Designated survivor


In the United States, a designated survivor is a named individual in the presidential line of succession, chosen to stay away from events such as State of the Union addresses and presidential inaugurations. The practice of designating a successor is intended to safeguard continuity in the office of the president in the event the president along with the vice president and multiple other officials in the presidential line of succession die in a mass-casualty incident. The procedure originated in the 1950s during the Cold War with its risk of nuclear attack.
If such an event occurred, the surviving official highest in the line of succession as delineated in the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 would become acting president of the United States. Consequently, the individual named must be eligible to serve as president. In practice, the designated survivor is usually a member of the president's Cabinet, and is chosen by the president.

Selection

The process for selection of the designated survivor has been described by those involved to be entirely random. However, the character of the event for which a designated survivor is being selected may cause some officials to be avoided in the selection process.

List of designated survivors

DateOccasionDesigneePositionNotes
February 18, 1981Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressTerrel BellSecretary of Education
January 25, 1984State of the UnionSamuel PierceSecretary of Housing and Urban Development
January 21, 1985Presidential InaugurationMargaret HecklerSecretary of Health and Human Services
February 6, 1985State of the UnionMalcolm BaldrigeSecretary of Commerce
February 4, 1986State of the UnionJohn BlockSecretary of Agriculture
January 27, 1987State of the UnionRichard LyngSecretary of Agriculture
January 25, 1988State of the UnionDonald HodelSecretary of the Interior
February 9, 1989Lauro CavazosSecretary of Education
January 31, 1990State of the UnionEdward J. DerwinskiSecretary of Veterans Affairs
January 29, 1991State of the UnionManuel LujanSecretary of the Interior
January 28, 1992State of the UnionEd MadiganSecretary of Agriculture
February 17, 1993Bruce BabbittSecretary of the Interior
January 25, 1994State of the UnionMike EspySecretary of Agriculture
January 24, 1995State of the UnionFederico PeñaSecretary of Transportation
January 23, 1996State of the UnionDonna ShalalaSecretary of Health and Human Services
February 4, 1997State of the UnionDan GlickmanSecretary of Agriculture
January 27, 1998State of the UnionWilliam DaleySecretary of Commerce
January 19, 1999State of the UnionAndrew CuomoSecretary of Housing and Urban Development
January 27, 2000State of the UnionBill RichardsonSecretary of Energy
February 27, 2001Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressAnthony PrincipiSecretary of Veterans Affairs
September 20, 2001Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
Dick CheneyVice President
September 20, 2001Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
Tommy ThompsonSecretary of Health and Human Services
January 29, 2002State of the UnionGale NortonSecretary of the Interior
January 28, 2003State of the UnionJohn AshcroftAttorney General
January 28, 2003State of the UnionNorman MinetaSecretary of Transportation
January 20, 2004State of the UnionDonald EvansSecretary of Commerce
January 20, 2005Presidential InaugurationGale NortonSecretary of the Interior
February 2, 2005State of the UnionDonald EvansSecretary of Commerce
February 2, 2005State of the UnionTed Stevens President pro tempore of the Senate
January 31, 2006State of the UnionJim NicholsonSecretary of Veterans Affairs
January 31, 2006State of the UnionTed Stevens President pro tempore of the Senate
January 23, 2007State of the UnionAlberto GonzalesAttorney General
January 28, 2008State of the UnionDirk KempthorneSecretary of the Interior
January 20, 2009Presidential InaugurationRobert GatesSecretary of Defense
February 24, 2009Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressEric HolderAttorney General
September 9, 2009Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
Steven ChuSecretary of Energy
January 27, 2010State of the UnionShaun DonovanSecretary of Housing and Urban Development
January 25, 2011State of the UnionKen SalazarSecretary of the Interior
January 24, 2012State of the UnionTom VilsackSecretary of Agriculture
January 21, 2013Presidential InaugurationEric ShinsekiSecretary of Veterans Affairs
February 12, 2013State of the UnionSteven ChuSecretary of Energy
January 28, 2014State of the UnionErnest MonizSecretary of Energy
January 20, 2015State of the UnionAnthony FoxxSecretary of Transportation
January 12, 2016State of the UnionOrrin Hatch President pro tempore of the Senate
January 12, 2016State of the UnionJeh JohnsonSecretary of Homeland Security
January 20, 2017Presidential InaugurationOrrin Hatch President pro tempore of the Senate
January 20, 2017Presidential InaugurationJeh JohnsonSecretary of Homeland Security
February 28, 2017Presidential Address to Joint Session of CongressDavid ShulkinSecretary of Veterans Affairs
January 30, 2018State of the UnionSonny PerdueSecretary of Agriculture
February 5, 2019State of the UnionRick PerrySecretary of Energy
February 4, 2020State of the UnionDavid BernhardtSecretary of the Interior

See Also