Past State of the Union Highlights Eisenhower Reviews Prospect for Peace State of the Union 1960: "We live in a divided world of uneasy equilibrium." Jan. 30, 1961: JFK's Full State of the Union 1961: President John F. Kennedy discusses the recession and unemployment then at the top of the American agenda. Jan. 4, 1965: LBJ: 'Road to the Great Society' President Lyndon B. Johnson lays out plan to attack poverty. Jan. 30, 1974: Nixon Addresses Watergate Burglary State of the Union 1974: President Richard Nixon says he will cooperate with the investigation. He resisted, and finally resigned the presidency in August. Jan. 15, 1975: Ford's State of the Union State of the Union 1975: President Gerald Ford on unemployment and the federal deficit. Jan. 23, 1979: Carter's Plan to Control Inflation State of the Union 1979: President Jimmy Carter calls for a national health plan. Bush Reflects on the American Dream State of the Union 1990: George H.W. Bush on immigration, economy and freedom. Clinton on Health Care Bill State of the Union 1994: Bill Clinton pushes for universal health care coverage. His effort would fail; universal coverage was not passed until the Obama administration. Clinton: 'The Era of Big Government Is Over' State of the Union 1996: President Clinton said the economy was the healthiest it had been in three decades. Bush Coins the Term 'Axis of Evil' In the first State of the Union address after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush speaks to Congress in 2002.