Designated survivor
Updated: 12/11/2025, 1:31:03 PM Wikipedia source
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. 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.
Tables
· List of designated survivors
January 25, 1984
January 25, 1984
Date
January 25, 1984
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Samuel Pierce
Position
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
January 21, 1985
January 21, 1985
Date
January 21, 1985
Occasion
Presidential Inauguration
Designee
Margaret Heckler
Position
Secretary of Health and Human Services
February 6, 1985
February 6, 1985
Date
February 6, 1985
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Malcolm Baldrige
Position
Secretary of Commerce
February 4, 1986
February 4, 1986
Date
February 4, 1986
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
John Block
Position
Secretary of Agriculture
January 27, 1987
January 27, 1987
Date
January 27, 1987
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Richard Lyng
January 25, 1988
January 25, 1988
Date
January 25, 1988
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Donald Hodel
Position
Secretary of the Interior
February 9, 1989
February 9, 1989
Date
February 9, 1989
Occasion
Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
Designee
Lauro Cavazos
Position
Secretary of Education
January 31, 1990
January 31, 1990
Date
January 31, 1990
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Edward J. Derwinski
Position
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
January 29, 1991
January 29, 1991
Date
January 29, 1991
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Manuel Lujan
Position
Secretary of the Interior
January 28, 1992
January 28, 1992
Date
January 28, 1992
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Ed Madigan
Position
Secretary of Agriculture
February 17, 1993
February 17, 1993
Date
February 17, 1993
Occasion
Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
Designee
Bruce Babbitt
Position
Secretary of the Interior
January 25, 1994
January 25, 1994
Date
January 25, 1994
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Mike Espy
Position
Secretary of Agriculture
January 24, 1995
January 24, 1995
Date
January 24, 1995
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Federico Peña
Position
Secretary of Transportation
January 23, 1996
January 23, 1996
Date
January 23, 1996
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Donna Shalala
Position
Secretary of Health and Human Services
February 4, 1997
February 4, 1997
Date
February 4, 1997
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Dan Glickman
Position
Secretary of Agriculture
January 27, 1998
January 27, 1998
Date
January 27, 1998
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
William Daley
Position
Secretary of Commerce
January 19, 1999
January 19, 1999
Date
January 19, 1999
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Andrew Cuomo
Position
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
January 27, 2000
January 27, 2000
Date
January 27, 2000
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Bill Richardson
Position
Secretary of Energy
February 27, 2001
February 27, 2001
Date
February 27, 2001
Occasion
Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
Designee
Anthony Principi
Position
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
September 11–14, 2001
September 11–14, 2001
Date
September 11–14, 2001
Occasion
Following the September 11 attacks
Designee
Donald Evans
Position
Secretary of Commerce
September 20, 2001
September 20, 2001
Date
September 20, 2001
Occasion
Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress (following the September 11 attacks)
Designee
Dick Cheney
Position
Vice President
Tommy Thompson
Tommy Thompson
Date
Tommy Thompson
Occasion
Secretary of Health and Human Services
January 29, 2002
January 29, 2002
Date
January 29, 2002
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Gale Norton
Position
Secretary of the Interior
January 28, 2003
January 28, 2003
Date
January 28, 2003
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
John Ashcroft
Position
Attorney General
Norman Mineta
Norman Mineta
Date
Norman Mineta
Occasion
Secretary of Transportation
January 20, 2004
January 20, 2004
Date
January 20, 2004
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Donald Evans
Position
Secretary of Commerce
January 20, 2005
January 20, 2005
Date
January 20, 2005
Occasion
Presidential Inauguration
Designee
Gale Norton
Position
Secretary of the Interior
February 2, 2005
February 2, 2005
Date
February 2, 2005
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Ted Stevens
Position
President pro tempore of the Senate
Donald Evans
Donald Evans
Date
Donald Evans
Occasion
Secretary of Commerce
January 31, 2006
January 31, 2006
Date
January 31, 2006
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Ted Stevens
Position
President pro tempore of the Senate
Jim Nicholson
Jim Nicholson
Date
Jim Nicholson
Occasion
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
January 23, 2007
January 23, 2007
Date
January 23, 2007
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Alberto Gonzales
Position
Attorney General
January 28, 2008
January 28, 2008
Date
January 28, 2008
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Dirk Kempthorne
Position
Secretary of the Interior
January 20, 2009
January 20, 2009
Date
January 20, 2009
Occasion
Presidential Inauguration
Designee
Robert Gates
Position
Secretary of Defense
February 24, 2009
February 24, 2009
Date
February 24, 2009
Occasion
Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
