The vice-president of the United States of America ( Vice President off the United States off America ) is regarded as the second character of the national executive, and succeeds the President in the event of death, resignation or Impeachment of this last.

Constitutional role

Constitutionally, the vice-president is the president ex officio of the Sénat of the United States. This role grants to him only few being able on the businesses of the State and confines it with a primarily procedural work. However, it with the possibility, in the event of equality with the Senate, to make play its voice to avoid the blocking of the Upper House.

It is held not to intervene in the debates with the Senate, if is not to vote in the event of equality.

Historical role

During the first 200 years of the history of the United States, the vice-presidency was an honorary role, except whenever the President died. John Adams, the first vice-president, remained during his two mandates with the Massachusetts, coming to Washington only in the event of need.

Into 1841, the vice-presidency changed following the death of President William Henry Harrison. The vice-president John Tyler, a democrat put on the ticket of Harrison, a whig (right), to bring back voices, reached the Presidency. Whereas the Constitution gave him the right to become President, Tyler had evil to be essential on this station. In 1967, the 25 {{E}} amendment of the Constitution cleared up the subject by declaring the vice-president successor legitimate of the President.

Starting from 1961, the role of vice-president will become extensive with the nomination, by President John F. Kennedy, of the vice-president Lyndon B. Johnson with the head, inter alia, of the national space program (which was to become NASA thereafter).

Curiously, Johnson, become President with died of Kennedy in 1963, which had never hidden its lack of enthusiasm for the station chooses not to grant more capacity to its successor Hubert Humphrey. Under Richard Nixon, elected in 1968 the vice-presidency will mark a retreat. The first vice-president of Nixon, Spiro Agnew, had to resign in 1973 marked of tax evasion and to have accepted bribes during his mandate of governor of Maryland. With the resignation of Nixon in 1974 following the Scandal of Watergate, Ford becomes President and names Nelson Rockefeller vice-president, but Ford which was used as under-substitute pains infinitely in its new function.

With its election in 1976, Jimmy Carter, just like Kennedy, give some responsibilities to its vice-president Walter Mondale, in particular a role with the National Security Council (Safety advice Main road, body which strongly directs the foreign politics of the country). The vice-president of George H.W. Bush, daN Quayle remains especially known for his blunders and Bush father did not leave him any capacity during her Presidency.

Bill Clinton and Al Gore will extend the role of the vice-president, Gore sitting at the National Security Council and having many prerogatives in the economic domains and of the foreign affairs.

Following the attacks of the September 11th, 2001, the President gives broad capacities to Dick Cheney, creating an executive with two heads so that the State is not paralyzed in the event of terrorist attack against the President. Bush, constrained by the circumstances and her lack of knowledge of the files, sees more her vice-president like a right-hand man that like a substitute in withdrawal of the public affairs.

Often the vice-president will take positions more extreme than the President to satisfy the base without cutting the President of the public opinion. He can also be used as substitute to the President for the visits abroad: to show the support or the interest of the government without to send the President in person.

Succession with the Presidency

The ratification of the 25e amendment in 1967 is the result of long discussions to prevent that do not reproduce certain problems:
  • 1881, following an attempted murder, President James Garfield fails for 3 months before dying, leaving the executive paralyzed in this time;
  • 1901, President William McKinley fails during 8 days following an attempted murder;
  • 1919 - 1921, following an infarction, the President Wilson is unable to direct the country and, according to certain rumors, it is his wife Edith Bolling Galt Wilson who deals with the direction of the country;
  • 1955 - 1961, President Dwight David Eisenhower is frequently handicapped by heart attacks and other health issues. The vice-president Richard Nixon then assumes some of the prerogatives of the President without never obtaining the complete control of the executive.

The 25e amendment authorizes the President to be declared unable by transmitting a declaration written to the presidents of groups to the Senate and with the Congress, the vice-president becomes President by interim. Another case of figure, the vice-president, with the majority of the Cabinet, can declare the President unable to exert his functions and to become President by interim. This subparagraph of the amendment was used twice:

  • July 13rd, 1985, President Reagan is operated in order to remove cancerous polyps of sound colonist and transmits as a preliminary the capacity to its vice-president George H.W. Bush (the father). The interim will last 8 hours;
  • June 29th, 2002, President George W. Bush (the son) undergoes a Coloscopie and transfers the executive powers during 2 hours to Richard B. Cheney, her vice-president.

Until now, the President forever considered to be unable to fill its task by its cabinet. However, the constitutionnalists consider that following the attempted murder against him the March 30th 1981, President Reagan was not in a position to control. The Bush vice-president chooses to leave the report heading vacant, and implemented not the procedure aiming at making declare the president unable to take up his duties.

Among the vice-presidents who were appointed Presidents:

Vacancy of the station

With 16 recoveries before the ratification of the 25e amendment the post of vice-president was found without holder following death, the resignation (for John Caldwell Calhoun in 1832) or the nomination with the Presidency.

The 25e amendment orders to the President to name a vice-president who would replace it in the event of vacancy of the capacity. This choice of vice-president must be confirmed by a vote in the majority of the two Rooms.

Gerald Ford is the first to have profited from this amendment. It is named vice-president to replace Spiro Agnew, resigner six weeks earlier. Its nomination was confirmed by the Rooms the December 6th 1973.

Choice of the vice-president

The candidate with the presidency generally chooses his running subdue , his candidate with the vice-presidency once ensured of the nomination of his party. The choice of the candidate to the vice-presidency rests on highly electoral considerations: a candidate who can reinforce the candidate with the Presidency in States (the Kennedy-Johnson ticket of 1960) or in fields of competence (the Clinton-Gore tickets in 1992 or Bush-Cheney in 2000) where it expresses gaps.

Vice-presidents of the United States

  • (1) - Entered in function the April 21st 1789; nine days before President Washington.
  • (2) - Died in function.
  • (3) - Resigns at the time of its election to the Senate as a representative of South Carolina.
  • (4) - Succeeds the President following the death of this last.
  • (5) - Resigns after a judgment to have accepted bribes as a governor of the Maryland.
  • (6) - Named by the President and experienced in this station by the Congress under the 25e amendment.
  • (7) - President by interim the July 13rd 1985.
  • (8) - President by interim the June 29th 2002 and the July 21st 2007.

Simple: Vice President off the United States

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