Dead Presidents
By Anthony Bergen
E-Mail: bergen.anthony@gmail.com
Few people would debate the fact that the Presidency is one of the most difficult, stressful jobs in the world. By comparing photographs of how a President looked on Inauguration Day and how he looked a couple of years later it’s apparent that the the long hours and heavy responsibilities seem to rapidly age the occupants of the White House. It’s a dangerous job, too. Of the 43 men who have held the office, eight Presidents have died in office — four by natural causes and four by the bullets of assassins.
Surprisingly, many Presidents have lived past the CIA’s 2011 estimate for life expectancy in the United States (75.9 years for men) and far beyond the life expectancy for American men of the era that they lived in. Of the 43 Presidents, 15 have surpassed the life expectancy for American men in 2011, as estimated by the CIA:
•Gerald Ford: 93 years, 165 days (Died in 2006)
•Ronald Reagan: 93 years, 120 days (Died in 2004)
•John Adams: 90 years, 247 days (Died in 1826)
•Herbert Hoover: 90 years, 71 days (Died in 1964)
•Harry S. Truman: 88 years, 232 days (Died in 1972)
•George H.W. Bush: Still living — will turn 88 on June 12
•Jimmy Carter: Still living — will turn 88 on October 1
•James Madison: 85 years, 104 days (Died in 1836)
•Thomas Jefferson: 83 years, 82 days (Died in 1826)
•Richard Nixon: 81 years, 103 days (Died in 1994)
•John Quincy Adams: 80 years, 227 days (Died in 1848)
•Martin Van Buren: 79 years, 231 days (Died in 1862)
•Dwight D. Eisenhower: 78 years, 165 days (Died in 1969)
•Andrew Jackson: 78 years, 85 days (Died in 1845)
•James Buchanan: 77 years, 39 days (Died in 1868)
Even Confederate President Jefferson Davis exceeded the current life expectancy for American men. Davis was 81 years, 186 days old when he died in 1889.
The wives of the Presidents also tend to lead lengthy lives. The CIA’s estimate for life expectancy among American women in 2011 is 80.9 years. Eighteen of the Presidents wives have exceeded the present life expectancy for American women:
•Bess Truman: 97 years, 247 days (Died in 1982)
•Lady Bird Johnson: 94 years, 201 days (Died in 2007)
•Betty Ford: 93 years, 91 days (Died in 2011)
•Nancy Reagan: Still living — will turn 91 on July 6
•Jane Wyman Reagan: 90 years, 248 days (Died in 2007; Divorced Reagan in 1949)
•Mary Harrison: 89 years, 250 days (Died in 1948)
•Edith Wilson: 89 years, 64 days (Died in 1961)
•Anna Harrison: 88 years, 215 days (Died in 1864)
•Sarah Polk: 87 years, 344 days (Died in 1891)
•Edith Roosevelt: 87 years, 45 days (Died in 1948)
•Barbara Bush: Still living — will turn 87 on June 8
•Lucretia Garfield: 85 years, 329 days (Died in 1918)
•Rosalynn Carter: Still living — will turn 85 on August 18
•Frances Cleveland: 83 years, 100 days (Died in 1947)
•Mamie Eisenhower: 82 years, 350 days (Died in 1979)
•Helen Taft: 82 years, 140 days (Died in 1943)
•Pat Nixon: 81 years, 98 days (Died in 1993)
•Dolley Madison: 81 years, 53 days (Died in 1849)
emmgtv Asks:
deadpresidents Said:
Yes, it is one of those fascinating little facts that make me enjoy history so much. Old “Cactus Jack” Garner saw and experienced a lot during his long life — he was just about two weeks short of 99 years old when he died in 1967. Another interesting tidbit about Cactus Jack: he was born during a Johnson Administration (Andrew’s) and died during a Johnson Administration (Lyndon’s).
nedzissou Asks:
deadpresidents Said:
I doubt Huntsman would agree to be anyone’s running mate. If a Republican other than Huntsman is nominated, I think Huntsman would probably set his sights on the Presidency in 2016 when he’d still be a viable candidate, particularly if he wasn’t someone’s running mate in 2012.