Designee
Eric Holder
Position
Attorney General
September 9, 2009
September 9, 2009
Date
September 9, 2009
Occasion
Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress (Health Care Speech to Congress)
Designee
Steven Chu
Position
Secretary of Energy
January 27, 2010
January 27, 2010
Date
January 27, 2010
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Hillary Clinton
Position
Secretary of State
Shaun Donovan
Shaun Donovan
Date
Shaun Donovan
Occasion
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
January 25, 2011
January 25, 2011
Date
January 25, 2011
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Ken Salazar
Position
Secretary of the Interior
January 24, 2012
January 24, 2012
Date
January 24, 2012
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Tom Vilsack
Position
Secretary of Agriculture
January 21, 2013
January 21, 2013
Date
January 21, 2013
Occasion
Presidential Inauguration
Designee
Eric Shinseki
Position
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
February 12, 2013
February 12, 2013
Date
February 12, 2013
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Steven Chu
Position
Secretary of Energy
January 28, 2014
January 28, 2014
Date
January 28, 2014
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Ernest Moniz
January 20, 2015
January 20, 2015
Date
January 20, 2015
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Anthony Foxx
Position
Secretary of Transportation
January 12, 2016
January 12, 2016
Date
January 12, 2016
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Orrin Hatch
Position
President pro tempore of the Senate
Jeh Johnson
Jeh Johnson
Date
Jeh Johnson
Occasion
Secretary of Homeland Security
January 20, 2017
January 20, 2017
Date
January 20, 2017
Occasion
Presidential Inauguration
Designee
Orrin Hatch
Position
President pro tempore of the Senate
Jeh Johnson
Jeh Johnson
Date
Jeh Johnson
Occasion
Secretary of Homeland Security
February 28, 2017
February 28, 2017
Date
February 28, 2017
Occasion
Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
Designee
David Shulkin
Position
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
January 30, 2018
January 30, 2018
Date
January 30, 2018
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Sonny Perdue
Position
Secretary of Agriculture
February 5, 2019
February 5, 2019
Date
February 5, 2019
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Rick Perry
Position
Secretary of Energy
February 4, 2020
February 4, 2020
Date
February 4, 2020
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
David Bernhardt
Position
Secretary of the Interior
January 20, 2021
January 20, 2021
Date
January 20, 2021
Occasion
Presidential Inauguration
Designee
Undisclosed
April 28, 2021
April 28, 2021
Date
April 28, 2021
Occasion
Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
Designee
None
March 1, 2022
March 1, 2022
Date
March 1, 2022
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Gina Raimondo
Position
Secretary of Commerce
February 7, 2023
February 7, 2023
Date
February 7, 2023
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Marty Walsh
Position
Secretary of Labor
March 7, 2024
March 7, 2024
Date
March 7, 2024
Occasion
State of the Union
Designee
Miguel Cardona
Position
Secretary of Education
January 20, 2025
January 20, 2025
Date
January 20, 2025
Occasion
Presidential Inauguration
Designee
None
March 4, 2025
March 4, 2025
Date
March 4, 2025
Occasion
Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
Designee
Doug Collins
Position
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
| Date | Occasion | Designee | Position | Notes |
| January 25, 1984 | State of the Union | Samuel Pierce | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | |
| January 21, 1985 | Presidential Inauguration | Margaret Heckler | Secretary of Health and Human Services | |
| February 6, 1985 | State of the Union | Malcolm Baldrige | Secretary of Commerce | |
| February 4, 1986 | State of the Union | John Block | Secretary of Agriculture | |
| January 27, 1987 | State of the Union | Richard Lyng | ||
| January 25, 1988 | State of the Union | Donald Hodel | Secretary of the Interior | |
| February 9, 1989 | Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress | Lauro Cavazos | Secretary of Education | |
| January 31, 1990 | State of the Union | Edward J. Derwinski | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |
| January 29, 1991 | State of the Union | Manuel Lujan | Secretary of the Interior | |
| January 28, 1992 | State of the Union | Ed Madigan | Secretary of Agriculture | |
| February 17, 1993 | Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress | Bruce Babbitt | Secretary of the Interior | |
| January 25, 1994 | State of the Union | Mike Espy | Secretary of Agriculture | |
| January 24, 1995 | State of the Union | Federico Peña | Secretary of Transportation | |
| January 23, 1996 | State of the Union | Donna Shalala | Secretary of Health and Human Services | |
| February 4, 1997 | State of the Union | Dan Glickman | Secretary of Agriculture | |
| January 27, 1998 | State of the Union | William Daley | Secretary of Commerce | |
| January 19, 1999 | State of the Union | Andrew Cuomo | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | |
| January 27, 2000 | State of the Union | Bill Richardson | Secretary of Energy | |
| February 27, 2001 | Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress | Anthony Principi | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |
| September 11–14, 2001 | Following the September 11 attacks | Donald Evans | Secretary of Commerce | |
