John Adams once called the vice presidency the "most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived." He was the first guy to do it. Honestly, you can't blame him for being a bit salty. He spent his days sitting in the Senate, forbidden from participating in debates, basically waiting for George Washington to die or retire. It’s a weird gig. But if you look at the history of presidents and vice presidents of the United States, that "insignificant" role has defined the American trajectory more than almost any other position in government.
Eight vice presidents have taken over because a president died in office. One took over because of a resignation. That is nearly 20% of all American presidencies starting not with an inauguration day parade, but with a sudden, often chaotic, swearing-in.
The relationship between the person in the Oval Office and the person down the hall in the West Wing is rarely a straight line. Sometimes they’re best friends. Usually, they’re political rivals forced into a marriage of convenience to win a specific swing state or appease a grumpy wing of their party.
The Evolution of the "Ticket"
In the beginning, the system was a total mess. Under the original rules of the Constitution, the person with the most electoral votes became president, and the runner-up became vice president. Imagine if the loser of the 2020 or 2024 election had to serve as the deputy to the winner. It would be a disaster.
The 1800 election proved it was unsustainable. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr actually tied in the Electoral College, leading to weeks of backroom deals in the House of Representatives. They passed the 12th Amendment shortly after to make sure presidents and vice presidents of the United States ran together on a single ticket. This changed the math. Suddenly, the VP wasn't the "second best" leader; they were a strategic tool.
Think about Lyndon B. Johnson. John F. Kennedy didn't particularly like him. They were from different worlds—the Harvard-educated New Englander and the rough-around-the-edges Texan. But JFK knew he couldn't win the South without LBJ. It was a cold, calculated move that changed history. When Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, the "tactical" choice suddenly became the man in charge of the Great Society and the Vietnam War.
What Do They Actually Do All Day?
The Constitution is remarkably vague about the VP's duties. They preside over the Senate and cast tie-breaking votes. That’s about it. For over a century, the job was mostly ceremonial.
💡 You might also like: 39 Carl St and Kevin Lau: What Actually Happened at the Cole Valley Property
Vice President Thomas Marshall once told a joke about two brothers: "One ran away to sea, the other was elected Vice President, and neither of them was ever heard of again."
That changed with Walter Mondale. When Jimmy Carter took office in 1977, he gave Mondale an office in the White House and actual authority. Before that, some VPs weren't even allowed in the room for high-level briefings. Harry Truman didn’t even know the atomic bomb existed until Franklin D. Roosevelt died. Think about that for a second. The man who would eventually have to decide whether to use a nuclear weapon was kept completely in the dark by his own boss.
Today, the role is more about being a "senior advisor." Whether it’s Dick Cheney’s massive influence on foreign policy under George W. Bush or Joe Biden’s "last person in the room" status with Barack Obama, the modern vice presidency is a powerhouse. They handle diplomatic missions, spearhead specific policy initiatives (like Al Gore’s focus on technology and the environment), and act as a liaison to Congress.
The Power Struggle and the Personality Clash
It isn't always a partnership. It’s often a rivalry.
Take Andrew Jackson and John C. Calhoun. They hated each other so much that Calhoun eventually resigned just so he could go back to the Senate and fight Jackson’s policies more effectively. Then you have the weirdly distant relationship between FDR and his three different vice presidents. Roosevelt was a political vacuum; he didn't share power easily.
The dynamic is often shaped by how the president views their own legacy. A president who feels secure, like Reagan, might give their VP (George H.W. Bush) plenty of room to run. A president who is more paranoid or protective of their image might keep their deputy on a much shorter leash.
📖 Related: Effingham County Jail Bookings 72 Hours: What Really Happened
Why the Selection Process is Flawed
We pick VPs based on "balancing the ticket."
- Geography: Pick a Westerner if you're from the East.
- Ideology: Pick a moderate if you're a firebrand.
- Experience: Pick a veteran if you're a newcomer.
But "balance" doesn't mean "compatibility." When we look at presidents and vice presidents of the United States through the lens of history, the best pairings are the ones where the strengths of one fill the gaps of the other. Mike Pence brought the evangelical base to Donald Trump, a man whose personal life didn't naturally scream "religious conservative." Kamala Harris brought a younger, more diverse perspective to Joe Biden’s decades of establishment experience.
When the Vice President Becomes the President
This is where the rubber meets the road. The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, finally cleared up the "what if" scenarios. Before that, it was actually legally murky whether a VP became the actual president or just the "acting" president.
John Tyler was the first to face this when William Henry Harrison died just a month into his term. People called Tyler "His Accidency." They even sent him mail addressed to "The Acting President," which he refused to open. He insisted he was the President, period. He set the precedent that everyone else followed.
The transition of power is never easy. When Gerald Ford took over after Richard Nixon resigned, he had to heal a country that had completely lost faith in the office. He famously said, "Our long national nightmare is over." He wasn't just talking about Watergate; he was talking about the instability of the executive branch itself.
The Modern Reality: A Heartbeat Away
We live in an era of hyper-polarization. This makes the vice presidential pick more scrutinized than ever. In the 1800s, people barely knew who the VP was. Now, they are the subject of 24-hour news cycles, late-night comedy sketches, and intense social media debate.
👉 See also: Joseph Stalin Political Party: What Most People Get Wrong
But the fundamental truth of the presidents and vice presidents of the United States remains the same: the VP is the only person in the world whose primary job description is to be ready for the worst day of their life.
It is a position of incredible proximity to power without actually holding the steering wheel. You see everything. You hear everything. You’re in the Situation Room. But you don't get to make the final call unless the person sitting two feet away from you can't. That creates a psychological tension that is unique in all of politics.
Moving Beyond the Basics
If you're trying to understand how the executive branch actually functions, stop looking at them as a single unit. They are two separate political entities with two separate sets of ambitions. Most vice presidents want to be president. That’s just the reality. Every move they make is filtered through the lens of: "How does this help my boss, and how does this help me in four to eight years?"
To get a real handle on this, you have to look at the primary sources.
- Read the memoirs. Compare A Promised Land by Obama with Promise Me, Dad by Biden. You’ll see the same events from two very different heights.
- Watch the tie-breakers. The Senate keeps a record of every time a VP has stepped in to break a tie. It tells you exactly where the administration’s "pain points" were in Congress.
- Study the 25th Amendment. Understanding the "Incapacity Clause" is crucial for knowing how power can be shifted if a president is under anesthesia or otherwise unable to lead.
The history of presidents and vice presidents of the United States is essentially the history of American contingency planning. It’s the story of the "spare" becoming the "heir" and the complicated, often messy human emotions that come with it.
Practical Next Steps for Enthusiasts
- Audit the Cabinet: Look at who the VP interacts with most. Historically, VPs who have a strong relationship with the Chief of Staff and the National Security Advisor are the most effective.
- Track the Travel: VPs are often sent where the President can't go. If the President is focusing on domestic policy, the VP is likely in Munich or Tokyo. This gives you a map of the administration's dual priorities.
- Examine the Transition Documents: Sites like the National Archives or the Miller Center at the University of Virginia provide incredible depth into how specific VP-to-President transitions (like LBJ or Ford) were handled in the first 48 hours.
The office is only as small as the person holding it—and as the person allowing them to hold it. What started as a "meaningless" role is now the ultimate apprenticeship in global power.