Notice: Due to ongoing construction, 4 East is currently closed to the public.  To obtain items located on 4 East, please place an online request for the item to be paged for you using the ‘Place Request’ button in the catalog. Please visit our Circulation FAQ page for assistance in using our catalog.
Notice: Due to ongoing construction, 4 East is currently closed to the public.  To obtain items located on 4 East, please place an online request for the item to be paged for you using the ‘Place Request’ button in the catalog. Please visit our Circulation FAQ page for assistance in using our catalog.
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U.S. Presidential Audio Recordings

The Voices of American Presidents have been captured by audio pioneers since the early days of sound recording. The invention of Edison's phonograph ushered in a new era of "recorded" history, beginning with President Benjamin Harrison in the late nineteenth century to the present day administration. The MSU Vincent Voice Library is working to preserve over 100 years of historical spoken word recordings like those of the U.S. Presidents, and is pleased to share these sound samples from its collection.

Click on a President below to hear some recordings from the G. Robert Vincent Voice Library featuring that President. 

"Benjamin Harrison, three-quarter length portrait, seated, facing left, with right hand on table"

Benjamin Harrison

William McKinley, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing right

William McKinley

Theodore Roosevelt, three quarter length portrait, facing front

Theodore Roosevelt

William Taft, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left

William Howard Taft

Woodrow Wilson, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left

Woodrow Wilson

Senator Warren G. Harding, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front

Warren G. Harding

Calvin Coolidge, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing right

Calvin Coolidge

Herbert Hoover, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly right

Herbert Hoover

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Harry Truman, half-length portrait, facing front

Harry S. Truman

Dwight D. Eisenhower, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly left

Dwight D. Eisenhower

President John F. Kennedy, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front

John F. Kennedy

Lyndon B. Johnson, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left

Lyndon B. Johnson

Richard M. Nixon, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front

Richard M. Nixon

Gerald R. Ford, half-length portrait, facing front, with arms crossed

Gerald R. Ford

Jimmy Carter, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front, next to an American flag

Jimmy Carter

Ronald Reagan, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front

Ronald Reagan

George Bush, half-length portrait, facing front

George H.W. Bush

Bill Clinton, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front

Bill Clinton

President Bush poses for his official portrait in the Roosevelt Room (blue tie)

George W. Bush

Official portrait of President-elect Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Official portrait of President Donald J. Trump

Donald J. Trump

Official portrait of President Joe Biden, taken in the Library room at the White House

 Joe Biden