Farewell Addresses of the Presidents of the United States collects ten addresses delivered by departing presidents, from George Washington in 1796 to Barack Obama in 2017. The book was published the day following President Obama's speech in Chicago on January 10, 2017.
George Washington's farewell address set the standard for speeches delivered by departing leaders of the United States, and has been followed by nine subsequent presidents. President Washington's address has been so respected and influential, that it has been read aloud in the Senate chamber each year since 1896. In it, Washington gave his view of the Union, the Constitution, and good citizenship. The ten presidential farewell addresses gathered here - Washington (1796); Andrew Jackson (1837); Andrew Johnson (1869); Harry S Truman (1953); Dwight D. Eisenhower (1961); Jimmy Carter (1981); Ronald Reagan (1989); Bill Clinton (2001); George W. Bush (2009); and Barack Obama (2017) - provide a revealing look at our country's leaders, their view of their legacies, and their visions for the future.