Famous farewell addresses from US presidents -

President Joe Biden has recently given a speech at the Democratic National Convention where he reflected on his presidency. This is not the first time a president has said his goodbyes. And while not all presidents delivered formal farewell addresses, some of them have. Among them, there are a few special ones. 

In this gallery, we look back at the history of presidential farewell addresses and remember some of the most popular ones. Click on. 

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George Washington -

Presidential farewells go all the way back to the very first president of the United States: George Washington. His 32-page farewell address was published in the American Daily Advertiser on September 19, 1796.

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George Washington -

The first POTUS concluded his address with an apology. George Washington wrote: “Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors.”

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George Washington -

“Whatever they may be, I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which they may tend…and that, after forty five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the mansions of rest,” he added.

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Andrew Jackson -

President Andrew Jackson’s 8,247-word farewell address remains the longest in the history of the nation. The 7th President of the United States published the address on March 4, 1837, where he warned of the dangers of sectionalism and the “money power” of the banking system and corporations, which threatened the liberties of regular citizens.

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Andrew Jackson -

President Jackson closed his farewell address with the following words: “I thank God that my life has been spent in a land of liberty and that He has given me a heart to love my country with the affection of a son. And filled with gratitude for your constant and unwavering kindness, I bid you a last and affectionate farewell.”

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Harry Truman -

After President Jackson, it took over a century for another presidential farewell address to be delivered. On January 15, 1953, President Harry Truman broadcast his farewell from the Oval Office. This was the first one of the modern era, where radio and television could be used to address the nation.

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Harry Truman -

President Truman stressed that America had overcome numerous threats (i.e. the Great Depression and World War II), and “emerged as a superpower that, for the first time in her history, had responsibility for the entire free world. No previous presidents had faced such a global burden.”

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Harry Truman -

Following the drop of the atomic bombs in Japan, Truman warned that “starting an atomic war is totally unthinkable for rational men.” The president also predicted the end of the Cold War, claiming that “the strength of our free society, and our ideals, will prevail over a system that has respect for neither God nor man.”

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Dwight D. Eisenhower -

On January 17, 1961, it was President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s turn to broadcast his farewell address from the Oval Office. Truman’s successor addressed the rise of the “military-industrial complex.” Eisenhower said that “the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

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Dwight D. Eisenhower -

The former World War II general went on to say that “America’s leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches, and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment.”

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Lyndon B. Johnson -

Lyndon B. Johnson delivered a ‘State of the Union’ Address as his farewell on January 14, 1969. In his address, the president praised some of the nation's assets, including the economy, the democratic system, the sense of exploration, “the good commonsense and sound judgment of the American people, and their essential love of justice.”

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Lyndon B. Johnson -

President Johnson closed his address with the following words: “Now, it is time to leave. I hope it may be said, a hundred years from now, that by working together we helped to make our country more just, more just for all of its people, as well as to insure and guarantee the blessings of liberty for all of our posterity. That is what I hope. But I believe that at least it will be said that we tried.”

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Richard Nixon -

Richard Nixon resigned in 1974, following the Watergate scandal. Nixon made his resignation announcement on August 8, 1974, followed by a farewell speech to his staff on August 9. The latter is often considered to be his farewell address.

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Richard Nixon -

“You are here to say goodbye to us. And we don’t have a good word for it in English—the best is ‘au revoir,’ we’ll see you again,” told Nixon to the White House staff. Richard Nixon had more words of advice for his staff. “Never be petty. Always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.”

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Gerald R. Ford -

On January 12, 1977, President Ford delivered a ‘State of the Union’ Address as his farewell. “I am proud of the part I have had in rebuilding confidence in the Presidency, confidence in our free system, and confidence in our future. [...]I am proud that today America is at peace. None of our sons are fighting and dying in battle anywhere in the world. And the chance for peace among all nations is improved by our determination to honor our vital commitments in defense of peace and freedom,” he said.

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Gerald R. Ford -

“May God guide this wonderful country, its people, and those they have chosen to lead them. May our third century be illuminated by liberty and blessed with brotherhood, so that we and all who come after us may be the humble servants of thy peace. Amen,” concluded President Ford as part of his 4724-word speech.

