Executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...

s issued by

presidents of the United States The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

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 Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...

. Such legislation originates as an

Act of Congress An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...

passed by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

; such acts were either signed into law by the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

or passed by Congress after a

presidential veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto pow ...

. So, legislation is not the only source of regulations. There is also judge-made

common law In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipresen ...

and

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a State (polity), state, namely, the executive (government), executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as th ...

. 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 In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a p ...

. Many early executive orders were not recorded. The

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

began numbering executive orders in the early 20th century, starting retroactively from President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

's Executive Order Establishing a Provisional Court in Louisiana issued in 1862.

Consolidated list by president

1800s

* 1836:

Specie Circular The Specie Circular is a United States presidential executive order issued by President Andrew Jackson in 1836 pursuant to the Coinage Act. It required payment for government land to be in gold and silver. History The Specie Circular was a rea ...

- Required payment for public lands be in

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

specie Specie may refer to: * Coins or other metal money in mass circulation * Bullion coins * Hard money (policy) * Commodity money Commodity money is money whose value comes from a commodity of which it is made. Commodity money consists of objects ...

* 1863: Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction - Laid out President Lincoln's preliminary plan for reintegrating the "states in rebellion" back into the Union * 1872:

Colville Indian Reservation The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in the northwest United States, in north central Washington, inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which is federally recognized. Established in ...

is created

Earliest numbered executive orders

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 wa
Executive Order 1
signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1862, but hundreds of unnumbered orders had been signed by presidents going back to George Washington.

Grover Cleveland (1885–1889, 1893–1897)

First presidency (1885–1889)

Second presidency (1893–1897)

Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893)

William McKinley (1897–1901)

Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)

* 1901–1909:

Executive Orders by President Theodore Roosevelt Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

: Complete list of executive orders by President Theodore Roosevelt

William Howard Taft (1909–1913)

Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)

* 1914: Executive Order 1888: Providing conditions of employment for the Permanent Force for the Panama Canal * 1918: Executive Order 2859: National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences

Warren G. Harding (1921–1923)

Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)

''Presidential Executive Orders: Numbered 1-8030, 1862-1938, Volume 1''
/ref> * 1927: Executive Order 4601: Authorization of the Distinguished Flying Cross

Herbert Hoover (1929–1933)

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945)

Administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt Executive Orders Disposition Tables

Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)

Administration of Harry S Truman Executive Orders Disposition Tables

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)

Administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Orders Disposition Tables 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: : Defined the design of the

flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rect ...

John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)

Administration of John F. Kennedy Executive Orders Disposition Tables * 1961: Executive Order 10924: Established the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...

. * 1961: Executive Order 10925: Required government contractors to "take affirmative action" to ensure non-discriminatory employment practices. Created the

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

* 1962:

Executive Order 10988 Executive Order 10988 is a United States presidential executive order issued by President John F. Kennedy on January 17, 1962 that granted federal employees the right to collective bargaining. This executive order was a breakthrough for public sect ...

recognizes the right of federal workers to join employee organizations and bargain collectively * 1962: Executive Order 10990 reestablished the Federal Safety Council * 1962: Executive Order 11051 was revoked by Executive Order 12148: Specifies the duties and responsibilities of the Office of Emergency Planning and gives authorization to put all executive orders into effect in times deemed to be of increased international tension, economic crisis, and/or financial crisis * 1963:

Executive Order 11110 Executive Order 11110 was issued by U.S. President John F. Kennedy on June 4, 1963. This executive order amended Executive Order 10289 (dated September 17, 1951) by delegating to the Secretary of the Treasury the president's authority to issue sil ...

: Delegating the authority to issue silver certificates under the Agricultural Adjustment Act of May 12, 1933 to the

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

of the

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...

* 1963: Executive Order 11111: Federalized the

Alabama National Guard The Alabama National Guard is the National Guard of the U.S State of Alabama, and consists of the Alabama Army National Guard and the Alabama Air National Guard. (The Alabama State Defense Force is the third military unit of the Alabama Milita ...

in response to the

Stand in the Schoolhouse Door The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door took place at Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama on June 11, 1963. George Wallace, the Governor of Alabama, in a symbolic attempt to keep his inaugural promise of " segregation now, segregation tom ...