With that said, would he be a good choice for a someone choosing a Vice President? Absolutely. He obviously couldn’t be Romney’s running mate because while the country’s voters might be amenable to one Mormon on the ticket, two Mormons would scare off many more voters. For anyone else, though, Huntsman would provide a great balance to the ticket in many different ways. He has foreign policy credentials, he’s relatively young, he has experience as an executive, and there are geographical benefits that he would bring to the ticket, as well.
Electorally (and by “Electorally”, I mean within the Electoral College), Huntsman as a Vice Presidential running mate doesn’t bring much to the table simply because Utah is already solid as concrete for the Republicans (the media could comfortably project a Republican victory in Utah today and still be correct in November) and its 6 Electoral votes aren’t a game changer. If he did agree to be someone’s running mate, though, Huntsman would be a good choice. A Gingrich/Huntsman ticket might not win the 2012 election, but it would be a formidable matchup for Obama/Biden.
xtrace Asks:
deadpresidents Said:
I think one of the most significant impacts was in the most recent Presidential campaign, 2008. While I think Barack Obama would have won the 2008 election no matter who John McCain tabbed to be his running mate, I know many Republicans, independents, and undecideds who decided against voting for McCain specifically because of Sarah Palin. I think the 2008 election would have been much closer if McCain had picked a different running mate because Palin scared a lot of people off. I don’t believe McCain’s age became a real factor until he chose an obviously unprepared running mate as his potential Vice President. The Palin choice was just a complete disaster, and it definitely hurt McCain.
As for my “opposition research” (by which you mean who would be a good running mate for a Republican candidate such as Jon Huntsman), I think there are some dangerous combinations that the Democrats would hate facing in 2012. Jon Huntsman/Fred Thompson, Jon Huntsman/Mike Huckabee, Jon Huntsman/Tom Ridge, Huntsman/Tommy Thompson, Huntsman/Pawlenty — those would all be tough tickets to face. If I were the Democrats the ticket that would have me shaking in my boots would be Huntsman/Lindsey Graham. Graham has many of the credentials that Huntsman is lacking with Conservatives and the Republican base and give the ticket geographic balance, as well.
Anonymous Asks:
deadpresidents Said:
We’ll try to keep it more modern because it gets tougher the further back into history we go.
Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, and Henry A. Wallace would have been pretty terrible Presidents. If Agnew hadn’t been forced to resign in disgrace, I’m pretty sure that Nixon would have survived Watergate because nobody in Congress (in either party) was interested in seeing “President Agnew”. Quayle was in over his head as Vice President, so he would have been a disaster as President. Wallace was a weird dude all around, and the Democrats dropped him from the ticket in 1944 because they knew FDR was probably going to die in office and they didn’t want Wallace succeeding him.
I think Joe Biden would be a great President. Gore would have been pretty good, as would have been Mondale and Rockefeller. Rockefeller was a solid executive as Governor of New York, and kind of got a raw deal in 1976 when the Republicans forced President Ford to dump him from the ticket in favor of Bob Dole to placate the Conservatives in the GOP after Ronald Reagan’s primary challenge. Rockefeller had been a loyal VP for Ford, and it simply wasn’t fair to jettison him, although Rockefeller continued being a good soldier despite that. President Ford later said that one of his biggest political regrets was dumping Rockefeller from the ticket in ‘76.
bbkld Asks:
deadpresidents Said:
Seven Vice Presidents have died in office (eight Presidents have died in office), and all of them died of natural causes. There has never been an assassination attempt on a Vice President of the United States.
