Former presidential speechwriters talked about writing the State of the Union address. Topics included the process and various stages of writing the speech, number of drafts, Presidential involvement, and the relationship of speech writers to other White House staff. Katie Dunn Tempas moderated.

Terry Edmonds was a speechwriter for President Clinton, Lee Huebner for Presidents Nixon and Ford, and Clark Judge for Presidents Reagan and Bush.







The Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center of Public Affairs hosted a two-day White House Speechwriters Symposium, bringing together speechwriters from the Nixon through Clinton administrations to discuss White House communications and crafting a presidential message.