One of the Senate's most enduring traditions is the annual reading of President George Washington's 1796 Farewell Address by a current member of the United States Senate. This tradition began in 1862, but did not become an annual event until 1893. Since 1900, the reading of the address has been followed by the Senator inscribing his or her name along with brief remarks in a leather-bound book maintained by the Secretary of the Senate. Early entries in the notebook were typically brief explanations of the practice, accompanied by signature and date. Often, several entries appeared on a single page. In more recent years, entries have grown more elaborate and have included personal stories or comments on contemporary politics and policy. A selection of inscriptions follows (presented in pdf format).
__________________________________________________________
Joseph B. Foraker, February 22, 1900
Augustus O. Bacon, February 22, 1901
Julius C. Burrows, February 22, 1902
Fred T. Dubois, February 23, 1903
Weldon B. Heyburn, February 22, 1904
George C. Perkins, February 22, 1905
James B. McCreary, February 22, 1906
Elmer J. Burkett, February 22, 1907
Porter J. McCumber, February 22, 1908
Anselm J. McLaurin, February 22, 1909
Chauncey M. Depew, February 22, 1910
Lafayette Young, February 22, 1911
John W. Kern, February 22, 1912
Frank B. Brandegee, February 22, 1913
Claude A. Swanson, February 23, 1914
Elihu Root, February 22, 1915
Charles F. Johnson, February 22, 1916
John D. Works, February 22, 1917
Peter G. Gerry, February 22, 1918
Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, February 22, 1919
Atlee Pomerene, February 23, 1920
James W. Wadsworth, Jr., February 22, 1921
Miles Poindexter, February 22, 1922
Carter Glass, February 22, 1923
Frank B. Willis, February 22, 1924
Henry F. Ashurst, February 23, 1925
Hiram Bingham, February 22, 1926
Walter F. George, February 22, 1927
Henrik Shipstead, February 22, 1928
James Reed, February 22, 1929
Arthur H. Vandenberg, February 22, 1930
Sam G. Bratton, February 22, 1931
Thomas J. Walsh, February 23, 1932
Otis F. Glenn, February 22, 1933
Joseph C. O'Mahoney, February 22, 1934
Warren R. Austin, February 22, 1935
Nathan L. Bachman, February 22, 1936
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., February 22, 1937
Allen J. Ellender, February 22, 1938
Robert Taft, February 22, 1939
Edward R. Burke, February 22, 1940
Wallace H. White, Jr., February 22, 1941
Theodore F. Green, February 23, 1942
Eugene D. Millikin, February 22, 1943
Elbert D. Thomas, February 22, 1944
H. Alexander Smith, February 22, 1945
Dennis Chavez, February 22, 1946
W. Chapman Revercomb, February 21, 1947
Brien McMahon, February 22, 1948
Margaret Chase Smith, February 22, 1949
Herbert R. O'Conor, February 22, 1950
Ralph E. Flanders, February 22, 1951
John O. Pastore, February 22, 1952
John Sherman Cooper, February 23, 1953
Lester C. Hunt, February 22, 1954
Prescott Bush, February 22, 1955
Hubert H. Humphrey, February 22, 1956
Barry Goldwater, February 22, 1957
Frank Church, February 21, 1958
Gordon Allott, February 23, 1959
Frank E. Moss, February 22, 1960
John M. Butler, February 22, 1961
Jennings Randolph, February 22, 1962
Winston L. Prouty, February 22, 1963
Edmund S. Muskie, February 21, 1964
James B. Pearson, February 22, 1965
Lee Metcalf, February 22, 1966
Norris Cotton, February 22, 1967
Daniel B. Brewster, February 22, 1968
Paul J. Fannin, February 21, 1969
Quentin N. Burdick, February 23, 1970
J. Glenn Beall, Jr., February 22, 1971
Lloyd Bentsen, February 21, 1972
Charles McC. Mathias, Jr., February 19, 1973
Harold Hughes, February 18, 1974
Jake Garn, Febriaru 17, 1975
Vance Hartke, February 16, 1976
S. I. Hayakawa, February 21, 1977
Walter Huddleston, February 20, 1978
Donald Stewart, February 18, 1980
Nancy Kassebaum, February 16, 1981
Paul S. Trible, Jr., February 21, 1983
Paula Hawkins, February 18, 1985
Terry Sanford, February 15, 1988
Charles S. Robb, February 22, 1990
Conrad Burns, February 22, 1991
Harris Wofford, February 19, 1992
Dirk Kempthorne, February 24, 1993
Carol Moseley-Braun, February 22, 1994
Craig Thomas, February 20, 1995
Bill Frist, February 24, 1997
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, February 22, 2000
George Allen, February 26, 2001
Jon Corzine, February 25, 2002
John Breaux, February 23, 2004
_________________________________________________________
Read Washington's Farewell Address
__________________________________________________________
