WASHINGTON – Of the 49 vice presidents in US history, nine of them – or nearly 1 in 5 – ascended to the presidency due to death or resignation.
The first was John Tyler, who became president after William Henry Harrison died a month into his term. The most recent was Gerald Fordwho took office after the resignation of Richard Nixon.
Now, in 2024, the spotlight is increasingly turning to the vice presidential picks of both parties – Vice President Kamala Harris, a DemocratIt is Republican Senator JD Vance of Ohio — due to the advanced age of the two presidential candidates, as well as a assassination attempt on Republican candidate Donald Trump on Saturday. The vice presidents who ascended to the highest office were behind some significant moments in U.S. history, including Reconstruction, the dropping of atomic bombs to end World War II, and the signing of the Civil Rights Act.
“For most vice presidents, succession is something you have to think about and plan for, but it doesn’t happen,” said Joel Goldstein, a historian and expert on the vice presidency. “But when it happens, you need to be ready.”
The four vice presidents during the 19th century who ascended to the highest office were never elected to a presidential term in their own right, while in the 20th century, four of the five vice presidents who ascended would win the White House as incumbents. Goldstein said from the beginning, party leaders chose running mates and produced tickets that represented opposing wings of a party, or even different parties. This would change in the 20th century, when vice presidential picks had much more impressive résumés and political profiles of their own.
Here are the nine vice presidents who unexpectedly became president — and their moments of power.
Tyler’s presidency is largely forgettable, but his path to office had an important effect on American government. He became president when William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia a month after his inauguration in 1941. There was a brief debate about what the Constitution said should happen next. Should the vice president serve as acting president or actual president? Tyler believed the latter and took the oath, setting an important precedent. He was never elected to a full term and later supported the Confederacy in the Civil War.
Fillmore was another accidental president, taking office after Zachary Taylor became ill and died in 1850. Fillmore’s attempts to mediate disagreements over slavery led to the Compromise of 1850, which allowed California to join the union as a free state, but also expanded efforts to recapture fugitive slaves. Fillmore was never elected to a full term.
Abraham Lincoln was shot to death at the Ford Theater in 1865, near the end of the Civil War, making Johnson the first of four vice presidents to ascend to the presidency after an assassination. Johnson oversaw Reconstruction, which was the reunification of the Confederate states into the Union. The process is widely considered insufficient for failing to achieve equal rights for freed slaves. Johnson became the first president to be impeached during a controversy over the removal of the Secretary of War. Although he was not removed from office, his bid for a full term failed.
Arthur took office after the assassination of James Garfield in 1881. One of his legacies is the civil service system, which protected some federal government positions from being used for political patronage. He also signed legislation banning the immigration of people from China. Arthur was not appointed to a full term.
Roosevelt became the youngest person to serve as president at age 42 when William McKinley was shot and killed in 1901. Roosevelt became known as one of the country’s most impactful and energetic presidents, driving the construction of the Panama Canal and expanding protection of national forests. . He won a full term in 1904 and later unsuccessfully attempted to win another term in 1912 by creating his own political party.
Coolidge became president after Warren Harding died of a heart attack in 1923. He was known for his circumspect leadership, limiting government intrusion into the economy during years of growth. Coolidge was re-elected in 1924, but chose not to run for another term in 1928.
Harry Truman had only been vice president for a few months when Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in 1945. He soon discovered a grave secret: the U.S. government had developed atomic weapons. Truman oversaw the dropping of two bombs on Japan and the end of World War II. He was narrowly reelected in 1948, but dropped out of the race in 1952 when he was on track to lose the Democratic primary.
Johnson became president after John F. Kennedy was assassinated while traveling in a motorcade through Dallas in 1963. He finished Kennedy’s term and won the election in 1964. Johnson enacted sweeping legislation to expand civil rights and social services , but became increasingly unpopular because of the Vietnam War. Johnson surprised the nation by deciding not to seek re-election in 1968.
Ford was appointed vice president by Richard Nixon in 1973 when his first vice president, Spiro Agnew, resigned after pleading guilty to tax evasion. The following year, Ford became president when Nixon left office, when it seemed likely that Congress would impeach and remove him from office because of the Watergate scandal. In his first speech after taking office, Ford told Americans that “I am perfectly aware that you did not elect me as your president through your votes, and so I ask you to confirm me as your president with your prayers.” Ford is remembered for the controversial decision to pardon Nixon for any crimes he committed. Ford never had the opportunity to serve a full term and was defeated by Jimmy Carter in the 1976 election.
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Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