| September 20, 2001 | Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress (following the September 11 attacks) | Dick Cheney | Vice President | |
| Tommy Thompson | Secretary of Health and Human Services | |||
| January 29, 2002 | State of the Union | Gale Norton | Secretary of the Interior | |
| January 28, 2003 | State of the Union | John Ashcroft | Attorney General | |
| Norman Mineta | Secretary of Transportation | |||
| January 20, 2004 | State of the Union | Donald Evans | Secretary of Commerce | |
| January 20, 2005 | Presidential Inauguration | Gale Norton | Secretary of the Interior | |
| February 2, 2005 | State of the Union | Ted Stevens | President pro tempore of the Senate | |
| Donald Evans | Secretary of Commerce | |||
| January 31, 2006 | State of the Union | Ted Stevens | President pro tempore of the Senate | |
| Jim Nicholson | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |||
| January 23, 2007 | State of the Union | Alberto Gonzales | Attorney General | |
| January 28, 2008 | State of the Union | Dirk Kempthorne | Secretary of the Interior | |
| January 20, 2009 | Presidential Inauguration | Robert Gates | Secretary of Defense | |
| February 24, 2009 | Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress | Eric Holder | Attorney General | |
| September 9, 2009 | Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress (Health Care Speech to Congress) | Steven Chu | Secretary of Energy | |
| January 27, 2010 | State of the Union | Hillary Clinton | Secretary of State | |
| Shaun Donovan | Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | |||
| January 25, 2011 | State of the Union | Ken Salazar | Secretary of the Interior | |
| January 24, 2012 | State of the Union | Tom Vilsack | Secretary of Agriculture | |
| January 21, 2013 | Presidential Inauguration | Eric Shinseki | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |
| February 12, 2013 | State of the Union | Steven Chu | Secretary of Energy | |
| January 28, 2014 | State of the Union | Ernest Moniz | ||
| January 20, 2015 | State of the Union | Anthony Foxx | Secretary of Transportation | |
| January 12, 2016 | State of the Union | Orrin Hatch | President pro tempore of the Senate | |
| Jeh Johnson | Secretary of Homeland Security | |||
| January 20, 2017 | Presidential Inauguration | Orrin Hatch | President pro tempore of the Senate | |
| Jeh Johnson | Secretary of Homeland Security | |||
| February 28, 2017 | Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress | David Shulkin | Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
References
- 1981, 1989, 1993, 2001, 2009, 2017, 2021 and 2025 speeches were given by incoming presidents and not formal "State of th
- For the 2005, 2006, 2016 State of the Union addresses and 2017 Presidential Inauguration, the President pro tempore of t
- While Shaun Donovan was the designated survivor, Hillary Clinton was overseas and was the de facto designated survivor a
- According to Military.com, outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the highest-ranking official in the line of succe
- Due to COVID-19 protocols requiring limited attendance, most of the cabinet was not present for the speech and thus no f
- www.presidency.ucsb.eduhttp://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/sou_cabinet.php
- ABC Newshttps://abcnews.go.com/Politics/meet-congress-state-union-designated-survivors/story?id=36177467
- Bustlehttps://www.bustle.com/p/how-is-the-designated-survivor-chosen-rick-perry-wont-be-at-the-2019-sotu-15913072
- "Cabinet members who did not attend the State of the Union Address (since 1984)"https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/StateUnionCabinet.pdf
- 1984: UPI, "Washington Dateline." January 25, 1984
- The Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/02/12/steven-chu-is-designated-survivor-for-state-of-the-union/
- news.google.comhttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zKMRAAAAIBAJ&pg=3600,1975112
- 1985: UPI, "Washington News." February 6, 1985
- 1986: UPI, "Washington News." February 4, 1986
- 1987: UPI, "Washington News." January 28, 1987
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/27/us/washington-talk-presidential-message-state-of-union-bewitched-by-pageant.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
- The Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/21/the-story-of-a-real-life-designated-survivor/
- 1990: Washington Post, Page C3. January 31, 1991
- 1991: Washington Post, Page C3. January 31, 1991
- 1996: USA Today, Page A12. February 5, 1997
- 1997: Washington Post, "Agriculture's Glickman Draws Doomsday Duty for Address." Page A13. February 4, 1997
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/21/nyregion/public-lives.html
- 2000: The Washington Post, "The Reliable Source." Page C3. January 28, 2000
- 2001: The New York Times, "Cabinet's 'Designated Absentee' Stays Away." Page A23. January 30, 2002
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/30/us/the-state-of-the-union-cabinet-s-designated-absentee-stays-away.html
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/29/us/state-of-the-union-ashcroft-in-secret-spot-during-bush-address.html
- 2004: AP, "Four to Miss Speech Due to Security." January 20, 2004
- KMGHhttps://www.thedenverchannel.com/thenow/designated-survivor-prepares-for-inauguration-day
- WGBAhttps://www.nbc26.com/news/national/designated-survivor-prepares-for-inauguration-day
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/politics/five-officials-skip-state-of-the-union-address.html
- 2006: The Philadelphia Inquirer, "A Message of Energy, Strength." February 1, 2006.
