Designated survivor: Difference between revisions

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{{About|the U.S. contingency plan to safeguard its line of presidential succession|the 2016 TV series inspired by the plan|Designated Survivor (TV series)}}
{{About|the U.S. contingency plan to safeguard its line of presidential succession|the 2016 TV series inspired by the plan|Designated Survivor (TV series)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
In the [[United States]], a '''designated survivor''' (or '''designated successor''') is a person in the [[United States presidential line of succession|presidential line of succession]] who is kept distant from others in the line when they are gathered together, to reduce the chance that everyone in the line will be unable to take over the [[President of the United States|presidency]] in a [[Disaster|catastrophic]] or [[Mass casualty incident|mass-casualty event]]. The person is chosen to stay at an undisclosed secure location, away from such events such as [[State of the Union]] addresses and [[United States presidential inauguration|presidential inaugurations]]. The [[Designation (law)|designation]] of a survivor is intended to prevent the [[Decapitation (military strategy)|decapitation]] of the government and to safeguard [[Continuity of government|continuity]] in the presidency if the president, the vice president, and others in the presidential line of succession die. The procedure began in the 1950s, during the [[Cold War]], with the idea that a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear attack]] could kill government officials and the U.S. government would collapse.
In the [[United States]], a '''designated survivor''' (or '''designated successor''') is a person in the [[United States presidential line of succession|presidential line of succession]] who is kept distant from others in the line when they are gathered together, to reduce the chance that everyone in the line will be unable to take over the [[President of the United States|presidency]] in a [[Disaster|catastrophic]] or [[Mass casualty incident|mass-casualty event]]. The person is chosen to stay at an undisclosed secure location, away from events such as [[State of the Union]] addresses and [[United States presidential inauguration|presidential inaugurations]]. The [[Designation (law)|designation]] of a survivor is intended to prevent the [[Decapitation (military strategy)|decapitation]] of the government and to safeguard [[Continuity of government|continuity]] in the presidency if the president, the vice president, and others in the presidential line of succession die. The procedure began in the 1950s, during the [[Cold War]], with the idea that a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear attack]] could kill government officials and the U.S. government would collapse.


In such an event, the surviving official highest in the line of succession in the [[Presidential Succession Act|Presidential Succession Act of 1947]], who might be the designated survivor, would become [[Acting President of the United States|acting president of the United States]]. The designated survivor must be [[President of the United States#Eligibility|eligible to serve as president]]. The designated survivor usually is a member of the president's [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet]] and is chosen by the president.
In such an event, the surviving official highest in the line of succession in the [[Presidential Succession Act|Presidential Succession Act of 1947]], who might be the designated survivor, would become [[Acting President of the United States|acting president of the United States]]. The designated survivor must be [[President of the United States#Eligibility|eligible to serve as president]]. The designated survivor usually is a member of the president's [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet]] and is chosen by the president.

Latest revision as of 23:13, 29 June 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:Use mdy dates In the United States, a designated survivor (or designated successor) is a person in the presidential line of succession who is kept distant from others in the line when they are gathered together, to reduce the chance that everyone in the line will be unable to take over the presidency in a catastrophic or mass-casualty event. The person is chosen to stay at an undisclosed secure location, away from events such as State of the Union addresses and presidential inaugurations. The designation of a survivor is intended to prevent the decapitation of the government and to safeguard continuity in the presidency if the president, the vice president, and others in the presidential line of succession die. The procedure began in the 1950s, during the Cold War, with the idea that a nuclear attack could kill government officials and the U.S. government would collapse.

In such an event, the surviving official highest in the line of succession in the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, who might be the designated survivor, would become acting president of the United States. The designated survivor must be eligible to serve as president. The designated survivor usually is a member of the president's Cabinet and is chosen by the president.

Being the designated survivor does not guarantee that this official will be the person to assume the presidency in such a situation. For the 2010 State of the Union address, Shaun Donovan, the secretary of housing and urban development, was the designated survivor, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also was absent from the address, for a conference in London; had a calamity occurred, Clinton, not Donovan, would have become acting president, because her office was higher in the line of succession.[1]

Congress also designates members of the Senate and House (one from each party) to become congressional "designated survivors" to maintain the existence of Congress in a mass-casualty event.[2]

Selection

In a 2016 interview, Jon Favreau, a speechwriter for President Barack Obama, said that the procedure for picking a designated survivor for a State of the Union address was "entirely random", but later clarified that the content of the speech played a role in who was permitted to be absent. Favreau said that for a State of the Union address in which Obama's education policy was a major focus, for example, the secretary of education, Arne Duncan, was not chosen as the designated survivor, because it was thought that he should attend and represent his department.[3]