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Jimmy Carter -

President Jimmy Carter broadcast his farewell address from the Oval Office on January 14, 1981. President Carter warned about the looming danger of atomic warfare. “The danger is becoming greater. As the arsenals of the superpowers grow in size and sophistication and as other governments, perhaps even in the future dozens of governments, acquire these weapons, it may only be a matter of time before madness, desperation, greed, or miscalculation lets loose this terrible force.”

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Jimmy Carter -

The 39th President of the United States also touched on human rights, claiming that “America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, it's the other way around. Human rights invented America.”

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Ronald Reagan -

President Ronald Reagan said goodbye to the nation on January 11, 1989. “People ask how I feel about leaving. And the fact is, parting is such sweet sorrow,” said the president. “The sweet part is California and the ranch and freedom. The sorrow—the goodbyes, of course, and leaving this beautiful place,” he added.

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Ronald Reagan -

Reagan also touched on the relationship with President Gorbachev and the “satisfying new closeness with the Soviet Union.” President Reagan ended his farewell address with a patriotic message, saying that America is “still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.”

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George W. H. Bush -

George Bush’s farewell address was broadcast on January 5, 1993, at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.

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George W. H. Bush -

President Bush addressed the country’s military operations. “As Commander in Chief, I have made the difficult choice to use military force. I determined we could not allow Saddam's forces to ravage Kuwait and hold this critical region at gunpoint. I thought then, and I think now, that using military force to implement the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council was in the interest of the United States and the world community.”

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Bill Clinton -

President Clinton said goodbye to the nation on January 18, 2001. Clinton stressed the importance of treating everyone with “fairness and dignity, regardless of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation and regardless of when they arrived in our country, always moving toward the more perfect union of our founders’ dreams.”

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Bill Clinton -

The 42nd POTUS ended his farewell on a positive note: “I'll leave the Presidency more idealistic, more full of hope than the day I arrived, and more confident than ever that America's best days lie ahead.”

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George W. Bush -

On January 15, 2009, it was President George W. Bush's turn to deliver his farewell address to the nation. President Bush addressed the September 11 attacks and the subsequent government response. “There is legitimate debate about many of these decisions, but there can be little debate about the results. America has gone more than 7 years without another terrorist attack on our soil,” he said.

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George W. Bush -

Bush also told the following to the nation: “Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks. And there are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I've always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right. You may not agree with some of the tough decisions I have made, but I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions.”

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Barack Obama -

After two terms in office, Barack Obama said goodbye to America from his hometown of Chicago on January 10, 2017. Obama highlighted some of his administration’s successes: “The good news is that today the economy is growing again. Wages, incomes, home values, and retirement accounts are all rising again. Poverty is falling again. The wealthy are paying a fairer share of taxes even as the stock market shatters records. The unemployment rate is near a 10-year low.”

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Barack Obama -

President Obama ended his address with an inspirational message: “I do have one final ask of you as your President, the same thing I asked when you took a chance on me 8 years ago. I'm asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change, but in yours. I am asking you to hold fast to that faith written into our founding documents; that idea whispered by slaves and abolitionists; that spirit sung by immigrants and homesteaders and those who marched for justice; that creed reaffirmed by those who planted flags from foreign battlefields to the surface of the Moon; a creed at the core of every American whose story is not yet written: Yes, we can.”

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Donald Trump -

Donald Trump’s farewell address was recorded in the Blue Room and aired on January 19, 2021. President Trump highlighted a number of successes, including the response to the COVID-19 pandemic: “When our Nation was hit with the terrible pandemic, we produced not one, but two vaccines, with record-breaking speed, and more will quickly follow.”

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Donald Trump -

“As President, my top priority, my constant concern, has always been the best interests of American workers and American families. I did not seek the easiest course; by far, it was actually the most difficult. I did not seek the path that would get the least criticism. I took on the tough battles, the hardest fights, the most difficult choices, because that's what you elected me to do. Your needs were my first and last unyielding focus,” added Trump.

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Joe Biden -

President Joe Biden delivered his farewell speech during the Democratic Convention on August 19, 2024. Biden took the opportunity to endorse Kamala Harris. “Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made when I became our nominee and it's the best decision I made in my whole career,” he said.

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Joe Biden -

Joe Biden’s emotional speech at the DNC led him to tears. "Like many of you, I gave my heart and soul to this nation,” he said.

Sources: (Time) (History) (BBC) (UC Santa Barbara)

See also: What these American presidents regretted the most

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