The vice president of the United States is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the United States federal government after the president of the United States. [1] The vice president also serves as the president of the Senate and may choose to cast a tie-breaking vote on decisions made by the Senate. Vice presidents have exercised this latter power to varying extents over the years. [2] Two vice presidents—George Clinton and John C. Calhoun—served under more than one president.
The incumbent vice president is Kamala Harris, who assumed office on January 20, 2021 under President Joe Biden. [3] The vice president-elect is JD Vance, who will assume office as the 50th vice president on January 20, 2025. [4] [5]
There have been 49 U.S. vice presidents since the office was created in 1789. Originally, the vice president was the person who received the second-most votes for president in the Electoral College. But after the election of 1800 produced a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, requiring the House of Representatives to choose between them, lawmakers acted to prevent such a situation from recurring. The Twelfth Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1804, creating the current system where electors cast a separate ballot for the vice presidency. [6] [2]
The vice president is the first person in the presidential line of succession—that is, they assume the presidency if the president dies, resigns, or is impeached and removed from office. [7] Nine vice presidents have ascended to the presidency in this way. [a] Also, several vice presidents have gone on to be elected as president in their own right. [b]
Before adoption of the Twenty-fifth Amendment in 1967, an intra-term vacancy in the office of the vice president could not be filled until the next post-election inauguration. Several such vacancies occurred: seven vice presidents died, one resigned and eight succeeded to the presidency. This amendment allowed for a vacancy to be filled through appointment by the president and confirmation by both chambers of Congress. Since its ratification, the vice presidency has been vacant twice (both in the context of scandals surrounding the Nixon administration) and was filled both times through this process. [2] The amendment also established a procedure whereby a vice president may, if the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office, temporarily assume the powers and duties of the office as acting president. [8] Three vice presidents have briefly acted as president under the 25th Amendment: George H. W. Bush on July 13, 1985; Dick Cheney on June 29, 2002, and on July 21, 2007; and Kamala Harris on November 19, 2021.
No. [c] | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term | Party [d] | Election | President | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Adams (1735–1826) [9] [10] | April 21, 1789 [e] – March 4, 1797 | Pro-Administration [f] | 1788–89 1792 | George Washington [g] | ||
Federalist | |||||||
2 | Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) [11] [12] | March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801 | Democratic-Republican | 1796 | John Adams [h] | ||
3 | Aaron Burr (1756–1836) [13] | March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1805 | Democratic-Republican | 1800 | Thomas Jefferson | ||
4 | George Clinton [i] (1739–1812) [14] | March 4, 1805 – April 20, 1812 | Democratic-Republican | 1804 1808 | |||
James Madison | |||||||
— | Office vacant April 20, 1812 – March 4, 1813 [j] | ||||||
5 | Elbridge Gerry [i] (1744–1814) [15] | March 4, 1813 – November 23, 1814 | Democratic-Republican | 1812 | |||
— | Office vacant November 23, 1814 – March 4, 1817 [j] | ||||||
6 | Daniel D. Tompkins (1774–1825) [16] | March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825 | Democratic-Republican | 1816 1820 | James Monroe | ||
7 | John C. Calhoun [k] (1782–1850) [17] | March 4, 1825 – December 28, 1832 | Democratic-Republican | 1824 1828 | John Q. Adams | ||
Nullifier [l] | Andrew Jackson [m] | ||||||
— | Office vacant December 28, 1832 – March 4, 1833 [j] | ||||||
8 | Martin Van Buren (1782–1862) [18] [19] | March 4, 1833 – March 4, 1837 | Democratic | 1832 | |||
9 | Richard Mentor Johnson (1780–1850) [20] | March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1841 | Democratic | 1836 | Martin Van Buren | ||
10 | John Tyler [n] (1790–1862) [21] [22] | March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841 | Whig [o] | 1840 | William H. Harrison | ||
— | Office vacant April 4, 1841 – March 4, 1845 [j] | John Tyler | |||||
11 | George M. Dallas (1792–1864) [23] | March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849 | Democratic | 1844 | James K. Polk | ||
12 | Millard Fillmore [n] (1800–1874) [24] [25] | March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850 | Whig | 1848 | Zachary Taylor | ||
