List of United States federal executive orders

Executive orders issued by presidents of the United States to help officers and agencies of the executive branch manage operations within the community.

At the federal level of government in the United States, laws are made almost exclusively by legislation. Such legislation originates as an Act of Congress passed by the United States Congress; such acts were either signed into law by the president or passed by Congress after a presidential veto.

So, legislation is not the only source of regulations. There is also judge-made common law and constitutional law. The president can issue executive orders pursuant to a grant of discretion from Congress, or under the inherent powers that office holds to deal with certain matters which have the force of law.

Many early executive orders were not recorded. The State Department began numbering executive orders in the early 20th century, starting retroactively from President Abraham Lincoln's Executive Order Establishing a Provisional Court in Louisiana issued in 1862.

Consolidated list by president[edit]

# President Party Total executive orders Order number range Years in office Executive orders per year Period
1 George Washington Unaffiliated 8 unnumbered 7.95 1.0 April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797
2 John Adams Federalist 1 unnumbered 4 0.3 March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican 4 unnumbered 8 0.5 March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1809
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican 1 unnumbered 8 0.1 March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican 1 unnumbered 8 0.1 March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican 3 unnumbered 4 0.8 March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic 12 unnumbered 8 1.5 March 4, 1829 – March 4, 1837
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic 10 unnumbered 4 2.5 March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1841
9 William Henry Harrison Whig 0 unnumbered 0.08 0.0 March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841
10 John Tyler Whig 17 unnumbered 3.92 4.3 April 4, 1841 – March 4, 1845
11 James K. Polk Democratic 18 unnumbered 4 4.5 March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849
12 Zachary Taylor Whig 5 unnumbered 1.34 3.7 March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850
13 Millard Fillmore Whig 12 unnumbered 2.66 4.5 July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic 35 unnumbered 4 8.8 March 4, 1853 – March 4, 1857
15 James Buchanan Democratic 16 unnumbered 4 4.0 March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican 48 unnumbered 4.11 11.7 March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865
17 Andrew Johnson Democratic 79 unnumbered 3.89 20.3 April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican 217 unnumbered 8 27.1 March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican 92 unnumbered 4 23.0 March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881
20 James A. Garfield Republican 6 unnumbered 0.54 11.1 March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican 96 unnumbered 3.46 27.7 September 19, 1881 – March 4, 1885
22 Grover Cleveland - I Democratic 113 unnumbered 4 28.3 March 4, 1885 – March 4, 1889
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican 143 unnumbered 4 35.8 March 4, 1889 – March 4, 1893
24 Grover Cleveland - II Democratic 140 unnumbered 4 35.0 March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897
25 William McKinley Republican 185 97-140 4.53 40.9 March 4, 1897 – September 14, 1901
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican 1,081 141-1050 7.47 144.7 September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1909
27 William Howard Taft Republican 724 1051-1743 4 181.0 March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic 1,803 1744-3415 8 225.4 March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1921
29 Warren G. Harding Republican 522 3416-3885 2.41 216.9 March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican 1,203 3885-A-5075 5.59 215.2 August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929
31 Herbert Hoover Republican 968 5075–6070 4 242.0 March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 3,728 6071–9537 12.11 307.8 March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic 907 9538–10431 7.77 116.7 April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican 484 10432–10913 8 60.5 January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic 214 10914–11127 2.84 75.4 January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic 325 11128–11451 5.16 62.9 November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969
37 Richard Nixon Republican 346 11452–11797 5.56 62.3 January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974
38 Gerald Ford Republican 169 11798–11966 2.45 69.1 August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic 320 11967–12286 4 80.0 January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981
40 Ronald Reagan Republican 381 12287–12667 8 47.6 January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989
41 George H. W. Bush Republican 166 12668–12833 4 41.5 January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993
42 Bill Clinton Democratic 364 12834–13197 8 45.5 January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001
43 George W. Bush Republican 291 13198–13488 8 36.4 January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009
44 Barack Obama Democratic 276 13489–13764 8 34.6 January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017
45 Donald Trump Republican 220 13765–13984 4 55.0 January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021
46 Joe Biden Democratic 129 13985 and above 3.17 39.4 January 20, 2021 – Present

[1][2][3][4][5][6]

1800s[edit]

Earliest numbered executive orders[edit]