Here are the Vice Presidents who died in office:
•George Clinton: Vice President under both Jefferson and Madison from 1805-1812; died in office in 1812
•Elbridge Gerry: President Madison’s second Vice President, served from 1813 until his death in 1814; both of Madison’s Vice Presidents died in office
•William Rufus DeVane King: President Pierce’s Vice President was gravely ill when he was inaugurated and served only six weeks in 1853 before his death
•Henry Wilson: President Grant’s second Vice President served from 1873 until his death in 1875
•Thomas Andrews Hendricks: The Vice President during President Cleveland’s first term, Hendricks died less than 9 months after his inauguration in 1885
•Garret Augustus Hobart: President McKinley’s first Vice President, Hobart served from 1897 until November 1899; as you mentioned, had Hobart lived, he would have assumed the Presidency when McKinley was assassinated in 1901
•James Schoolcraft Sherman: President Taft’s Vice President; Sherman was the Republican nominee in 1912 as well, but died less than a week before he and Taft faced the voters at their attempt at reelection
By the way, one last note: Hobart was probably the most well-prepared Vice President for the Presidency until the mid-20th Century. President McKinley and Vice President Hobart were extremely close, and Hobart had much more power and influence than any Vice President from 1789 up until LBJ or possibly even Walter Mondale. Hobart was considered almost an “assistant President” during McKinley’s Administration.
Veeps: Profiles In Insignificance
By Bill Kelter and Wayne Shellabarger
Hardcover. 287 pages.
Top Shelf Productions. 2008.
After all of these years of reading about Presidents, I’ve finally, finally, finally found a book about the Vice Presidents of the United States. You’d be surprised how difficult it is to find a book about all of the Vice Presidents. Not very many have ever been written, and it’s probably because it’s hard to write about guys like Daniel D. Tompkins, William Almon Wheeler, Levi Parsons Morton, and James Schoolcraft Sherman.
Veeps: Profiles In Insignificance (Top Shelf Productions, 2008) is a hilarious, informative look at the Vice Presidents – an unusual group of men who have had a star-crossed history that doesn’t quite match up with that of their Presidential counterparts. In Veeps, Bill Kelter writes about these unusual leaders and Wayne Shellabarger illustrates the history and shows us what some of these little-known men looked like. It’s a creative, original, really cool book and I enjoyed reading it.
Our Vice Presidents have included murderers (Aaron Burr), drunks, senile old men, criminals, and so many VPs who have died in office, quit, or assumed the Presidency that the Vice Presidency has been actually been vacant for over THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS of this nation’s history.
The most fascinating (and frightening) aspect of Veeps is what a collection of weirdos we’ve elected to the second highest office in the land throughout our history. Not only that, but most of them have been relegated to the background and have had absolutely no power, no influence, and even no relationship with the President that they served along. Veeps covers 46 Vice Presidents (the book was published before the election of Joe Biden as Vice President #47) and Kelter and Shellabarger shows us that only about four of them had any serious influence (Garret A. Hobart, Walter Mondale, Al Gore, and Dick Cheney).
Now, a scholarly study of the Vice Presidency and Vice Presidents would probably not be everyone’s cup of tea, so don’t worry, Veeps is not that. It is certainly informative and I definitely learned a lot by reading Veeps, but this is a funny book. The subject matter is humorous because there’s just something funny about the Vice Presidency, and it helps that we’ve had so many goofy Vice Presidents (Spiro Agnew, anybody?). Bill Kelter is also a hilarious writer and Wayne Shellabarger adds to the humor of Veeps with his great art. And don’t neglect to check out the index, which might be the greatest index in the history of books.
Veeps is a great read. I loved it, and couldn’t put it down until it was finished. It’s also a great-looking book, with fantastic art and a sweet design. I highly recommend Veeps: Profiles In Insignificance by Bill Kelter and Wayne Shellabarger, which is available now. You can order the cool-looking book or download it for your Kindle now. Also, check out Kelter and Shellabarger’s companion website, www.veeps.us.
deadpresidents Said:
Definitely Vice President Cheney. I don’t think there’s any real argument to that; he was the most influential and most powerful Vice President within any Administration in American History.
Other Vice Presidents who come close are pretty much all recent VPs: Al Gore, Joe Biden, George H.W. Bush, and Walter Mondale. The only non-modern Vice President would be Garret Hobart, who was President McKinley’s first Vice President (he died in office in 1899) and was the only VP until Mondale to have an office in the White House. Hobart was so influential in the McKinley Administration that he was referred to at the time as “Assistant President”.
emotionally-stable Asks:
deadpresidents Said:
Silly Canadians.
