Guide: Presidential Papers at IUB Wells Library

Finding Presidential Papers at IUB Wells Library

Compilations of Papers

American State Papers
Legislative and executive documents of Congress, 1789-1838; includes messages and speeches of Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison, 1789-1814. Available from the following sources:

• Print: in ALF
• American State Papers from the Library of Congress
• ProQuest Congressional, IUB authentication required

A Compilation of Messages and Papers of the Presidents
Compiled by James Daniel Richardson and originally published in 10 volumes by GPO, 1896-99; subsequently updated. Available in the following formats:

• ET2 print: shelved SuDocs Reference, Y 4.P 93/1:3, v.1-10; includes Washington-Cleveland
• HeinOnline's U.S. Presidential Library, IUB authentication required; includes Washington-Hoover.
• American Presidency Project

Public Papers of the Presidents

• ET2 print: shelved SuDoc Reference, AE 2.114 [Reagan, 1985-Obama, 2009]
• ET2 print: shelved SuDoc Reference, GS 4.113 [Hoover, 1929; Truman, 1945-Reagan, 1984]
• The American Presidency Project; includes Washington-Taft [1789-1913] and Hoover-Obama [1929- ].
• HeinOnline's U.S. Presidential Library, available from Library's Find Information page. IUB authentication required; includes Hoover-George W. Bush [1931-2005].
• Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States from GPO Access, covers 1991-2010.

U.S. Congressional Serial Set
Includes texts of messages to Congress, including inaugural addresses and vetoes. Available in the following formats:

• ALF print [15th Congress, 1817-107th Congress, 2002]; see our Guide for access.
• ProQuest Congressional. IUB authentication required. Includes 1789-2011.
• Selected documents and reports from the 23rd (1833)-64th (1917) Congresses are available at the Library of Congress U.S. Serial Set.

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
Includes verbatim texts of speeches, news conferences, radio addresses, executive orders, etc., chronologically arranged. Indexed and full-text through Academic Search (Ebsco).

• Compilation of Presidential Documents, 1993-January 29, 2009 [from GPO]
  

Presidential Papers by Major Type

Most of these documents are also available in the compilations listed above.

Executive Orders
Executive orders have to do with the management of government business and have the force of law; E.O. 9066, for example, authorized the exclusion of people from "military areas," leading to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Since 1936 executive orders have been published in the Federal Register and codified, along with proclamations and other documents signed by the President, in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 3: The President. Available in the following sources:

• Code of Federal Regulations, Title 3: The President
  • ET2 print: shelved SuDocs reference, AE 2.106/3:1936-2006
  • Code of Federal Regulations from GPO Access covers 1996-present.
• Federal Register [microfiche] shelved SuDocs microfiche, AE 2.106:1936- ; includes
  indexes.
• Federal Register from GPO Access, v.59- , 1994-
• Executive Orders Disposition Tables Index, 1937-present, from the National Archives.
• Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders, covers 1945-1989, Truman-Reagan, from the National Archives.
• The Federal Register [1980-present] and Code of Federal Regulations [1981-present] are also included in ProQuest Congressional under Regulations and in Lexis-Nexis Academic. IUB authentication required.
• Executive Orders covers J.Q. Adams [1826]-G.W. Bush; from the American Presidency Project at UCSB.
• Presidential Executive Orders, Numbered 1-8030, 1862-1938, edited by Clifford L. Lord. New York: Books, Inc., 1944.
  • Also found in HeinOnline's U.S. Presidential Library. IUB authentication required.
    

Proclamations
Proclamations are frequently used to establish the National Week or Month of ..., but may also have more substantive content. Proclamation 6641 [1993], for example, implemented NAFTA and Proclamation 2541 [1942] denied 8 accused German-American Nazi saboteurs access to civilian courts. (The Military Order establishing the Military Commission which tried the accused saboteurs is included in the Executive Orders.) Available in the following sources:

• Statutes at Large, v.2.
  • ET2 SuDocs microfiche: AE 2.111:v.1-46 [1789-1931]
  • ET2 print: shelved SuDocs reference, AE 2.111:v.1-118 [1789-2004]
    • Note: ET2 does not hold all issues of v.2 in print; see the microfiche edition.
  • Statutes at Large [1789-1875] from the Library of Congress.
  • ProQuest Congressional, Bills & Laws, Statutes at Large [1789-present]. IUB authentication required.
  • Lexis-Nexis Academic, IUB authentication required.
• Code of Federal Regulations, Title 3: The President
  • ET2 print: shelved SuDocs reference, AE 2.106/3:1936-2006
  • Code of Federal Regulations from GPO Access covers 1996-present.
• Federal Register
  • Hold indexes only, v.6, 1941-v.72, no.1-125, 2007, shelved SuDocs reference
• ET2 microfiche: shelved SuDocs microfiche, AE 2.106:1936- ; includes indexes.
• Federal Register from GPO Access, v.59- , 1994-.
• The Federal Register [1980-present] and Code of Federal Regulations [1981-present] are also included in ProQuest Congressional under Regulations and Lexis-Nexis Academic. IUB authentication required.
• Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders, covers 1945-1989, Truman-Reagan, from the National Archives.
• Proclamations, Washington-G.W. Bush; from the American Presidency Project at UCSB.
  

Speeches

• Farewell messages:
  • American Presidents: Farewell Messages to the Nation, 1796-2001.
    • Research Collection print: shelved RC stacks, J81.4 .A46 2003

  Inaugural addresses:

  • Inaugural Addresses from the American Presidency Project at UCSB.
  • The Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents: From George Washington to George W. Bush.
    • Undergraduate Reference Services: J81.4 .I53 2003

  State of the Union addresses:

  • Annual Messages of the Presidents includes Washington, Adams, Jefferson; from Yale Law School's Avalon Project.
  • The State of the Union Messages of the Presidents, 1790-1966.
    • Reference Dept. print: J81 .C66 v.1-3
    • Research Collections print: shelved RC stacks, J81 .C66 v.1-3
  • State of the Union Messages includes 1790-2007; from the American Presidency Project at UCSB.
  • State of the Union includes 1992-present; from GPO Access.

  Vetoes

  • Presidential Vetoes, 1789-1988.
    • ET2 print: shelved SuDocs Reference, Y 1.3:S.Pub.102-12
  • Vetoes [1789-present] is available from the U.S. Senate.
    

Individual Presidents

See our Guide to Presidents of the United States.

Related Resources

Executive Branch Information:

• The Executive Branch, edited by Joel D. Aberbach and Mark A. Peterson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
  • Research Collections print: shelved RC stacks, JK501 .E94 2005
• United States Executive Branch: A Biographic Directory of Heads of State and Cabinet Officials, edited by Robert Sobel and David B. Sicikia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2003.
  • ET2 print: shelved ET2 Desk Reference, E176 .U575 2003
• United States Government Manual
  • Online from GPO Access, 1995-present
  • Hathi Trust includes various years.
• Vice Presidents of the United States, 1789-1993
  • ET2 print: shelved SuDocs stacks, Y 1.1/3:104-26

Guides to the Presidency:

• American President: An Online Reference Resource, from the University of Virginia.
• Guide to the Presidency, edited by Michael Nelson. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, 2008.
  • ALF
  • CQ Political Suite
• The Presidency A to Z, edited by Michael Nelson. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly. See CQ Political Suite.
  • Reference Dept. print: JK511 .P775 2003

Presidential Libraries:

• Presidential Libraries, from the National Archives, includes Hoover-G.W. Bush.

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