The current numbering system for executive orders was established by the U.S. State Department in 1907, when all of the orders in the department's archives were assigned chronological numbers. The first executive order to be assigned a number was Executive Order 1, signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1862, but hundreds of unnumbered orders had been signed by presidents going back to George Washington.[8]

President Term First Last Total
Abraham Lincoln 1861–1865 1 2 3
Andrew Johnson 1865–1869 3 7 5
Ulysses S. Grant 1869–1877 8 20 15
Rutherford B. Hayes 1877–1881 None None 0
Chester A. Arthur 1881–1885 21 23 3

Grover Cleveland (1885–1889, 1893–1897)[edit]

Wikisource logo Works by or about Grover Cleveland's Executive Orders at Wikisource

[8]

First presidency (1885–1889)[edit]

Year First Last Total
1885 23-1 24 2
1886 25 25 1
1887 26 27-1 3
1888 None None 0
1889 None None 0
Total 23-1 27-1 6

Second presidency (1893–1897)[edit]

Year First Last Total
1893 30 31 3
1894 32 56 25
1895 57 84 29
1896 85 93 9
1897 94 96 3
Total 30 96 69

Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893)[edit]

Wikisource logo Works by or about Benjamin Harrison's Executive Orders at Wikisource

[8]

Year First Last Total
1889 None None 0
1890 28 28 1
1891 28-1 28-1 1
1892 28-A 28-A 1
1893 29 29 1
Total 28 29 4

William McKinley (1897–1901)[edit]

Wikisource logo Works by or about William McKinley's Executive Orders at Wikisource

[8]

Year First Last Total
1897 97 103 7
1898 104 110 10
1899 111 122 12
1900 123 134 17
1901 135 140 6
Total 97 140 52

Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)[edit]

Wikisource logo Works by or about Theodore Roosevelt's Executive Orders at Wikisource

Year First Last Total
1901 141 153 13
1902 154 196 44
1903 197 242 47
1904 243 288 47
1905 289 389 172
1906 389-A 542 165
1907 543 723 188
1908 724 1000 279
1909 1001 1050 50
Total 141 1050 1005

William Howard Taft (1909–1913)[edit]

Wikisource logo Works by or about William Howard Taft's Executive Orders at Wikisource

[8]

Year First Last Total
1909 1051 1150 100
1910 1151 1277 129
1911 1278 1451 175
1912 1452 1673 221
1913 1674 1743 71
Total 1051 1743 696

Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)[edit]

Wikisource logo Works by or about Woodrow Wilson's Executive Orders at Wikisource

[8]

  • 1914: Executive Order 1888: Providing conditions of employment for the Permanent Force for the Panama Canal[10]
  • 1918: Executive Order 2859: National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences[11]
Year First Last Total
1913 1744 1875 136
1914 1876 2113 243
1915 2114 2294 188
1916 2295 2502 212
1917 2503 2778 296
1918 2779 3019-B 260
1919 3020 3207 224
1920 3208 3380 174
1921 3381 3415 34
Total 1744 3415 1,767

Warren G. Harding (1921–1923)[edit]

Wikisource logo Works by or about Warren G. Harding's Executive Orders at Wikisource

[8]

Year First Last Total
1921 3416 3604-A 191
1922 3605 3770-A 173
1923 3771 3885 118
Total 3416 3885 482

Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)[edit]

Wikisource logo Works by or about Calvin Coolidge's Executive Orders at Wikisource

[8]

  • 1927: Executive Order 4601:[12] Authorization of the Distinguished Flying Cross[13]
Year First Last Total
1923 3885-A 3940 62
1924 3941 4119 189
1925 4120 4363-A 227
1926 4364 4559 202
1927 4560 4791 240
1928 4792 5018 290
1929 5019 5075 57
Total 3885-A 5075 1,267

Herbert Hoover (1929–1933)[edit]

[14][15]

Year First Last Total
1929 5076 5255 183
1930 5256 5523 268
1931 5524 5770 249
1932 5771 5984 215
1933 5985 6070 86
Total 5076 6070 1,001

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945)[edit]

Administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt Executive Orders Disposition Tables[16]

Year First Last Total
1933 6071 6545 573
1934 6546 6935 474
1935 6936 7261 394
1936 7262 7531 274
1937 7532 7784 253
1938 7784-A 8030 247
1939 8031 8316 287
1940 8317 8624 309
1941 8625 9005 383
1942 9066 9292 289
1943 9293 9412 122
1944 9413 9508 100
1945 9509 9537 29
Total 6071 9537 3,734

Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)[edit]

Administration of Harry S Truman Executive Orders Disposition Tables[17]

Year First Last Total
1945 9538 9672 139
1946 9673 9817 148
1947 9818 9918 100
1948 9919 10025 117
1949 10026 10094 69
1950 10095 10199 95
1951 10200 10317 118
1952 10318 10420 104
1953 10421 10431 11
Total 9538 10431 907

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)[edit]

Administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Orders Disposition Tables[18]

EOs 10432–10913

  • 1953: Executive Order 10450: Charged the heads of federal agencies and the Office of Personnel Management, supported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with investigating federal employees to determine whether they posed security risks.
  • 1954: Executive Order 10555: Establishing a Seal for the President's Committee on Employment of the Physically Handicapped
  • 1959: Executive Order 10834: Defined the design of the flag of the United States[19]
    U.S. flag design as defined by Executive Order 10834.
Year First Last Tota
1953 10432 10511 80
1954 10512 10584 75
1955 10585 10649 66
1956 10650 10693 44
1957 10694 10747 55
1958 10748 10797 50
1959 10798 10857 60
1960 10858 10899 42
1961 10900 10913 14
Total 10432 10913 484

John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)[edit]

Administration of John F. Kennedy Executive Orders Disposition Tables[20]

  • 1961: Executive Order 10924: Established the Peace Corps.
  • 1961: Executive Order 10925: Required government contractors to "take affirmative action" to ensure non-discriminatory employment practices. Created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Year First Last Total
1961 10914 10983 70
1962 10984 11072 89
1963 11073 11127 55
Total 10914 11127 214

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)[edit]

Administration of Lyndon B. Johnson Executive Orders Disposition Tables[21]

EOs 11128–11451

  • 1963: Executive Order 11129: Decreed on November 29, 1963 that the NASA Launch Operations Center (LOC), including facilities on Merritt Island and Cape Canaveral, would be renamed the John F. Kennedy Space Center, NASA. That name change officially took effect on December 20, 1963
  • 1963: Executive Order 11130: Created Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of president Kennedy
  • 1964: Executive Order 11141: Declaring a public policy against discriminating on the basis of age
  • 1965: Executive Order 11246: Prohibited discrimination in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
  • 1966: Executive Order 11310: Assigned Emergency Preparedness Functions to the Attorney General
Year First Last Total
1963 11128 11134 7
1964 11135 11190 56
1965 11191 11264 74
1966 11265 11321 57
1967 11322 11386 65
1968 11387 11442 56
1969 11443 11451 9
Total 11128 11451 324

Richard Nixon (1969–1974)[edit]

Administration of Richard Nixon Executive Orders Disposition Tables[22]

EOs 11452–11797

Year First Last Total
1969 11452 11503 52
1970 11504 11575 72
1971 11576 11638 63
1972 11639 11693 55
1973 11694 11757 64
1974 11758 11797 39
Total 11452 11797 346

Gerald R. Ford (1974–1977)[edit]

EOs 11798–11966

  • 1975: Executive Order 11850: Renunciation of certain uses in war of chemical herbicides and riot control agents.
  • 1976: Executive Order 11905: Outlawed the use of political assassination.[24]
  • 1976: Executive Order 11921: Allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production, distribution, energy sources, wages, salaries, credit, and the flow of money.
Year First Last Total
1974 11798 11826 29
1975 11827 11893 67
1976 11894 11949 56
1977 11950 11966 17
Total 11798 11966 169

Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)[edit]

Administration of Jimmy Carter Executive Orders Disposition Tables[25]

EOs 11967–12286

Year First Last Total
1977 11967 12032 66
1978 12033 12110 78
1979 12111 12187 77
1980 12188 12260 73
1981 12261 12286 26
Total 11967 12286 320

Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)[edit]

Administration of Ronald Reagan Executive Orders Disposition Tables[26]

Year First Last Total
1981 12287 12336 50
1982 12337 12399 63
1983 12400 12456 57
1984 12457 12497 41
1985 12498 12542 45
1986 12543 12579 37
1987 12580 12622 43
1988 12623 12662 40
1989 12663 12667 5
Total 12287 12667 381

George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)[edit]

