With Election Day approaching, we thought we would look at some facts about US Vice Presidents and their significance in our political history.
We have reached the end of a presidential campaign. The first vice presidential debate between Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine and Republican vice presidential contender Mike Pence is slated for tonight. Regardless of who you vote for, you are selecting the second-highest post in the executive branch and should carefully consider your selections.
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Here are a few facts about this political viewpoint and its significance:
The Presidential Succession Act of 1792 established the Senate president pro tempore as the second in line behind the vice president to succeed the president.
A vice president of the United States must be a native-born citizen 35 years of age or older who has lived in the United States for at least 14 years, according to the Constitution.
Because there were three separate vice presidents during Nixon’s term, the United States has had 47 vice presidents compared to 44 presidents.
14 vice presidents have been elected president. (8 because the president died in office, and 1 because the president resigned).
Until 1967, most people understood that if the president died or was removed from office, the vice president would take over. It was not until the 25th amendment that a formal line of succession was established; in the absence of the vice president, the Speaker of the House assumes the President.
The vice president has just one formal duty: to preside over the Senate and vote in the Senate if there is a tie. However, in recent years, the vice president has also served as a prominent advisor to the president and as a member of the Smithsonian Board of Trustees.
The Vice President lives at the Naval Observatory with his family.
If the president becomes sick (or is sedated), the vice president takes over as president, according to Section 3 of the 25th Amendment.
Historically, vice presidents have been appointed to counteract some of the president’s beliefs by adopting more moderate or radical viewpoints on certain subjects.
If you have ever revolted against the United States, you cannot be elected Vice President.
Veep is an abbreviation for vice president.
Roosevelt’s vice president was Harry S. Truman, and FDR died three months into his fourth term. Truman was notified about the creation of the Atomic Bomb shortly after assuming office, something he was unaware of throughout FDR’s presidency. Truman established the National Security Council, where the most significant national security issues would always be handled in the presence of the vice president.
“Joe Biden is both the first Catholic and the first Delawarean to serve as Vice President of the United States,” according to history.com.
In 1801, Jefferson’s vice president, Aaron Burr, shot and killed Alexander Hamilton, the founder of the New York Evening Post, during a duel.
