In Photos: State Dinners Held by Past U.S. Presidents

President Johnson kisses the hand of Mrs. Humphrey, as her husband, the Vice President watches. Attendants of the final state dinner of Johnson’s administration gathered for the portrait: including the Amir of Kuwait, Shaikh Sabah, the guest of honor.

Bettmann / Getty

Officials, celebrities and important people from all walks of life sit down with President and Mrs. Nixon and the nation’s astronauts for a state dinner on August 13, 1969 at the Los Angeles Century Plaza Hotel. At the head table are the Nixons, along with Vice President and Mrs. Agnew and the Apollo 11 astronauts and wives.

AP

President and Mrs. Ford escort Queen Elizabeth II into the White House as she and Prince Phillip arrive for a State Dinner in their honor.

Bettmann / Getty

Ann-Margret and back-up dancers perform during the entertainment portion of a state dinner honoring the Shah of Iran on May 15, 1975.

President Ford White House Photographic Office / National Archives

First Lady Betty Ford and comedian Marty Allen dance in the Entrance Hall of the White House on September 21, 1976, during the state dinner for the President and First Lady of the Republic of Liberia.

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library / Karl Schumacher