No, I’m just kidding. We really do have a strange system and it doesn’t help that for the first few elections in our history (Washington, Adams, Jefferson) the Electoral College did work differently. At that time, the person who came in second in the Electoral vote count was the Vice President. This meant, in the case of Adams and Jefferson for example, that President Adams’s Vice President was his opponent in the 1796 election. Imagine if that happened today? The runner-up was the Vice President. It would be a mess, and was a mess, which is why they changed the process with the Twelfth Amendment after the raucous election of 1800 (blame Aaron Burr, we blame him for everything else anyway).
Today, the Presidential and Vice Presidential electoral votes are awarded in such a way that I believe it is impossible for running mates not to be elected together. Now, I could technically be wrong and there may be some loopholes that would allow something different, but I think it’s highly unlikely. There are such things as “faithless electors”, which are Presidential electors who are chosen by the people of a state to award a vote to a certain candidate, but whom disregard the instructions of their voters and award the vote to someone else. For example, in 1976 a Presidential elector from Washington was pledged to vote for Gerald Ford, but instead awarded his electoral vote to Ronald Reagan. I am assuming that there is a loophole that would technically allow “faithless electors” to band together and faithlessly elect someone else, but I don’t think it would stand Constitutionally.
Good question. The Electoral College is a very complex system and it’s always good to discuss it further and help clarify questions about it. Unfortunately, in the process, I usually end up asking myself more questions about the system afterward.
Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption
By Jules Witcover
Hardcover. 536 pp.
October 5, 2010. William Morrow
Over the years, I have often felt and frequently been told that my lifelong passion for Presidential History has been somewhat unique and a definite niche hobby. I’m fine with that and have even embraced it. With the popularity of Dead Presidents, I actually have found that my passion is not as unusual as I once thought, but Jules Witcover really is an expert is a niche subject. A prolific author, longtime political reporter, and well-respected historian, Witcover is probably the preeminent (and perhaps only) VICE PRESIDENTIAL historian and has written several books on Vice Presidents and the Vice Presidency including this most recent title, Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption (2010, William Morrow) on our current Vice President, Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. of Delaware.
In Joe Biden, Witcover tells the story of Vice President Biden’s fascinating rise in American politics and a life that would be hard-to-believe if it wasn’t so very real. The 47th Vice President was born in the working-class town of Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1942 and moved to Delaware as a child. While growing up, Biden excelled at sports and socializing, overcoming a severe stuttering problem, but not exactly establishing himself as a prodigy at school. Biden’s grades were never impressive, but he got by on his personality and natural charisma. As he entered college, Biden was unsure of what he wanted to do for his career but drifted towards politics by way of studying law, first at the University of Delaware and then at Syracuse University’s College of Law.
Biden chose Syracuse because he had fallen in love with Neilia Hunter after meeting her during a Spring Break trip with friends to the Bahamas in 1964. Witcover tells the story of Biden’s love and life with Neilia, who he was instantly taken by. The feeling was mutual and the couple was virtually inseparable despite the distance between his Delaware home and her home near Syracuse, New York. Because of Neilia’s location — and for no other reason — Biden specifically chose to attend Syracuse. His academic struggles continued at Syracuse, but Biden worked hard when he had to and graduated in 1968. He was admitted to the Delaware State Bar a year later and began work as a lawyer in Wilmington.
While at law school in Syracuse in 1966, Biden and Neilia were married despite the initial misgivings of Neilia’s parents due to Biden’s Catholicism. After starting to practice corporate law in Wilmington, Biden quickly became dissatisfied with what he was doing and started wondering whether or not it was too early to begin his political career. Most Delawareans and close advisors told Biden that he was too young, but Biden felt otherwise. In 1969, he ran for the New Castle County Council and surprisingly won his normally Republican district. Two years later, he took a bigger leap.