List of designated survivors

Date Occasion Designee Position Notes
January 25, 1984 State of the Union Samuel Pierce Secretary of Housing and Urban Development [1][4][5][6]
January 21, 1985 Presidential Inauguration Margaret Heckler Secretary of Health and Human Services [7]
February 6, 1985 State of the Union Malcolm Baldrige Secretary of Commerce [1][4][6][8]
February 4, 1986 State of the Union John Block Secretary of Agriculture [1][4][6][9]
January 27, 1987 State of the Union Richard Lyng [1][4][6][10]
January 25, 1988 State of the Union Donald Hodel Secretary of the Interior [1][11][4][6]
February 9, 1989 Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressTemplate:Efn Lauro Cavazos Secretary of Education [12]
January 31, 1990 State of the Union Edward J. Derwinski Secretary of Veterans Affairs [1][4][6][13]
January 29, 1991 State of the Union Manuel Lujan Secretary of the Interior [1][4][6][14]
January 28, 1992 State of the Union Ed Madigan Secretary of Agriculture [1][4][6]
February 17, 1993 Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressTemplate:Efn Bruce Babbitt Secretary of the Interior [1][4][6]
January 25, 1994 State of the Union Mike Espy Secretary of Agriculture [1][4][6]
January 24, 1995 State of the Union Federico Peña Secretary of Transportation [1][4][6]
January 23, 1996 State of the Union Donna Shalala Secretary of Health and Human Services [1][4][6][15]
February 4, 1997 State of the Union Dan Glickman Secretary of Agriculture [1][4][6][16]
January 27, 1998 State of the Union William Daley Secretary of Commerce [1][4][6]
January 19, 1999 State of the Union Andrew Cuomo Secretary of Housing and Urban Development [1][4][6][17]
January 27, 2000 State of the Union Bill Richardson Secretary of Energy [1][4][6][18]
February 27, 2001 Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressTemplate:Efn Anthony Principi Secretary of Veterans Affairs [1][4][6]
September 11–14, 2001 Following the September 11 attacks Donald Evans Secretary of Commerce [1][4][6]
September 20, 2001 Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress (following the September 11 attacks) Dick Cheney Vice President [1][19]
Tommy Thompson Secretary of Health and Human Services
January 29, 2002 State of the Union Gale Norton Secretary of the Interior [4][6][20]
January 28, 2003 State of the Union John Ashcroft Attorney General [1][4][6][21]
Norman Mineta Secretary of Transportation
January 20, 2004 State of the Union Donald Evans Secretary of Commerce [1][4][6][22]
January 20, 2005 Presidential Inauguration Gale Norton Secretary of the Interior [23][24]
February 2, 2005 State of the Union Ted Stevens President pro tempore of the SenateTemplate:Efn [1][4][6][25]
Donald Evans Secretary of Commerce
January 31, 2006 State of the Union Ted Stevens President pro tempore of the SenateTemplate:Efn [1][4][6][26]
Jim Nicholson Secretary of Veterans Affairs
January 23, 2007 State of the Union Alberto Gonzales Attorney General [1][4][6][27]
January 28, 2008 State of the Union Dirk Kempthorne Secretary of the Interior [1][4][6][28]
January 20, 2009 Presidential Inauguration Robert Gates Secretary of Defense [29][30]
February 24, 2009 Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressTemplate:Efn Eric Holder Attorney General [1][4][6][31]
September 9, 2009 Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress (Health Care Speech to Congress) Steven Chu Secretary of Energy [32]
January 27, 2010 State of the Union Hillary ClintonTemplate:Efn Secretary of State [1][4][6][33]
Shaun Donovan Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
January 25, 2011 State of the Union Ken Salazar Secretary of the Interior [4][6][34]
January 24, 2012 State of the Union Tom Vilsack Secretary of Agriculture [4][6][35]
January 21, 2013 Presidential Inauguration Eric Shinseki Secretary of Veterans Affairs [36]
February 12, 2013 State of the Union Steven Chu Secretary of Energy [6]
January 28, 2014 State of the Union Ernest Moniz [37][38]
January 20, 2015 State of the Union Anthony Foxx Secretary of Transportation [39][40]
January 12, 2016 State of the Union Orrin Hatch President pro tempore of the SenateTemplate:Efn [41]
Jeh Johnson Secretary of Homeland Security [42]
January 20, 2017 Presidential Inauguration Orrin Hatch President pro tempore of the SenateTemplate:Efn [43]
Jeh Johnson Secretary of Homeland Security [44]
February 28, 2017 Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressTemplate:Efn David Shulkin Secretary of Veterans Affairs [45][46]
January 30, 2018 State of the Union Sonny Perdue Secretary of Agriculture [47]
February 5, 2019 State of the Union Rick Perry Secretary of Energy [48]
February 4, 2020 State of the Union David Bernhardt Secretary of the Interior [49][50]
January 20, 2021 Presidential Inauguration UndisclosedTemplate:Efn [51]
April 28, 2021 Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressTemplate:Efn NoneTemplate:Efn [52]
March 1, 2022 State of the Union Gina Raimondo Secretary of Commerce [53]
February 7, 2023 State of the Union Marty Walsh Secretary of Labor [54]
March 7, 2024 State of the Union Miguel Cardona Secretary of Education [55]
January 20, 2025 Presidential Inauguration None [56]
March 4, 2025 Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressTemplate:Efn Doug Collins Secretary of Veterans Affairs [57]

See also

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Potuslists Template:State of the Union

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ 1984: UPI, "Washington Dateline." January 25, 1984
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Dead link
  8. ↑ 1985: UPI, "Washington News." February 6, 1985
  9. ↑ 1986: UPI, "Washington News." February 4, 1986
  10. ↑ 1987: UPI, "Washington News." January 28, 1987
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ 1990: Washington Post, Page C3. January 31, 1991
  14. ↑ 1991: Washington Post, Page C3. January 31, 1991
  15. ↑ 1996: USA Today, Page A12. February 5, 1997
  16. ↑ 1997: Washington Post, "Agriculture's Glickman Draws Doomsday Duty for Address." Page A13. February 4, 1997
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ 2000: The Washington Post, "The Reliable Source." Page C3. January 28, 2000
  19. ↑ 2001: The New York Times, "Cabinet's 'Designated Absentee' Stays Away." Page A23. January 30, 2002
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ 2004: AP, "Four to Miss Speech Due to Security." January 20, 2004
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ 2006: The Philadelphia Inquirer, "A Message of Energy, Strength." February 1, 2006.
  27. ↑ 2007: The Washington Post, "The Reliable Source." Page C3. January 25, 2007.
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ 2006: CNN, "Secretary Clinton misses State of the Union speech." January 27, 2010.
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Kime
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  53. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  54. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  55. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  56. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  57. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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