Michigan’s 1835 constitution required the Governor to “communicate by message, to the legislature, at every session the condition of the state, and recommend such matters . . . as he shall deem expedient.” Thus was born the Governor’s Message to the Legislature, which was given by each governor to the Senate, House, and state officers. In the 1950s, under Governor Williams, the speech was rebranded as the State of the State Address, a clear nod to the President's State of the Union.
Many Governors use this speech to advocate for new initiatives. For example, on November 3, 1835, newly elected Governor Stevens T. Mason gave the first such speech. He affirmed that laws enacted during the territorial period automatically transitioned into state laws and reminded the Legislature that they needed to elect two U.S. Senators. He also tacitly acknowledged that the federal government still considered Michigan a territory.
In 1855, Kingsley Bingham, a lawyer and farmer, endorsed the creation of a state agricultural school. Within just a few weeks, the legislature passed, and he signed, a law creating the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan (MSU).
Though traditionally a day-time event, a new approach in the 1980s saw the address moved to seven o'clock in the evening, perfect for prime-time television broadcasting. Now Michigan residents could watch the entire speech from the comfort of their living rooms.
Records strongly suggest that most governors read, or delivered, their messages in person, unless ill health intervened. They normally gave the speech in the House Chamber, the largest assembly room in each Capitol.
At least two Governors have given State of the State addresses outside of the Capitol, though. Governor James Blanchard spoke at Dart Auditorium in January 1990, when the House Chamber was under construction during the Capitol’s 1987-1992 restoration. It was attended by legislators and other state officials.
Governor Whitmer gave two virtual State of the State addresses during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021, she spoke from her Capitol Office, and in 2022, she addressed the state from the Detroit Diesel Plant in Redford, Michigan.
-Valerie Marvin, Capitol Historian