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)

Administration of Lyndon B. Johnson Executive Orders Disposition Tables 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 The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson through on November 29, 1963, to investigate the assassination of United States Pr ...

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 Executive Order 11246, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 24, 1965, established requirements for non-discriminatory practices in hiring and employment on the part of U.S. government contractors. It "prohibits federal contractors a ...

: Prohibited

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

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 In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Richard Nixon (1969–1974)

Administration of Richard Nixon Executive Orders Disposition Tables EOs 11452–11797 * 1969: Executive Order 11478: Prohibiting

based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap, or age in the competitive service of the federal civilian workforce, which includes civilians employed by the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and by federal contractors and contractors performing under federally assisted construction contracts. Some categories were added by

Executive Order 13087 Executive Order 13087 was signed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on May 28, 1998, amending Executive Order 11478 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in the competitive service of the federal civilian workforce. The order also ap ...

in 1998 and Executive Order 13152 in 2000.

Gerald R. Ford (1974–1977)

EOs 11798–11966 * 1975: Executive Order 11850: Renunciation of certain uses in war of chemical herbicides and riot control agents. * 1976:

Executive Order 11905 Executive Order 11905 is a United States Presidential Executive Order signed on February 18, 1976, by President Gerald R. Ford in an effort to reform the United States Intelligence Community, improve oversight on foreign intelligence activities, a ...

: Outlawed the use of political

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

. * 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.

Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)

Administration of Jimmy Carter Executive Orders Disposition Tables EOs 11967–12286 * 1977: Executive Order 11967: Implemented

Proclamation 4483 Proclamation 4483, also known as the Granting Pardon for Violations of the Selective Service Act, was a presidential proclamation issued by Jimmy Carter in 1977. It granted pardons to those who evaded the draft in the Vietnam War by violating the ...

, pardoning draft evaders of the Vietnam War * 1978: Executive Order 12036: Reformed the Intelligence Community and further banned

. * 1979: Executive Order 12148: Established the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

(FEMA) * 1979:

Executive Order 12170 Executive Order 12170 was issued by American president Jimmy Carter on November 14, 1979, ten days after the Iran hostage crisis had started. The executive order, empowered under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, ordered the freezi ...

: Allows the freezing of all

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian assets held within the United States * 1979: Executive Order 12172: Iranian aliens delegation of entry into the United States

Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)

Administration of Ronald Reagan Executive Orders Disposition Tables * 1981:

Executive Order 12333 Executive Order 12333, signed on December 4, 1981 by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, was an Executive Order intended to extend powers and responsibilities of U.S. intelligence agencies and direct the leaders of U.S. federal agencies to co-operat ...

: Strengthened management of the

United States Intelligence Community United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

* 1982: Executive Order 12372: Intergovernmental Review of federal programs * 1987: Executive Order 12601: President's Commission on the HIV Epidemic * 1988:

Executive Order 12656 Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

: Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities * 1988: Executive Order 12631: Working Group on Financial Markets * 1989:

Executive Order 12667 Executive Order 12667 established a procedure for former United States Presidents to limit access to certain records which would otherwise have been released by the National Archives and Records Administration under the Presidential Records Act of 1 ...

: Establishes procedure for access to Presidential Records. (Revoked by

Executive Order 13233 Executive Order 13233 limited access to the records of former United States Presidents to a higher degree than the previous Order 12667, which it superseded. It was drafted by then White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and issued by George W. Bu ...

, November 1, 2001. Restored by Executive Order on January 21, 2009.)

George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)

Administration of George Bush Executive Orders Disposition Tables

Bill Clinton (1993–2001)

Administration of William J. Clinton Executive Orders Disposition Tables

George W. Bush (2001–2009)

Administration of George W. Bush Executive Orders Disposition Tables

Barack Obama (2009–2017)

Administration of Barack Obama Executive Orders Disposition Tables

Donald Trump (2017–2021)

Joe Biden (2021–present)

References

External links

National Archives and Records Administration:
Executive Orders

Codification of Executive Orders

* A list of Executive Orders related to national security, and their texts, can be found at: :

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of United States Federal Executive Orders United States federal policy