- 2007: The Washington Post, "The Reliable Source." Page C3. January 25, 2007.
- The Columbus Dispatchhttps://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2008/01/29/interior-secretary-skips-speech-as/24127456007/
- The Sydney Morning Heraldhttps://www.smh.com.au/world/us-defence-secretary-gates-to-sit-out-obama-inauguration-20090120-7lkt.html
- CBS Newshttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/gates-to-be-designated-successor-on-inauguration-day/
- The Washington Posthttps://web.archive.org/web/20120902091637/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/02/cabinet.html
- San Diego Union-Tribunehttps://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-us-health-care-chu-090909-2009sep09-story.html
- 2006: CNN, "Secretary Clinton misses State of the Union speech." January 27, 2010.
- The Washington Posthttps://web.archive.org/web/20121010005156/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2011/01/state_of_the_union_ken_salazar.html
- The Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/state-of-the-union-tom-vilsack-to-serve-as-cabinets-designated-survivor/2012/01/24/gIQA8WnhOQ_blog.html
- The San Diego Union-Tribunehttps://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-shinseki-absent-from-inaugural-ceremonies-2013jan21-story.html
- Fox Newshttps://www.foxnews.com/politics/ernest-moniz-energy-secretary-to-be-designated-survivor-during-state-of-the-union
- "This Man Will Be Your President If The Worst Happens Happens"https://web.archive.org/web/20140130223658/http://swampland.time.com/2014/01/28/state-of-the-union-designated-survivor-ernest-moniz/
- USA Todayhttps://web.archive.org/web/20150121195729/https://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2015/01/20/obama-designated-survivor-state-of-the-union-ernest-moniz-sally-jewell/22051655/
- "If the Worst Happens at the State of the Union, Anthony Foxx Will Lead the Country"https://web.archive.org/web/20150121035156/http://www.nationaljournal.com/white-house/if-the-worst-happens-at-the-state-of-the-union-anthony-foxx-will-lead-the-country-20150120
- Los Angeles Timeshttp://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-prez-designated-survivor-state-of-the-union-20160112-htmlstory.html
- ABC Newshttps://abcnews.go.com/Politics/state-union-jeh-johnson-named-designated-survivor/story?id=36235856
- The Salt Lake Tribunehttps://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=4843730&itype=CMSID
- The Hillhttps://thehill.com/homenews/administration/315274-jeh-johnson-is-designated-survivor-for-inauguration/
- The Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/01/24/trump-invited-to-address-a-joint-session-of-congress-on-feb-28/
- ABC Newshttps://abcnews.go.com/Politics/va-secretary-david-shulkin-chosen-designated-survivor/story?id=45815247
- Washington Examinerhttps://web.archive.org/web/20180201100242/http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/agriculture-secretary-sonny-perdue-is-designated-survivor-for-this-years-state-of-the-union-address/article/2647568
- CNNhttps://www.cnn.com/2019/02/05/politics/rick-perry-designated-survivor/index.html
- Politicohttps://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/04/david-bernhardt-sotu-designated-survivor-110786
- CBS Newshttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-of-the-union-designated-survivor-interior-secretary-david-bernhardt-2020-02-04/
- Military.comhttps://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/01/20/who-was-designated-survivor-inauguration-outgoing-administration-doesnt-say.html
- Politicohttps://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/27/no-designated-survivor-biden-first-address-congress-484804
- CNNhttps://www.cnn.com/2022/02/23/politics/ron-klain-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-house-democrats/index.html
- CNNhttps://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics/designated-survivor-state-of-the-union-2023/index.html
- "Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is the designated survivor for the State of the Union"https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/07/politics/designated-survivor-state-of-the-union-2024/index.html
- "Who Is the 'Designated Survivor' for Donald Trump's Second Inauguration?"https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/trump-inauguration-designated-survivor/6114401
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionhttps://www.ajc.com/politics/georgias-doug-collins-is-designated-survivor-at-trumps-congressional-address/TKK4ZGDCTBDYVG4RE5UY5N3IWQ/