A president without a vice president is like a captain without a first mate, but some U.S. presidents — four, to be precise — have nevertheless had to serve without one. They were John Tyler (1841-1845), Millard Fillmore (1850-1853), Andrew Johnson (1865-1869), and Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885), all of whom ascended to the presidency when their predecessors died in office. Because the 25th Amendment didn’t lay out an official process for naming a new VP in such an event until 1967, those four commanders in chief simply went without one. All four failed to win reelection; some even failed to secure their party’s nomination and therefore never had the chance to select a running mate.
That, however, is not the norm. Nearly one-third of all U.S. presidents formerly served as vice president, including eight who took office after the death of a former president. When a president’s two terms are up, the veep is often considered the party favorite for the next election — a precedent set by John Adams, the country’s first vice president, who was elected its second president after George Washington left office. It doesn’t always work out, however. A number of VPs have unsuccessfully run for president, including John Breckinridge in 1860 and Al Gore in 2000.
Media Release/History Facts