— | Office vacant July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853 [j] | Millard Fillmore | |||||
13 | William R. King [i] (1786–1853) [26] | March 4, 1853 – April 18, 1853 | Democratic | 1852 | Franklin Pierce | ||
— | Office vacant April 18, 1853 – March 4, 1857 [j] | ||||||
14 | John C. Breckinridge (1821–1875) [27] | March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861 | Democratic | 1856 | James Buchanan | ||
15 | Hannibal Hamlin (1809–1891) [28] | March 4, 1861 – March 4, 1865 | Republican | 1860 | Abraham Lincoln | ||
16 | Andrew Johnson [n] (1808–1875) [29] [30] | March 4, 1865 – April 15, 1865 | National Union [p] | 1864 | |||
— | Office vacant April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869 [j] | Andrew Johnson | |||||
17 | Schuyler Colfax (1823–1885) [31] | March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1873 | Republican | 1868 | Ulysses S. Grant | ||
18 | Henry Wilson [i] (1812–1875) [32] | March 4, 1873 – November 22, 1875 | Republican | 1872 | |||
— | Office vacant November 22, 1875 – March 4, 1877 [j] | ||||||
19 | William A. Wheeler (1819–1887) [33] | March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881 | Republican | 1876 | Rutherford B. Hayes | ||
20 | Chester A. Arthur [n] (1829–1886) [34] | March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881 | Republican | 1880 | James A. Garfield | ||
— | Office vacant September 19, 1881 – March 4, 1885 [j] | Chester A. Arthur | |||||
21 | Thomas A. Hendricks [i] (1819–1885) [36] | March 4, 1885 – November 25, 1885 | Democratic | 1884 | Grover Cleveland | ||
— | Office vacant November 25, 1885 – March 4, 1889 [j] | ||||||
22 | Levi P. Morton (1824–1920) [37] | March 4, 1889 – March 4, 1893 | Republican | 1888 | Benjamin Harrison | ||
23 | Adlai Stevenson I (1835–1914) [38] | March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897 | Democratic | 1892 | Grover Cleveland | ||
24 | Garret Hobart [i] (1844–1899) [39] | March 4, 1897 – November 21, 1899 | Republican | 1896 | William McKinley | ||
— | Office vacant November 21, 1899 – March 4, 1901 [j] | ||||||
25 | Theodore Roosevelt [n] (1858–1919) [40] [41] | March 4, 1901 – September 14, 1901 | Republican | 1900 | |||
— | Office vacant September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1905 [j] | Theodore Roosevelt | |||||
26 | Charles W. Fairbanks (1852–1918) [42] | March 4, 1905 – March 4, 1909 | Republican | 1904 | |||
27 | James S. Sherman [i] (1855–1912) [43] | March 4, 1909 – October 30, 1912 | Republican | 1908 | William H. Taft | ||
— | Office vacant October 30, 1912 – March 4, 1913 [j] | ||||||
28 | Thomas R. Marshall (1854–1925) [44] | March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1921 | Democratic | 1912 1916 | Woodrow Wilson | ||
29 | Calvin Coolidge [n] (1872–1933) [45] [46] | March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923 | Republican | 1920 | Warren G. Harding | ||
— | Office vacant August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1925 [j] | Calvin Coolidge | |||||
30 | Charles G. Dawes (1865–1951) [47] | March 4, 1925 – March 4, 1929 | Republican | 1924 | |||
31 | Charles Curtis (1860–1936) [48] | March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933 | Republican | 1928 | Herbert Hoover | ||
32 | John Nance Garner (1868–1967) [49] | March 4, 1933 – January 20, 1941 | Democratic | 1932 1936 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | ||
33 | Henry A. Wallace (1888–1965) [50] | January 20, 1941 – January 20, 1945 | Democratic | 1940 | |||
34 | Harry S. Truman [n] (1884–1972) [51] [52] | January 20, 1945 – April 12, 1945 | Democratic | 1944 | |||
— | Office vacant April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1949 [j] | Harry S. Truman | |||||
35 | Alben W. Barkley (1877–1956) [53] | January 20, 1949 – January 20, 1953 | Democratic | 1948 | |||
36 | Richard Nixon (1913–1994) [54] [55] | January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961 | Republican | 1952 1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | ||
37 | Lyndon B. Johnson [n] (1908–1973) [56] | January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963 | Democratic | 1960 | John F. Kennedy | ||
— | Office vacant November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1965 [j] | Lyndon B. Johnson | |||||
38 | Hubert Humphrey (1911–1978) [57] | January 20, 1965 – January 20, 1969 | Democratic | 1964 | |||
39 | Spiro Agnew [k] (1918–1996) [58] | January 20, 1969 – October 10, 1973 | Republican | 1968 1972 | Richard Nixon | ||
— | Office vacant October 10 – December 6, 1973 [q] | ||||||
40 [r] | Gerald Ford [n] (1913–2006) [59] [60] | December 6, 1973 – August 9, 1974 | Republican | 1973 [s] | |||
— | Office vacant August 9 – December 19, 1974 [q] | Gerald Ford | |||||
