Executive Order 11462 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)
Executive Order 11462—Providing for the Closing of Government Departments and Agencies on March 31, 1969, and For the Granting of Administrative Leave on March 28, 1969
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
This executive order, signed by President Richard Nixon on 1969-03-28, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Providing for the Closing of Government Departments and Agencies on March 31, 1969, and For the Granting of Administrative Leave on March 28, 1969." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.
Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
▪All executive departments, independent establishments, and other governmental agencies, including their field services, shall be closed on Monday, March 31, 1969, as a mark of respect for General of the Army Dwight David Eisenhower, the thirty-fourth President of the United States.
▪Of this order shall not apply to those offices and installations, or parts thereof, in the Department of State, the Department of Defense, or other departments, independent establishments, and governmental agencies which the heads thereof determine should remain open for reasons of national security or defense or other public reasons.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments
🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities
🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants
🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
Total Words
183
1,140 characters
Estimated Read Time
1 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
16.5
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 11462, Richard Nixon (Mar 28, 1969). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-11462-providing-for-the-closing-government-departments-and-agencies-march.
Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows: SECTION 1. All executive departments, independent establishments, and other governmental agencies, including their field services, shall be closed on Monday, March 31, 1969, as a mark of respect for General of the Army Dwight David Eisenhower, the thirty-fourth President of the United States. SEC. 2. Section 1 of this order shall not apply to those offices and installations, or parts thereof, in the Department of State, the Department of Defense, or other departments, independent establishments, and governmental agencies which the heads thereof determine should remain open for reasons of national security or defense or other public reasons. SEC. 3. The heads of executive departments, independent establishments, and other Government agencies may excuse from duty for the remainder of his tour of duty on Friday, March 28, 1969, without charge to leave, any employee engaged in the performance of his duty at the time of the death of General Eisenhower at 12:25 p.m. on that day. RICHARD NIXON The White House March 28, 1969
