<P> George Washington delivered the first regular annual message before a joint session of Congress on January 8 , 1790 , in New York City , then the provisional U.S. capital . In 1801 , Thomas Jefferson discontinued the practice of delivering the address in person , regarding it as too monarchical ( similar to the Speech from the Throne ) . Instead , the address was written and then sent to Congress to be read by a clerk until 1913 when Woodrow Wilson re-established the practice despite some initial controversy . However , there have been exceptions to this rule . Presidents during the latter half of the 20th century have sent written State of the Union addresses . The last President to do this was Jimmy Carter in 1981 , after his defeat by Ronald Reagan and days before his term ended . </P>
<P> George Washington delivered the first regular annual message before a joint session of Congress on January 8 , 1790 , in New York City , then the provisional U.S. capital . In 1801 , Thomas Jefferson discontinued the practice of delivering the address in person , regarding it as too monarchical ( similar to the Speech from the Throne ) . Instead , the address was written and then sent to Congress to be read by a clerk until 1913 when Woodrow Wilson re-established the practice despite some initial controversy . However , there have been exceptions to this rule . Presidents during the latter half of the 20th century have sent written State of the Union addresses . The last President to do this was Jimmy Carter in 1981 , after his defeat by Ronald Reagan and days before his term ended . </P>
when did the state of the union address start
when did the state of the union address start
1913
1913