State of the Union: A look back

President John F. Kennedy gestures as he delivers his State of the Union address in Washington on Jan. 11, 1962, to a joint session of the 87th Congress. It was just the second such speech delivered by a newly elected president. The first had been Dwight D. Eisenhower, Kennedy’s predecessor. Recalling his 14 years in Congress, Kennedy said some of the assembled lawmakers were “among my oldest friends in Washington — and this House is my oldest ... more 

President John F. Kennedy gestures as he delivers his State of the Union address in Washington on Jan. 11, 1962, to a joint session of the 87th Congress. It was just the second such speech delivered by a newly elected president. The first had been Dwight D. Eisenhower, Kennedy’s predecessor. Recalling his 14 years in Congress, Kennedy said some of the assembled lawmakers were “among my oldest friends in Washington — and this House is my oldest home.” (AP Photo) less