In Joe Biden, Witcover does a great job of explaining Biden’s mindset and personality, which makes seemingly risky decisions — like running for the United States Senate in 1972 at the age of 29 against a popular incumbent who had been in elected office in Delaware nearly as long as Biden had been alive — make sense. Biden is a fighter and always has been, and not a patient fighter, at that. When he challenged Cale Boggs in 1972, Biden wasn’t even Constitutionally eligible to take his seat in the United States Senate until two weeks after his election victory. Running a smart, positive, and respectful campaign, Biden and his young family and energetic campaign style connected with the people of Delaware and he narrowly defeated the veteran Senator Boggs. At just 30 years old, Biden was about to become one of the youngest Senators in American History.
Just two weeks before he was about to be sworn in to the Senate, however, Biden’s life took a tragic turn. On December 18, 1972, his beloved wife Neilia and his 1-year-old daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident while Christmas shopping in Delaware. His two sons, Beau, 3, and Hunter, 2, were critically injured in the accident. Angry and despondent, Biden decided that he would resign his position before taking his seat in order to care for his two young sons. The powerful Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield, however, saw that the Senate — and particularly the Democratic Party — needed Biden and that the crestfallen Biden needed the Senate. By offering plum committe placements for a freshman and giving Biden tons of moral support, he persuaded Biden to take his Senate seat. Biden took the oath of office in the hospital room of his injured sons and commuted daily from Wilmington, Delware to Washington, D.C. via Amtrak in order to be home every night for his boys. The 90-minute Amtrak ride from Delaware to Washington became a tradition that Biden continued for his entire 36 years in the Senate.
After some initial trouble, Biden quickly found his way in the Senate and the tragic events which took the lives of his wife and daughter drove him to be an even better father for his boys than Senator for Delaware. As Witcover explains in Joe Biden, there was never a time that Biden ever sacrificed his family for his career, believing strongly that Delaware could always find another Senator but his sons could never find another father. Family has always been a big thing for Biden. His campaign manager early in his career was his sister, Valerie, and his father, mother, and brothers were a strong support system throughout his career. Biden found inspiration and learned lessons from his family history. Due to some instances of alcoholism in other branches of his family, Biden has been a lifelong teetotaler. Throughout his long and busy career, Biden has remained devoted to his family.
That is just the beginning of Joe Biden’s remarkable career. Throughout his book, Jules Witcover gives examples of Biden’s tenacity, famed loquaciousness, indefatigable work ethic, and steady rise through the Senate leadership. Only thirteen Senators in American History have served in the Senate longer than Joe Biden and Jules Witcover chronicles Biden’s important role as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and longtime membership on the Senator Foreign Relations Committee. For years, Biden was one of the most important voices in Foreign Relations in American government — a big reason for his choice as Vice President by Barack Obama in 2008.
As the title denotes, Biden’s life is truly one of trial and redemption. With the triumphs came troubles besides the tragedy. Biden suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms and his 1988 campaign for the Presidency was derailed by accusations of plagiarism. Biden’s famous loquaciousness has often caused him trouble due to verbal gaffes or blunt comments that some have found offensive. It is that same verbosity, combined with his supreme self-confidence and real political skill, which has made Biden a refreshing politician in a world of filters and censorship.
In 2008, Biden once again made a run for the Presidency, but quickly bowed out when it became clear that he couldn’t overcome the popularity and excitement for Democratic rivals Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards. But campaigning against each other in the early primary contests and Democratic debates helped build a relationship between Obama and Biden that had never found ground in the Senate. Biden’s abilities and qualifications made an impression on Obama and Biden found Obama to be a serious, capable leader. After Obama clinched the nomination, Biden suggested that he give the Vice Presidency to Hillary Clinton. Obama vetted a long list of potential VP’s, but Rahm Emanuel — later Obama’s Chief of Staff — felt that Obama always knew his choice would be Biden.
The Vice Presidency may not have been the culmination Joe Biden saw for his career, but he has taken the role on as a great honor and served President Obama loyally. In Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption Jules Witcover talks about why Biden took the Vice Presidential nomination, what the position means to him, and details the first Catholic Vice President’s close, candid, sometimes tumultuous relationship with President Obama.
