The fact that Indiana is considered the mother state of vice presidents has been discussed in this newspaper before. Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s campaign for the office has brought a great deal of attention to that office during this election cycle. But how many times has a vice president from Indiana ever reached the office of president? The answer is never. In fact, a vice president has only seceded to the presidency on the death or removal of a sitting president on nine occasions. Teddy Roosevelt was the first vice president to take office on the death of a president, William McKinley, and then also elected president in his own right.
John Adams, the first vice president, said of his office “My country, in it’s wisdom, has contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever in the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.”
Daniel Webster was offered the office, but refused saying “If the Vice President were not the President of the Senate, he would be without employment.”
Thomas Marshall, one of the Indiana vice presidents said, “There once were two brothers. One went off to sea. The other was elected vice president of the United Stares. Neither were ever heard from again.”
John Nance Garner, the VP under Franklin Roosevelt said, “The Office of Vice President is not worth a bucket of warm p***!” The quote was changed to “spit” so as to not offend.
The first vice president to become chief executive on the death of a president was John Tyler. Tyler was a southern Democrat who disagreed with his party on the issue of free trade. He became the running mate of Whig candidate William Henry Harrison. They never met each other. Tyler had an difficult relationship with his cabinet. In fact, they tried to say that Tyler was just an acting president until Congress could appoint another Whig. The courts backed Tyler’s claim that he was indeed the president. He served out the term, although he accomplished nothing and was considered one of our least effective presidents.
When Millard Fillmore took office on the death of President Zachary Taylor, he admitted that he had only spoken to Taylor on one occasion and that was to congratulate him on his inauguration. When Benjamin Harrison bumped into his vice president Levi P. Morton, he didn’t recognize him. Andrew Jackson and his vice president John C. Calhoun despised each other. Calhoun challenged Jackson to a duel for insulting his wife because she was not invited to a White House dinner. Cabinet members intervened and the duel was called off. Aaron Burr, who was Jefferson’s vice president had to flee the country after killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel.
Gerald Ford was the last vice president to assume the presidency. He took office after President Nixon’s resignation. Ford pardoned Nixon so he would not have to officially answer to any Watergate inquiry. The pardon stained his presidency and he was not elected. There were two assassination attempts on Ford’s life — the most since Lincoln.
Chester Arthur was a Republican Party official in New York City. Under President Grant he was appointed Commissioner of the New York Port Authority. With all the graft and bribes that the office pulled in, it was considered a license to print money. When President Rutherford Hayes took office he passed an anti-corruption policy and Arthur was one of the first to get the boot. Ironically, four years later, James Garfield was the Republican nominee and chose Arthur as his running mate. Eight months into his presidency, Garfield died from an assassin’s bullet and Arthur took office. During his administration Arthur contracted Bright’s Disease and almost didn’t make to the end of his term. He died just a few weeks after his term was completed, Controversy swirled around Arthur from the beginning: Rumor had it he was an infant when his parents lived in Toronto, Canada, and he had been born there. That would have made him ineligible to be president. The charge has never been proven one way or the other.
Jimmy Carter was the first president to give the vice president a role in his administration. He had Walter Mondale advise him on dealing with Congress and Mondale sat in cabinet meetings. It’s claimed that Dick Cheney was the de facto president under W. Bush. Cheney had more power than any other vice president ever. Joe Bidden has played an important role in the Obama administration.