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Vice President of the United States: Difference between revisions

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Vice President of the United States (view source)

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The stature of the vice presidency grew again while [[Richard Nixon]] was in office (1953–1961). He attracted the attention of the media and the Republican Party, when [[Dwight Eisenhower]] authorized him to preside at [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet]] meetings in his absence and to assume temporary control of the executive branch, which he did after Eisenhower suffered a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on September 24, 1955, [[ileitis]] in June 1956, and a [[stroke]] in November 1957. Nixon was also visible on the world stage during his time in office.<ref name="JSTOR daily"/>
The stature of the vice presidency grew again while [[Richard Nixon]] was in office (1953–1961). He attracted the attention of the media and the Republican Party, when [[Dwight Eisenhower]] authorized him to preside at [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet]] meetings in his absence and to assume temporary control of the executive branch, which he did after Eisenhower suffered a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on September 24, 1955, [[ileitis]] in June 1956, and a [[stroke]] in November 1957. Nixon was also visible on the world stage during his time in office.<ref name="JSTOR daily"/>


Until 1961, vice presidents had their offices on [[Capitol Hill]], a formal office in the Capitol itself and a working office in the [[Russell Senate Office Building]]. [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] was the first vice president to also be given an office in the White House complex, in the [[Old Executive Office Building]]. The former Navy Secretary's office in the OEOB has since been designated the "Ceremonial Office of the Vice President" and is today used for formal events and press interviews. President [[Jimmy Carter]] was the first president to give his vice president, [[Walter Mondale]], an office in the [[West Wing]] of the White House, which all vice presidents have since retained. Because of their function as president of the Senate, vice presidents still maintain offices and staff members on Capitol Hill. This change came about because Carter held the view that the office of the vice presidency had historically been a wasted asset and wished to have his vice president involved in the decision-making process. Carter pointedly considered, according to Joel Goldstein, the way Roosevelt treated Truman as "immoral".<ref name="WPO 41921">{{cite news|last=Balz|first=Dan|title=Mondale lost the presidency but permanently changed the office of vice presidency|date=April 19, 2021|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mondale-lost-the-presidency-but-permanently-changed-the-office-of-vice-presidency/2021/04/19/478b1a68-a17b-11eb-85fc-06664ff4489d_story.html|access-date=August 2, 2023}}</ref>
Until 1961, vice presidents had their offices on [[Capitol Hill]], a formal office in the Capitol itself and a working office in the [[Russell Senate Office Building]]. Lyndon B. Johnson was the first vice president to also be given an office in the White House complex, in the [[Old Executive Office Building]]. The former Navy Secretary's office in the OEOB has since been designated the "Ceremonial Office of the Vice President" and is today used for formal events and press interviews. President [[Jimmy Carter]] was the first president to give his vice president, [[Walter Mondale]], an office in the [[West Wing]] of the White House, which all vice presidents have since retained. Because of their function as president of the Senate, vice presidents still maintain offices and staff members on Capitol Hill. This change came about because Carter held the view that the office of the vice presidency had historically been a wasted asset and wished to have his vice president involved in the decision-making process. Carter pointedly considered, according to Joel Goldstein, the way Roosevelt treated Truman as "immoral".<ref name="WPO 41921">{{cite news|last=Balz|first=Dan|title=Mondale lost the presidency but permanently changed the office of vice presidency|date=April 19, 2021|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mondale-lost-the-presidency-but-permanently-changed-the-office-of-vice-presidency/2021/04/19/478b1a68-a17b-11eb-85fc-06664ff4489d_story.html|access-date=August 2, 2023}}</ref>


Another factor behind the rise in prestige of the vice presidency was the expanded use of presidential preference primaries for choosing party nominees during the 20th century. By adopting primary voting, the field of candidates for vice president was expanded by both the increased quantity and quality of presidential candidates successful in some primaries, yet who ultimately failed to capture the presidential nomination at the convention.<ref name=VPrising/>  