Administration of George Bush Executive Orders Disposition Tables[28]

Year First Last Total
1989 12668 12698 31
1990 12699 12741 43
1991 12742 12787 46
1992 12788 12827 40
1993 12828 12833 6
Total 12668 12833 166

Bill Clinton (1993–2001)[edit]

Administration of William J. Clinton Executive Orders Disposition Tables[29]

Year First Last Total
1993 12834 12890 57
1994 12891 12944 54
1995 12945 12984 40
1996 12985 13033 49
1997 13034 13071 38
1998 13072 13109 38
1999 13110 13144 35
2000 13145 13185 41
2001 13186 13197 12
Total 12834 13197 364

George W. Bush (2001–2009)[edit]

Administration of George W. Bush Executive Orders Disposition Tables[30]

Year First Last Total
2001 13198 13251 54
2002 13252 13282 31
2003 13283 13323 41
2004 13324 13368 45
2005 13369 13394 26
2006 13395 13421 27
2007 13422 13453 32
2008 13454 13483 30
2009 13484 13488 5
Total 13198 13488 291

Barack Obama (2009–2017)[edit]

Administration of Barack Obama Executive Orders Disposition Tables[31]

Year First Last Total
2009 13489 13527 39
2010 13528 13562 35
2011 13563 13596 34
2012 13597 13635 39
2013 13636 13655 20
2014 13656 13686 31
2015 13687 13715 29
2016 13716 13757 42
2017 13758 13764 7
Total 13489 13764 276

Donald Trump (2017–2021)[edit]

Year First Last Total
2017 13765 13819 55
2018 13820 13856 37
2019 13857 13901 45
2020 13902 13969 68
2021 13970 13984 15
Total 13765 13984 220

Joe Biden (2021–present)[edit]

As of January 10, 2024.

Year First Last Total
2021 13985 14061 77
2022 14062 14090 29
2023 14091 14114 23
2024
Total 13985 14114 129

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Executive Orders Disposition Tables Index". Archives.gov. Retrieved 2013-12-10.
  2. ^ "Executive Orders". Presidency.ucsb.edu. 2013-07-20. Retrieved 2013-12-10.
  3. ^ "Executive Orders". Office of the Federal Register. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  4. ^ "Chart of Presidents of the United States". www.jjmccullough.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved 2016-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ "Barack Obama Executive Orders Disposition Tables". National Archives. 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  6. ^ Korte, Gregory (January 23, 2017). "Trump wields his presidential pen, signing memos on trade, hiring, abortion". USA Today. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  7. ^ "Lincoln issues Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction". This Day in History. A+E Networks. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Presidential Executive Orders: Numbered 1-8030, 1862-1938, Volume 1
  9. ^ "Complete Executive Orders by President Theodore Roosevelt".
  10. ^ "Permanent Force for the Panama Canal". 15 August 2016.
  11. ^ "National Academy of Sciences". 15 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Executive Orders". 15 August 2016.
  13. ^ "Distinguished Flying Cross Authorization". 15 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Executive Orders Disposition Tables Index". National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). 2008-01-22.
  15. ^ "Herbert Hoover: proclamations and executive orders, March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1933"
  16. ^ "Administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 15 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Administration of Harry S Truman Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 15 August 2016.
  18. ^ "Administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 15 August 2016.
  19. ^ "Executive Order 10834--The flag of the United States". 15 August 2016.
  20. ^ "Administration of John F. Kennedy Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 15 August 2016.
  21. ^ "Administration of Lyndon B. Johnson Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 15 August 2016.
  22. ^ "Administration of Richard Nixon Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 15 August 2016.
  23. ^ "Executive Order 11478". Finduslaw.com. Retrieved 2013-12-10.
  24. ^ U.S. policy on assassinations. CNN.com 4 November 2002. Accessed 15 July 2009.
  25. ^ "Administration of Jimmy Carter Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 15 August 2016.
  26. ^ "Administration of Ronald Reagan Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 15 August 2016.
  27. ^ "Executive Orders". 15 August 2016.
  28. ^ "Administration of George Bush Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 15 August 2016.
  29. ^ "Administration of William J. Clinton Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 15 August 2016.
  30. ^ "Administration of George W. Bush Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 15 August 2016.
  31. ^ "Administration of Barack Obama Executive Orders Disposition Tables". 26 August 2016.

External links[edit]

National Archives and Records Administration: