Several United States presidents have made presidential visits to Australia and New Zealand. The first visit by an incumbent to these Australasian nations was made in 1966 by Lyndon B. Johnson. His three-day five-city visit to Australia was intended as a show of gratitude to the Australian nation for its then emphatic support for the Vietnam War.[1] Four presidents have traveled there since. Prior to arriving in Australia, Johnson visited New Zealand. He went primarily to shore up support for the war in Vietnam.[2] Only one sitting president has visited since.
Australia
edit| President | Dates | Locations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyndon B. Johnson | October 20–23, 1966 | Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville | State visit. Met with Governor–General Richard Casey and Prime Minister Harold Holt.[3] |
| December 21–23, 1967 | Canberra, Melbourne Sydney | Attended funeral of Prime Minister Holt and conferred with other attending dignitaries and heads of state.[3] | |
| George H. W. Bush | December 31, 1991 – January 3, 1992 |
Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne | Met with Prime Minister Paul Keating and senior Australian officials. Addressed the Australian Parliament.[4] |
| Bill Clinton | November 19–23, 1996 | Sydney, Canberra, Port Douglas |
State Visit. Addressed Parliament and visited the Great Barrier Reef.[5] |
| George W. Bush | October 22, 2003 | Canberra | Met with Prime Minister John Howard and addressed Parliament.[6] |
| September 3–8, 2007 | Sydney | Attended 19th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Meeting.[6] | |
| Barack Obama | November 16–17, 2011 | Canberra, Darwin |
Met with Prime Minister Julia Gillard; announced a new military cooperation agreement.[7] |
| November 15–16, 2014 | Brisbane, | Attended the G-20 Summit Meeting.[7][8] |
New Zealand
edit| President | Dates | Locations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyndon B. Johnson | October 19–20, 1966 | Wellington | State visit. Met with Prime Minister Keith Holyoake.[3] |
| Bill Clinton | September 11–15, 1999 | Auckland, Queenstown, Christchurch |
State visit. Met with Prime minister Jenny Shipley. Attended 11th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders meeting.[5] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Humphries, David (November 12, 2011). "LBJ came all the way – but few followed". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ "New Zealand's day with LBJ: 19 October 1966". nzhistory.net.nz. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. October 23, 2014. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Travels of President Lyndon B. Johnson". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on July 9, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "Travels of President George H. W. Bush". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ a b "Travels of President William J. Clinton". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ a b "Travels of President George W. Bush". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ a b "Travels of President Barack Obama". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ "US President Obama, remarks at G20 Press Conference, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane". g20australia.org. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.