Another factor behind the rise in prestige of the vice presidency was the expanded use of presidential preference primaries for choosing party nominees during the 20th century. By adopting primary voting, the field of candidates for vice president was expanded by both the increased quantity and quality of presidential candidates successful in some primaries, yet who ultimately failed to capture the presidential nomination at the convention.<ref name=VPrising/>  
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[[Article Two of the United States Constitution#Clause 6: Vacancy and disability|Article II, Section 1, Clause 6]] stipulates that the vice president takes over the "powers and duties" of the presidency in the event of a president's removal, death, resignation, or inability.<ref name=FordhamLaw2011>{{cite journal|last=Feerick|first=John D.|journal=Fordham Law Review|volume=79|issue=3|date=2011|pages=907–949|url=http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4695&context=flr|title=Presidential Succession and Inability: Before and After the Twenty-Fifth Amendment|publisher=[[Fordham University School of Law]]|location=New York City|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=August 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820001749/http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4695&context=flr|url-status=live}}</ref> Even so, it did not clearly state whether the vice president became president or simply [[Acting (law)|acted]] as president in a case of succession. Debate records from the 1787 Constitutional Convention, along with various participants' later writings on the subject, show that the framers of the Constitution intended that the vice president would temporarily exercise the powers and duties of the office in the event of a president's death, disability or removal, but not actually become the president of the United States in their own right.<ref name=PVPS2004OCL>{{cite web|last=Neale|first=Thomas H.|title=Presidential and Vice Presidential Succession: Overview and Current Legislation|work=CRS Report for Congress|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL31761.pdf|publisher=[[Congressional Research Service]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=September 27, 2004|access-date=July 27, 2018|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114173057/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL31761.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=From Failing Hands: the Story of Presidential Succession|last1=Feerick|first1=John D.|last2=Freund|first2=Paul A.|date=1965|url=https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=twentyfifth_amendment_books|publisher=Fordham University Press|location=New York City|page=56|lccn=65-14917|access-date=July 31, 2018|archive-date=November 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120053125/https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=twentyfifth_amendment_books|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Article Two of the United States Constitution#Clause 6: Vacancy and disability|Article II, Section 1, Clause 6]] stipulates that the vice president takes over the "powers and duties" of the presidency in the event of a president's removal, death, resignation, or inability.<ref name=FordhamLaw2011>{{cite journal|last=Feerick|first=John D.|journal=Fordham Law Review|volume=79|issue=3|date=2011|pages=907–949|url=http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4695&context=flr|title=Presidential Succession and Inability: Before and After the Twenty-Fifth Amendment|publisher=[[Fordham University School of Law]]|location=New York City|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=August 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820001749/http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4695&context=flr|url-status=live}}</ref> Even so, it did not clearly state whether the vice president became president or simply [[Acting (law)|acted]] as president in a case of succession. Debate records from the 1787 Constitutional Convention, along with various participants' later writings on the subject, show that the framers of the Constitution intended that the vice president would temporarily exercise the powers and duties of the office in the event of a president's death, disability or removal, but not actually become the president of the United States in their own right.<ref name=PVPS2004OCL>{{cite web|last=Neale|first=Thomas H.|title=Presidential and Vice Presidential Succession: Overview and Current Legislation|work=CRS Report for Congress|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL31761.pdf|publisher=[[Congressional Research Service]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=September 27, 2004|access-date=July 27, 2018|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114173057/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL31761.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=From Failing Hands: the Story of Presidential Succession|last1=Feerick|first1=John D.|last2=Freund|first2=Paul A.|date=1965|url=https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=twentyfifth_amendment_books|publisher=Fordham University Press|location=New York City|page=56|lccn=65-14917|access-date=July 31, 2018|archive-date=November 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120053125/https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=twentyfifth_amendment_books|url-status=live}}</ref>


This understanding was first tested in 1841, following the death of President [[William Henry Harrison]], only {{age in days|March 4, 1841|April 4, 1841}} days into his term. Harrison's vice president, [[John Tyler]], asserted that under the Constitution, he had succeeded to the presidency, not just to its powers and duties. He had himself [[Oath of office of the President of the United States|sworn in]] as president and assumed full presidential powers, refusing to acknowledge documents referring to him as "Acting President".<ref name=JTDA>{{cite web|title=John Tyler: Domestic Affairs|last=Freehling|first=William|date=October 4, 2016|url=https://millercenter.org/president/tyler/domestic-affairs|publisher=Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia|location=Charllotesville, Virginia|access-date=July 29, 2018|archive-date=March 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312033201/https://millercenter.org/president/tyler/domestic-affairs|url-status=live}}</ref> Although some in Congress denounced Tyler's claim as a violation of the Constitution,<ref name=FordhamLaw2011/> he adhered to his position. His view ultimately prevailed as both the Senate and House voted to acknowledge him as president.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1741-5705.2005.00269.x|last=Abbott|first=Philip|title=Accidental Presidents: Death, Assassination, Resignation, and Democratic Succession|journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly|date=December 2005|volume=35|issue=4|pages=627–645|jstor=27552721}}</ref> The "Tyler Precedent" that a vice president assumes the full title and role of president upon the death, resignation, or removal from office (via impeachment conviction) of their predecessor was codified through the [[Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twenty-fifth Amendment]] in 1967.<ref>{{cite web| title=A controversial President who established presidential succession| date=March 29, 2017| url=https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/john-tyler-americas-most-unusual-president| work=Constitution Daily| publisher=[[National Constitution Center]]| location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania| access-date=November 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://law.justia.com/constitution/us/article-2/05-presidential-succession.html| title=Presidential Succession| work=US Law| publisher=Justia| location=Mountain View, California| access-date=July 29, 2018}}</ref> Altogether, nine vice presidents have succeeded to the presidency intra-term. In addition to Tyler, they are [[Millard Fillmore]], [[Andrew Johnson]], [[Chester A. Arthur]], [[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[Calvin Coolidge]], [[Harry S. Truman]], [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], and [[Gerald Ford]]. Four of them—Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, and Lyndon B. Johnson—were later elected to full terms of their own.<ref name=PVPS2004OCL/>
This understanding was first tested in 1841, following the death of President [[William Henry Harrison]], only {{age in days|March 4, 1841|April 4, 1841}} days into his term. Harrison's vice president, [[John Tyler]], asserted that under the Constitution, he had succeeded to the presidency, not just to its powers and duties. He had himself [[Oath of office of the President of the United States|sworn in]] as president and assumed full presidential powers, refusing to acknowledge documents referring to him as "Acting President".<ref name=JTDA>{{cite web|title=John Tyler: Domestic Affairs|last=Freehling|first=William|date=October 4, 2016|url=https://millercenter.org/president/tyler/domestic-affairs|publisher=Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia|location=Charllotesville, Virginia|access-date=July 29, 2018|archive-date=March 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312033201/https://millercenter.org/president/tyler/domestic-affairs|url-status=live}}</ref> Although some in Congress denounced Tyler's claim as a violation of the Constitution,<ref name=FordhamLaw2011/> he adhered to his position. His view ultimately prevailed as both the Senate and House voted to acknowledge him as president.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1741-5705.2005.00269.x|last=Abbott|first=Philip|title=Accidental Presidents: Death, Assassination, Resignation, and Democratic Succession|journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly|date=December 2005|volume=35|issue=4|pages=627–645|jstor=27552721}}</ref> The "Tyler Precedent" that a vice president assumes the full title and role of president upon the death, resignation, or removal from office (via impeachment conviction) of their predecessor was codified through the [[Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twenty-fifth Amendment]] in 1967.<ref>{{cite web| title=A controversial President who established presidential succession| date=March 29, 2017| url=https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/john-tyler-americas-most-unusual-president| work=Constitution Daily| publisher=[[National Constitution Center]]| location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania| access-date=November 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://law.justia.com/constitution/us/article-2/05-presidential-succession.html| title=Presidential Succession| work=US Law| publisher=Justia| location=Mountain View, California| access-date=July 29, 2018}}</ref> Altogether, nine vice presidents have succeeded to the presidency intra-term. In addition to Tyler, they are [[Millard Fillmore]], [[Andrew Johnson]], [[Chester A. Arthur]], [[Theodore Roosevelt]], [[Calvin Coolidge]], [[Harry S. Truman]], Lyndon B. Johnson, and [[Gerald Ford]]. Four of them—Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, and Lyndon B. Johnson—were later elected to full terms of their own.<ref name=PVPS2004OCL/>


Four sitting vice presidents have been elected president: [[John Adams]] in [[1796 United States presidential election|1796]], [[Thomas Jefferson]] in [[1800 United States presidential election|1800]], [[Martin Van Buren]] in [[1836 United States presidential election|1836]], and [[George H. W. Bush]] in [[1988 United States presidential election|1988]]. Likewise, two former vice presidents have won the presidency, [[Richard Nixon]] in [[1968 United States presidential election|1968]] and [[Joe Biden]] in [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]]. Also, in recent decades four incumbent vice presidents lost a presidential election: Nixon in [[1960 United States presidential election|1960]], Hubert Humphrey in 1968, Al Gore in [[2000 United States presidential election|2000]], and [[Kamala Harris]] in [[2024 United States presidential election|2024]]. Additionally, former vice president Walter Mondale lost in [[1984 United States presidential election|1984]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Does the Vice Presidency Give Joe Biden an Advantage in the Race to the Top? Here's How VPs Before Him Fared|last=Waxman|first=Olivia|date=April 25, 2019|url=https://time.com/5549797/joe-biden-president-2020-history/|magazine=Time|access-date=December 10, 2021}}</ref> In total, 15 vice presidents have become president.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insider.com/vice-presidents-who-became-president-2020-12|title=15 vice presidents who became president themselves|first=Talia|last=Lakritz|website=Insider}}</ref>
Four sitting vice presidents have been elected president: [[John Adams]] in [[1796 United States presidential election|1796]], [[Thomas Jefferson]] in [[1800 United States presidential election|1800]], [[Martin Van Buren]] in [[1836 United States presidential election|1836]], and [[George H. W. Bush]] in [[1988 United States presidential election|1988]]. Likewise, two former vice presidents have won the presidency, [[Richard Nixon]] in [[1968 United States presidential election|1968]] and [[Joe Biden]] in [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]]. Also, in recent decades four incumbent vice presidents lost a presidential election: Nixon in [[1960 United States presidential election|1960]], Hubert Humphrey in 1968, Al Gore in [[2000 United States presidential election|2000]], and [[Kamala Harris]] in [[2024 United States presidential election|2024]]. Additionally, former vice president Walter Mondale lost in [[1984 United States presidential election|1984]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Does the Vice Presidency Give Joe Biden an Advantage in the Race to the Top? Here's How VPs Before Him Fared|last=Waxman|first=Olivia|date=April 25, 2019|url=https://time.com/5549797/joe-biden-president-2020-history/|magazine=Time|access-date=December 10, 2021}}</ref> In total, 15 vice presidents have become president.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insider.com/vice-presidents-who-became-president-2020-12|title=15 vice presidents who became president themselves|first=Talia|last=Lakritz|website=Insider}}</ref>
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{{main|United States presidential inauguration}}
{{main|United States presidential inauguration}}
[[File:Johnson, Nixon, Agnew, Humphrey cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|Four vice presidents: (from left) outgoing president [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] (the 37th vice president), incoming president [[Richard Nixon]] (36th), ([[Everett Dirksen]] administering oath), incoming vice president [[Spiro Agnew]] (39th), and outgoing vice president [[Hubert Humphrey]] (38th), January 20, 1969]]
[[File:Johnson, Nixon, Agnew, Humphrey cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|Four vice presidents: (from left) outgoing president Lyndon B. Johnson (the 37th vice president), incoming president [[Richard Nixon]] (36th), ([[Everett Dirksen]] administering oath), incoming vice president [[Spiro Agnew]] (39th), and outgoing vice president [[Hubert Humphrey]] (38th), January 20, 1969]]


Pursuant to the [[Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twentieth Amendment]], the vice president's term of office begins at noon on January 20, as does the president's.<ref>{{cite web| title=The Twentieth Amendment| last1=Larson| first1=Edward J.| last2=Shesol| first2=Jeff| url=https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-xx| work=The Interactive Constitution| publisher=The National Constitution Center| location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania| access-date=June 15, 2018| archive-date=August 28, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828202655/https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-xx| url-status=live}}</ref> The first presidential and vice presidential terms to begin on this date, known as [[United States presidential inauguration|Inauguration Day]], were the [[Second inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt|second terms]] of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and Vice President [[John Nance Garner]] in 1937.<ref name=HHistory1201937>{{cite web|title=The First Inauguration after the Lame Duck Amendment: January 20, 1937|url=http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35948?ret=True|publisher=Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives|location=Washington, D.C.|access-date=July 24, 2018|archive-date=July 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725033713/http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35948?ret=True|url-status=live}}</ref> Previously, Inauguration Day was on March 4. As a result of the date change, both men's first terms (1933–1937) were short of four years by {{age in days|1937|1|20|1937|3|4}} days.<ref name=GPOCONAN20171021>{{cite web|title=Commencement of the Terms of Office: Twentieth Amendment|work=Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation|url=https://www.congress.gov/content/conan/pdf/GPO-CONAN-2017-10-21.pdf|publisher=United States Government Printing Office, Library of Congress|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=2297–98|access-date=July 24, 2018|archive-date=July 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725033538/https://www.congress.gov/content/conan/pdf/GPO-CONAN-2017-10-21.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
Pursuant to the [[Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twentieth Amendment]], the vice president's term of office begins at noon on January 20, as does the president's.<ref>{{cite web| title=The Twentieth Amendment| last1=Larson| first1=Edward J.| last2=Shesol| first2=Jeff| url=https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-xx| work=The Interactive Constitution| publisher=The National Constitution Center| location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania| access-date=June 15, 2018| archive-date=August 28, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828202655/https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-xx| url-status=live}}</ref> The first presidential and vice presidential terms to begin on this date, known as [[United States presidential inauguration|Inauguration Day]], were the [[Second inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt|second terms]] of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and Vice President [[John Nance Garner]] in 1937.<ref name=HHistory1201937>{{cite web|title=The First Inauguration after the Lame Duck Amendment: January 20, 1937|url=http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35948?ret=True|publisher=Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives|location=Washington, D.C.|access-date=July 24, 2018|archive-date=July 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725033713/http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35948?ret=True|url-status=live}}</ref> Previously, Inauguration Day was on March 4. As a result of the date change, both men's first terms (1933–1937) were short of four years by {{age in days|1937|1|20|1937|3|4}} days.<ref name=GPOCONAN20171021>{{cite web|title=Commencement of the Terms of Office: Twentieth Amendment|work=Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation|url=https://www.congress.gov/content/conan/pdf/GPO-CONAN-2017-10-21.pdf|publisher=United States Government Printing Office, Library of Congress|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=2297–98|access-date=July 24, 2018|archive-date=July 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725033538/https://www.congress.gov/content/conan/pdf/GPO-CONAN-2017-10-21.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
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| 16 || {{dts|November 22, 1963}} –{{indent|2}}January 20, 1965
| 16 || {{dts|November 22, 1963}} –{{indent|2}}January 20, 1965
| {{sort|108|[[First inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson|Accession]]}} of [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] as president
| {{sort|108|[[First inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson|Accession]]}} of Lyndon B. Johnson as president
| {{ayd|1963|11|22|1965|01|20}}
| {{ayd|1963|11|22|1965|01|20}}
| [[1964 United States presidential election|Election of 1964]]
| [[1964 United States presidential election|Election of 1964]]
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