses
the
certification of the 26th Amendment to the Constitution in the East Room of the White
House on that day.
1972- Nixon gives a Fouth of July radio address from San Clemente, Calif., in which he
unveils plans to issue an invitation to people around the world to visit the U.S. during its
forthcoming Bicentennial celebration.
1973- Nixon is in San Clemente, California.
1974- President Nixon is at Key Biscayne, Florida vacationing after having returned
from Moscow on the previous evening.
Gerald R. Ford
(Gerald Ford is sworn in as President on August 9, 1974 following Nixon's resignation)
1975- President Ford gives speech at Fort McHenry before a crowd of 7,000.
1976- President Ford begins this historic anniversary with a trip to Valley Forge, Pa.,
where he gives a speech and signs legislation transferring ownership of the Valley Forge Park
from the state of Pennsylvania to the National Park Service. Next, he visits Independence
Hall in Philadelphia where he gives another speech and recites the "Pledge of Allegiance"
along with Mayor Frank Rizzo. From there he goes to New York where aboard the carrier
USS Forrestal he views the parade of tall ships as part of "Operation Sail"
festivities there.
James Earl (Jimmy) Carter
1977- The President returns from a holiday weekend trip to Camp David and entertains
invited guests at the White House. That evening he views fireworks.
1978 The President and First Lady, together with the Vice President and Mrs. Mondale,
watch fireworks from the balcony of the White House.
1979- Carter is at the Camp David mountaintop retreat.
1980- President Carter attends a town-hall meeting at Merced College in California,
followed by an outdoor fundraiser event in Modesto, Calif. From there he flies to Miami
Beach, Florida, where he gives a political speech at the NAACP's 71st annual convention. He
ends the day by flying to Plains, Georgia.
Ronald Reagan
1981- President Reagan continues to recover from an assassin's bullet.
1982- Reagan gives a welcome speech for astronauts Thomas K. Mattingly and Henry
W. Hartsfield as they land the space shuttle Columbia at Edwards Air
Force Base in California.
1983- Reagan spends this holiday at his California ranch.
1984- Reagan opens a "three-day campaign swing on a patriotic note," first at the
Firecracker 400 stock car race at Daytona Beach, Florida. He starts the race "by
radiotelephone while airborne on Air Force One." His Fourth address focuses on criticism of
"totalitarian" governments.
1985- The Reagans cancel their vacation plans at their California ranch due to the
hostage crisis in the Middle East. Instead, they view the fireworks in Washington from the
Truman balcony at the White House.
1986- Reagan is in New York where he visits the battleship USS Iowa,
reviews a parade of tall ships with French President Francois Mitterrand, and later attends a
Governor's Island ceremony with Mitterrand where in an address notes the Soviet's
willingness to negotiate an arms control agreement. Later that evening he is on the aircraft
carrier USS John F. Kennedy where he views the fireworks in New York
harbor.
1987- In Washington, Reagan gives an "Economic Bill or Rights" address on 3 July in
anticipation of the Fourth of July celebration.
1988- Reagan returns to the White House from Camp David and comments publicly on
the downing of an Iranian passenger jet by the USS Vincennes on 3 July
George Bush
1989- Bush is vacationing in Kennebunkport, Maine.
1990- Bush is in Kennebunkport, Maine.
1991- The President and First Lady Barbara Bush are in Marshfield, Mo., and Grand
Rapids, Mich., leading bands and floats in the parades and giving speeches, and they later
return to Washington, D.C. to watch fireworks on the Mall.
1992- Bush is in Faith, N.C., giving a speech praising U.S. success in the Persian Gulf
War. Earlier in the day, he signals the start of the Pepsi 400 race at the Daytona International
Speedway.
William Clinton
1993- Clinton is in Philadelphia at a ceremony ringing the Liberty Bell and later in
Davenport, Iowa, at a town meeting in that flood-ravaged city.
1994- Clinton is in Warsaw, Poland as a guest of President Lech Walesa.
1995- The President and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton leave for Camp David
after entertaining her "Class of 65" schoolmates from her Chicago suburban high school at the
White House.
1996- Near the Pautauxent River in Maryland, President Clinton watches as an eagle
named "Freedom" is released.
1997- Clinton is at the White House.
1998- Clinton returns from his trip to China where he met with President Jiang Zemin.
1999- The President and First Lady are in the White House. Clinton spend three hours
talking with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif about the India and Pakistan conflict over
the disputed territory of Kashmir. Later that evening Clinton views the fireworks from the
mansion's Truman Balcony.
2000- Clinton and his family are in New York in the harbor viewing the largest maritime
assemblage ever in this country and giving an Independence Day speech. He reviews the
"International Naval Revue 2000" military ships parade from the missile cruiser U.S.S.
Hue City, then boards the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier to witness
the tall ships "parade of sails" with 150 vessels participating.
George W. Bush
2001- Bush and the First Lady are in Philadelphia at a block party sponsored by the Greater
Exodus Baptist Church, for children and families that take part in mentoring programs run by
churches and religious charities. Following that, he presents an address at Independence Hall
there and is presented a keepsake box (made out of wood from the last surviving "liberty tree"
that stood on the campus of St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland) from Philadelphia
Mayor John Street.
2002- The president visits Ripley, West Virginia, where he gives a speech in which he says,
"People need to celebrate freedom and . . . go about their business knowing full well that our
government is doing everything we can to protect them." In the evening, Bush is back in the
White House viewing the fireworks taking place on the mall.
2003- Bush is at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, which commemorates
the 100th anniversary of powered flight by Wilbur and Orville Wright, and Bush gives a speech
with comments on the U.S.-led global war on terror. The president returns to Washington after
spending about an hour in Dayton and watches fireworks from the balcony of the White House.
2004- The president is in Charleston, West Virginia, presenting a 24-minute speech in which he
praises U.S. troops in Iraq for their efforts there and thanks National Guard members for their
services
2005- President Bush is in Morgantown, West Virginia, at West Virginia University, asking an audience
to hold firm and that America should "finish the fight" in Iraq
2006- The president addresses troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, advising against setting a
timetable for withdrawal from Iraq
2007- Bush is in Martinsburg, West Virginia, addressing the 167th Airlift Wing of
the West Virginia Air National Guard. He recited the Pledge of Allegiance and
reads from a newspaper published in 1777 about the Fourth of July celebration in
Philadelphia that year
2008- President Bush is at Monticello, presiding over naturalization ceremonies for 72 new U.S.
citizens, representing 30 countries and is the 4th sitting president to visit Monticello on the Fourth of July
Barack Obama
2009- The President spends part of the day at Camp David and the remainder at the White House where he hosts
a Fourth of July picnic
This page last updated July 2009.
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