41 [t] | Nelson Rockefeller (1908–1979) [61] | December 19, 1974 – January 20, 1977 | Republican | 1974 [s] | |||
42 | Walter Mondale (1928–2021) [62] | January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981 | Democratic | 1976 | Jimmy Carter | ||
43 | George H. W. Bush (1924–2018) [63] [64] | January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989 | Republican | 1980 1984 | Ronald Reagan | ||
44 | Dan Quayle (b. 1947) [65] | January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 | Republican | 1988 | George H. W. Bush | ||
45 | Al Gore (b. 1948) [66] | January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001 | Democratic | 1992 1996 | Bill Clinton | ||
46 | Dick Cheney (b. 1941) [67] | January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009 | Republican | 2000 2004 | George W. Bush | ||
47 | Joe Biden (b. 1942) [68] | January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017 | Democratic | 2008 2012 | Barack Obama | ||
48 | Mike Pence (b. 1959) [69] [70] | January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021 | Republican | 2016 | Donald Trump | ||
49 | Kamala Harris (b. 1964) [3] | January 20, 2021 – (Incumbent) | Democratic | 2020 | Joe Biden |
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term | Party | Election | President-elect | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 | JD Vance (b. 1984) [71] | To be sworn in on January 20, 2025 | Republican | 2024 | Donald Trump |
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.
Religious affiliations can affect the electability of the presidents of the United States and shape their stances on policy matters and their visions of society and also how they want to lead it. While no president has ever openly identified as an atheist, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and William Howard Taft were speculated to be atheists by their opponents during political campaigns; in addition, a survey during the presidency of Donald Trump showed that 63% of Americans did not believe he was religious, despite his professed Christian affiliation. Conspiracy theorists also falsely circulated rumors that Barack Obama was a Muslim during his 2004 Senate campaign and later time as President. Conversely, other presidents, such as Jimmy Carter, have used their faith as a defining aspect of their campaigns and tenure in office.
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also an officer in the legislative branch, as the president of the Senate. In this capacity, the vice president is empowered to preside over the United States Senate, but may not vote except to cast a tie-breaking vote. The vice president is indirectly elected at the same time as the president to a four-year term of office by the people of the United States through the Electoral College, but the electoral votes are cast separately for these two offices. Following the passage in 1967 of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, a vacancy in the office of vice president may be filled by presidential nomination and confirmation by a majority vote in both houses of Congress.
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The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to two terms, and sets additional eligibility conditions for presidents who succeed to the unexpired terms of their predecessors. Congress approved the Twenty-second Amendment on March 21, 1947, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification. That process was completed on February 27, 1951, when the requisite 36 of the 48 states had ratified the amendment, and its provisions came into force on that date.
The United States presidential line of succession is the order in which the vice president of the United States and other officers of the United States federal government assume the powers and duties of the U.S. presidency upon an elected president's death, resignation, removal from office, or incapacity.
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Macon Phillips is an American political strategist who served as the Coordinator of the United States Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs from 2013 to 2017. He reported to Rick Stengel, the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Phillips is the former White House Director of New Media, in which capacity he had oversight responsibility for WhiteHouse.gov.
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The following is a timeline of the presidency of Barack Obama, from January 1 to December 31, 2015. For his time as president-elect, see the presidential transition of Barack Obama; for a detailed account of his first months in office, see first 100 days of Barack Obama's presidency; for a complete itinerary of his travels, see list of presidential trips made by Barack Obama.
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