Joe Biden’s story is an American epic and Jules Witcover is the best journalist and historian around to tell us about this Vice President’s life. Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption was released by William Morrow on October 5, 2010. It is available in your local independent bookstore, at larger retailers, online at Amazon, and through Harper Collins.
We have had more Vice Presidents than Presidents (47 Vice Presidents, 44 Presidents) and we’ve had a Vice President of the United States longer than we’ve had a President of the United States (the first Vice President, John Adams, was sworn in nine days before the first President, George Washington).
However, in the nearly 222 years of Vice Presidential history, our nation has actually gone 37 years and 290 days without a sitting Vice President!
7 Vice Presidents died in office:
•George Clinton died April 20, 1812, leaving the office vacant for 318 days
•Elbridge Gerry died November 23, 1814, leaving the office vacant for 2 years, 101 days.
•William Rufus DeVane King died April 18, 1853, leaving the office vacant for 3 years, 320 days.
•Henry Wilson died on November 22, 1875, leaving the office vacant for 1 year, 102 days
•Thomas A. Hendricks died on November 24, 1885, leaving the office vacant for 3 years, 99 days.
•Garret A. Hobart died on November 21, 1899, leaving the office vacant for 1 year, 103 days.
•James S. Sherman died on October 30, 1912, leaving the office vacant for 125 days.
2 Vice Presidents resigned from office:
•John C. Calhoun resigned on December 28, 1832, leaving the office vacant for 66 days.
•Spiro Agnew resigned on October 10, 1973, leaving the office vacant for 57 days.
9 Vice Presidents succeeded to the Presidency:
•John Tyler succeeded to the White House upon President Harrison’s death on April 4, 1841, leaving the Vice Presidency vacant for 3 years, 333 days.
•Millard Fillmore succeeded to the White House upon President Taylor’s death on July 9, 1850, leaving the Vice Presidency vacant for 2 years, 238 days.
•Andrew Johnson succeeded to the White House upon President Lincoln’s death on April 15, 1865, leaving the Vice Presidency vacant for 3 years, 323 days.
•Chester Arthur succeeded to the White House upon President Garfield’s death on September 19, 1881, leaving the Vice Presidency vacant for 3 years, 166 days.
•Theodore Roosevelt succeeded to the White House upon President McKinley’s death on September 14, 1901, leaving the Vice Presidency vacant for 3 years, 171 days.
•Calvin Coolidge succeeded to the White House upon President Harding’s death on August 2, 1923, leaving the Vice Presidency vacant for 1 year, 214 days.
•Harry Truman succeeded to the White House upon President Roosevelt’s death on April 12, 1945, leaving the Vice Presidency vacant for 3 years, 283 days.
•Lyndon Johnson succeeded to the White House upon President Kennedy’s death on November 22, 1963, leaving the Vice Presidency vacant for 1 year, 59 days.
•Gerald Ford succeeded to the White House upon President Nixon’s resignation on August 9, 1974, leaving the Vice Presidency vacant for 132 days.
There was no provision established for filling a vacancy in the Vice Presidency until the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1967. The Amendment allows the President to fill a vacancy in the Vice Presidency by appointing a new Vice President who must be confirmed by a majority vote in the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
Two Vice Presidential vacancies have been filled under the 25th Amendment. Gerald Ford was appointed to the Vice Presidency by President Nixon following Spiro Agnew’s resignation in October 1973 and confirmed by Congress in December. In August 1974, President Nixon resigned, Gerald Ford succeeded to the Presidency and President Ford appointed Nelson Rockefeller as the new Vice President. Rockefeller was confirmed as Vice President by Congress on December 19, 1974.
If any of the Vice Presidents who succeeded to the Presidency prior to the ratification of the 25th Amendment had died in office, the first person in the line of succession would have been — depending on the year — an “Officer” chosen by Congress (1789-1792), president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate (1792-1886), Secretary of State (1886-1947), or Speaker of the House of Representatives (1947-present).
