Clinton White House Opens Public Email Addresses
Event Reviewed Automatically reviewed for factual accuracy, tone, and neutrality. Review does not check claims against cited sources. Last reviewed 26 October 2026.President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore announced public email addresses, president@whitehouse.gov and vice.president@whitehouse.gov, connecting the White House to the public by electronic mail for the first time.
First presidential email address opens the White House to online correspondence.
In a joint letter dated June 1, 1993, Clinton and Gore announced that the White House would be connected to the Internet and to several commercial online services, and that the public could write to them at president@whitehouse.gov and vice.president@whitehouse.gov. The letter described the step as part of keeping “the White House in step with today’s changing technology” and making the Presidency “more accessible to the people.” A later White House account describes Clinton as the first president to have a public email address.
The system initially had no way to reply electronically. The letter said the White House could not yet send tailored responses by email; a July 1993 White House FAQ said messages were being printed out and answered by postal mail, and asked senders to include a mailing address. A later White House FAQ also listed addresses for the First Lady and Mrs. Gore, and reported that the President had received more than 2.8 million email messages since June 1993.
Sources
- 01.
The White House. Letter from the President and Vice President on E-mail. (1993). Archived Clinton White House letter dated June 1, 1993, signed by the President and Vice President. Source for the addresses PRESIDENT@WHITEHOUSE.GOV and VICE.PRESIDENT@WHITEHOUSE.GOV, the statement that 'for the first time in history, the White House will be connected to you via electronic mail', the connection to the Internet and 'several on-line commercial vendors', the stated aim of making the Presidency 'more accessible to the people', and the admission that the White House could not yet send tailored replies by email.
- 02.
The White House. White House Electronic Publications FAQs (July 23, 1993). (1993). Source for email messages being printed out and answered by US mail, with senders asked to include a postal address, and for the system being described as 'still very much an experiment'.
- 03.
The White House. Frequently Asked Questions. Archived Clinton White House FAQ. Source for the addresses later in use, including first.lady@whitehouse.gov and mrs.gore@whitehouse.gov, and for the President having received over 2.8 million messages since June 1993.
- 04.
The White House. Sincerely, Bill Clinton - Presidential Correspondence Today. (2000). Source for the statement that 'in 1993, President Clinton became the first President in history to have a public e-mail address.'
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Reviewed Oct 26, 2026Recent changes
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