Designated survivor

In the United States, a designated survivor (or designated successor) is a named individual in the presidential line of succession, chosen to stay at an undisclosed secure location, away from events such as State of the Union addresses and presidential inaugurations. The practice of designating a successor is intended to prevent a hypothetical decapitation of the government and 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.

This article is about the U.S. contingency plan to safeguard its line of presidential succession. For the 2016 TV series inspired by the plan, see Designated Survivor (TV series).

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 President of the United States. Consequently, the individual named as a designated survivor 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.[1]

List of designated survivors
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
For a list of designated survivors in popular culture, see United States presidential line of succession in fiction.
DateOccasionDesigneePositionNotes
February 18, 1981Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress[2]Terrel BellSecretary of Education[3]
January 25, 1984State of the UnionSamuel PierceSecretary of Housing and Urban Development[4][5][6][7]
January 21, 1985Presidential InaugurationMargaret HecklerSecretary of Health and Human Services[8]
February 6, 1985State of the UnionMalcolm BaldrigeSecretary of Commerce[4][5][7][9]
February 4, 1986State of the UnionJohn BlockSecretary of Agriculture[4][5][7][10]
January 27, 1987State of the UnionRichard LyngSecretary of Agriculture[4][5][7][11]
January 25, 1988State of the UnionDonald HodelSecretary of the Interior[4][3][5][7]
February 9, 1989Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress[2]Lauro CavazosSecretary of Education[12]
January 31, 1990State of the UnionEdward J. DerwinskiSecretary of Veterans Affairs[4][5][7][13]
January 29, 1991State of the UnionManuel LujanSecretary of the Interior[4][5][7][14]
January 28, 1992State of the UnionEd MadiganSecretary of Agriculture[4][5][7]
February 17, 1993Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress[2]Bruce BabbittSecretary of the Interior[4][5][7]
January 25, 1994State of the UnionMike EspySecretary of Agriculture[4][5][7]
January 24, 1995State of the UnionFederico PeñaSecretary of Transportation[4][5][7]
January 23, 1996State of the UnionDonna ShalalaSecretary of Health and Human Services[4][5][7][15]
February 4, 1997State of the UnionDan GlickmanSecretary of Agriculture[4][5][7][16]
January 27, 1998State of the UnionWilliam DaleySecretary of Commerce[4][5][7]
January 19, 1999State of the UnionAndrew CuomoSecretary of Housing and Urban Development[4][5][7][17]
January 27, 2000State of the UnionBill RichardsonSecretary of Energy[4][5][7][18]
February 27, 2001Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress[2]Anthony PrincipiSecretary of Veterans Affairs[4][5][7]
September 20, 2001Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
(following the September 11 attacks)		Dick CheneyVice President[4][19]
Tommy ThompsonSecretary of Health and Human Services
January 29, 2002State of the UnionGale NortonSecretary of the Interior[5][7][20]
January 28, 2003State of the UnionJohn AshcroftAttorney General[4][5][7][21]
Norman MinetaSecretary of Transportation
January 20, 2004State of the UnionDonald EvansSecretary of Commerce[4][5][7][22]
January 20, 2005Presidential InaugurationGale NortonSecretary of the Interior[23][24]
February 2, 2005State of the UnionDonald EvansSecretary of Commerce[4][5][7][25][26]
Ted Stevens (R-AK)President pro tempore of the Senate
January 31, 2006State of the UnionJim NicholsonSecretary of Veterans Affairs[4][5][7][25][27]
Ted Stevens (R-AK)President pro tempore of the Senate
January 23, 2007State of the UnionAlberto GonzalesAttorney General[4][5][7][25][28]
January 28, 2008State of the UnionDirk KempthorneSecretary of the Interior[4][5][7][29]
January 20, 2009Presidential InaugurationRobert GatesSecretary of Defense[30][31]
February 24, 2009Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress[2]Eric HolderAttorney General[4][5][7][32]
September 9, 2009Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress
(Health Care Speech to Congress)		Steven ChuSecretary of Energy[33]
January 27, 2010State of the UnionShaun DonovanSecretary of Housing and Urban Development[5][7]
January 25, 2011State of the UnionKen SalazarSecretary of the Interior[5][7][34]
January 24, 2012State of the UnionTom VilsackSecretary of Agriculture[5][7][35]
January 21, 2013Presidential InaugurationEric ShinsekiSecretary of Veterans Affairs[36]
February 12, 2013State of the UnionSteven ChuSecretary of Energy[7]
January 28, 2014State of the UnionErnest MonizSecretary of Energy[37][38]
January 20, 2015State of the UnionAnthony FoxxSecretary of Transportation[39][40]
January 12, 2016State of the UnionOrrin Hatch (R-UT)President pro tempore of the Senate[41]
Jeh JohnsonSecretary of Homeland Security[42]
January 20, 2017Presidential InaugurationOrrin Hatch (R-UT)President pro tempore of the Senate[43]
Jeh JohnsonSecretary of Homeland Security[44]
February 28, 2017Presidential Address to Joint Session of Congress[2]David ShulkinSecretary of Veterans Affairs[45][46][47]
January 30, 2018 State of the Union Sonny Perdue Secretary of Agriculture [48]
February 5, 2019 State of the Union Rick Perry Secretary of Energy [49]
February 4, 2020 State of the Union David Bernhardt Secretary of the Interior [50][51]
January 20, 2021 Presidential Inauguration – – –

Portrayal in Media

The role of the designated survivor was portrayed in the 2016 series Designated Survivor (TV series), in which Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Tom Kirkman becomes President following a terrorist attack which destroys the United States Capitol.