Here are the people who were first in the line of succession to the Presidency due to a Vice Presidential vacancy:
John Tyler (Apr. 4, 1841-Mar. 4, 1845)
•Apr. 4, 1841-May 31, 1842: Samuel L. Southard, president pro tempore of the Senate
•May 31, 1842-Mar. 4, 1845: Willie Person Mangum, president pro tempore of the Senate
Millard Fillmore (July 9, 1850-Mar. 4, 1853)
•July 9, 1850-July 11, 1850: Howell Cobb, as Speaker of the House, was next in line to the Presidency for the two days following President Taylor’s death since there was no president pro tempore of the Senate, but Cobb was Constitutionally ineligible to be President as he was only 34 years of age.
•July 11, 1850-Dec. 20, 1852: William Rufus DeVane King, president pro tempore of the Senate
•Dec. 20, 1852-Mar. 4, 1853, David Rice Atchison, president pro tempore of the Senate
Andrew Johnson (Apr. 15, 1865-Mar. 4, 1869)
•Apr. 15, 1865-Mar. 2, 1867: Lafayette Sabine Foster, president pro tempore of the Senate
•Mar. 2, 1867-Mar. 4, 1869: Benjamin Franklin Wade, president pro tempore of the Senate
Chester Arthur (Sept. 19, 1881-Mar. 4, 1885)
•Sept. 19, 1881-Oct. 10, 1881: There was literally NO ONE in the Presidential line of succession until a special session of the Senate nearly a month after President Garfield’s assassination.
•Oct. 10, 1881-Oct. 13, 1881: Thomas Francis Bayard, president pro tempore of the Senate
•Oct. 13, 1881-Mar. 3, 1883: David Davis, president pro tempore of the Senate
•Mar. 3, 1883-Mar. 4, 1885: George Franklin Edmunds, president pro tempore of the Senate
Theodore Roosevelt (Sept. 14, 1901-Mar. 4, 1905)
•Sept. 14, 1901-Mar. 4, 1905: John Hay, Secretary of State
Calvin Coolidge (Aug. 2, 1923-Mar. 4, 1925)
•Aug. 2, 1923-Mar. 4, 1925: Charles Evans Hughes, Secretary of State
Harry Truman (Apr. 12, 1945-Jan. 20, 1949)
•Apr. 12, 1945-June 27, 1945: Edward R. Stettinius, Secretary of State
•June 27, 1947-July 3, 1945: Henry Morgenthau, Secretary of the Treaury
•July 3, 1945-Jan. 21, 1947: James F. Byrnes, Secretary of State
•Jan. 21, 1947-July 17, 1947: George C. Marshall, Secretary of State
•July 17, 1947-Jan. 3, 1949: Joseph W. Martin, Speaker of the House
•Jan. 3, 1949-Jan. 20, 1949: Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House
Lyndon B. Johnson (Nov. 22, 1963-Jan. 20, 1965)
•Nov. 22, 1963-Jan. 20, 1965: John W. McCormack, Speaker of the House
Anonymous Asks:
deadpresidents Said:
I really, really, really like Vice President Biden. Early on in the race for the Democratic nomination in 2008 (and by early on, I mean like January 2007), I was pointing out that Biden would be an awesome Vice President to the person I was supporting — Barack Obama. I think Biden is everything a Vice President should be — experienced, capable, credible, with strong foreign policy credentials, a good balance to the candidate he ran with, and possessing a definite tendency to stray from the reservation from time-to-time.
Other really good VP’s who didn’t become President: Gore, HHH, John Nance Garner, Thomas Riley Marshall (if you want some great quotes, look up Vice President Marshall), Garret Hobart (the most powerful VP until the 1970’s), Henry Wilson, John C. Breckinridge (not for his Vice Presidency, but because his life was really interesting), Richard Mentor Johnson (completely off his rocker; probably the most eccentric person ever elected to national office), and John C. Calhoun (you gotta love Calhoun, he looked like an angry muppet that was bitten by a vampire).
bryangotjokes Asks:
deadpresidents Said:
George H.W. Bush’s soul ached every time Dan Quayle opened his mouth.
Oh, and Aaron Burr shot that guy from the $10 bill on a cliff in Weehawken while he was Vice President.