Notes and references
  1. Seth Millstein (6 February 2019). "How Is The Designated Survivor Chosen? Rick Perry Won't Be At The 2019 SOTU". Bustle. CBS News reports that the president and their staff are responsible for selecting the designated survivor, and Jon Favreau, Barack Obama's former lead speechwriter, spoke to The Ringer about the designated survivor selection process in 2016. Favreau initially said that the process is "entirely random," but then backtracked a bit and said that sometimes, the designated survivor depends on what the president intends to say in their speech.
  2. 1981, 1989, 1993, 2001, 2009 and 2017 speeches were given by incoming Presidents and not formal "State of the Union" addresses.
  3. Hershey, Jr., Robert D. (27 January 1988). "State of Union: Bewitched by Pageant". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  4. "Cabinet Members Who Did Not Attend the State of the Union Address". www.presidency.ucsb.edu.
  5. "Cabinet members who did not attend the State of the Union Address (since 1984)" (PDF). United States Senate Historical Office.
  6. 1984: UPI, "Washington Dateline." Jan 25, 1984
  7. Rachel Weiner (February 12, 2013). "Steven Chu is the State of the Union 'designated survivor'". The Washington Post.
  8. "Gainesville Sun - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  9. 1985: UPI, "Washington News." Feb 6, 1985
  10. 1986: UPI, "Washington News." Feb 4, 1986
  11. 1987: UPI, "Washington News." Jan 28, 1987
  12. Cillizza, Chris. "The story of a real-life 'Designated Survivor'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  13. 1990: Washington Post, Page C3. Jan 31, 1991
  14. 1991: Washington Post, Page C3. Jan 31, 1991
  15. 1996: USA Today, Page A12. Feb 5, 1997
  16. 1997: Washington Post, "Agriculture's Glickman Draws Doomsday Duty for Address." Page A13. Feb 4, 1997
  17. 1999: The New York Times, "Not Being Invited Was the Honor." Page B2. Jan 21, 1999
  18. 2000: Washington Post, "The Reliable Source." Page C3. Jan 28, 2000
  19. 2001: New York Times, "Cabinet's 'Designated Absentee' Stays Away." Page A23. Jan 30, 2002
  20. 2002: New York Times, "Cabinet's 'Designated Absentee' Stays Away." Page A23. Jan 30, 2002
  21. 2003: New York Times, "Ashcroft in Secret Spot During Bush Address." Jan 29, 2003
  22. 2004: AP, "Four to Miss Speech Due to Security." Jan 20, 2004
  23. "Designated survivor prepares". KMGH. 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  24. "Designated survivor prepares". WGBA. 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  25. For the 2005, 2006 and 2007 State of the Union addresses, the President pro tempore of the Senate would have been the highest-ranking survivor.
  26. 2005: The New York Times, "Five Officials Skip State of the Union Address." Feb 2, 2005.
  27. 2006: The Philadelphia Inquirer, "A Message of Energy, Strength." Feb 1, 2006.
  28. 2007: Washington Post, "The Reliable Source." Page C3. Jan 25, 2007.
  29. 2008: AP, "Interior Secretary Skips Speech," Jan 28, 2008
  30. 2009: AFP American Edition, "Gates to Sit out Obama Inauguration," January 19, 2009
  31. Gates To Be Designated Successor On Inauguration Day, CBS News, January 19, 2009.
  32. Holder Staying Away From Obama's Speech, The Washington Post, February 24, 2009.
  33. "Energy secretary skips Obama health care address".
  34. O'Keefe, Ed (25 January 2011). "State of the Union: Ken Salazar to serve as 'designated survivor'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  35. Associated Press (24 January 2012). "State of the Union: Tom Vilsack to serve as Cabinet's 'designated survivor". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  36. "Shinseki absent from inaugural". Miami Herald. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  37. "Energy Secretary to be Designated Survivor during State of the Union". FOX News. January 28, 2014.
  38. Miller, Zeke J (28 January 2014). "This Man Will Be Your President If The Worst Happens Happens". Time. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  39. "Obama's 'designated survivor:' Anthony Foxx". USA Today. January 20, 2015.
  40. Jackson, David (20 January 2015). "O". NationalJournal. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  41. Shalby, Colleen (12 January 2016). "If #SOTU disaster strikes, Jeh Johnson ... or a Republican would become president". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  42. Saenz, Arlette (January 12, 2016). "State of the Union: Jeh Johnson Named Designated Survivor". ABC News.
  43. Tribune, The Salt Lake. "Sen. Orrin Hatch acting as a designated survivor during inauguration". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2017-09-05. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  44. Weaver, Dustin (20 January 2017). "Jeh Johnson is designated survivor for inauguration". TheHill. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  45. DeBonis, Mike; Johnson, Jenna (2017-01-24). "Trump to address a joint session of Congress on Feb. 28". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  46. "Philip Rucker on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  47. "VA Secretary David Shulkin chosen as designated survivor". ABC News.
  48. Westwood, Sarah. "Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue State of the Union 'designated survivor'". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  49. Klein, Betsy; Gray, Noah (February 5, 2019). "Energy Secretary Rick Perry is the designated survivor". CNN. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  50. Choi, Matthew (February 4, 2020). "The State of the Union's designated survivor: Interior Secretary David Bernhardt". Politico. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  51. "What to know about the "designated survivor" and State of the Union". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
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