John Adams once called the job "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived."
Honestly, he wasn't wrong. At least not then. For the better part of two centuries, the vice presidents of the United States were basically political ghosts. They sat in the Senate, broke the occasional tie, and waited for the President to catch a cold—or worse. Some were so bored they just didn't show up. Richard Mentor Johnson, who served under Van Buren, famously spent a huge chunk of his term running a tavern in Kentucky.
You read that right. A sitting VP was literally tending bar.
But things changed. If you look at the office today, it’s a powerhouse. We’ve gone from "the spare tire of government" to a role that essentially functions as a Co-President in some administrations. Understanding the vice presidents of the United States isn't just a history lesson; it's a look at how power actually works in the West Wing.
The "Spare Tire" Era: When Nobody Wanted the Job
In the beginning, the system was a total mess. The runner-up in the presidential election became the Vice President. Imagine if the loser of a modern election had to serve as the winner's deputy. That’s exactly what happened with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They hated each other.
It was awkward. It was dysfunctional.
The 12th Amendment finally fixed that in 1804 by creating the "ticket" system we use today. But even then, the job stayed tiny. For over 100 years, the VPs were usually picked just to "balance the ticket"—maybe to win a specific state or appease a rival wing of the party.
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Once the election was over? They were basically forgotten.
Take Harry Truman. He was Vice President for only 82 days before FDR died. In that time, he met with the President maybe twice. He had no idea the atomic bomb even existed. When he suddenly became the leader of the free world in 1945, he was flying completely blind.
The Turning Point: Why the Role Exploded
After Truman’s "trial by fire," everyone realized that keeping the VP in the dark was a massive national security risk. You can’t have a successor who doesn't know the secret plans.
Dwight Eisenhower was the first to really change the vibe. He had suffered a heart attack and realized Richard Nixon needed to be ready to step in at any second. He started sending Nixon on foreign missions and bringing him into high-level meetings.
Then came the "Big Bang."
Historians like Joel K. Goldstein often point to Walter Mondale (under Jimmy Carter) as the guy who truly invented the modern vice presidency. Mondale didn't want to just be a ribbon-cutter. He demanded—and got—an office in the White House, a weekly lunch with the President, and access to the same intelligence briefings.
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Suddenly, the Vice President wasn't just a legislative officer. They were an executive partner.
Power Players: Vice Presidents of the United States Who Ran the Show
Some VPs have been so influential they practically defined their era. It’s not just about who they were, but how they used the "soft power" of the office.
- Dick Cheney: Under George W. Bush, Cheney was arguably the most powerful VP in history. He didn't just advise; he drove policy on national security and the Iraq War. He even had his own staff that rivaled the National Security Council.
- Lyndon B. Johnson: Before he was President, LBJ was a master of the Senate. JFK picked him to help win the South, but Johnson struggled with the lack of formal power. Still, his legislative "treatment" helped push early Civil Rights ideas through the cracks.
- Joe Biden: Under Barack Obama, Biden became the "last person in the room" for every major decision. He was the skeptic-in-chief, often tasked with the "grunt work" like overseeing the 2009 Stimulus or handling Iraq policy.
- Al Gore: He reinvented the role for the tech age. Gore took on massive portfolios like the environment and the "Information Superhighway" (the early internet).
Weird Facts You Won't Find in a Textbook
Most people can name maybe five or six VPs. But there have been 50 of them, and their lives were often stranger than fiction.
Did you know Charles Dawes (VP under Coolidge) wrote a song that became a #1 hit on the Billboard charts? It’s called "It's All in the Game." Or that Charles Curtis (under Herbert Hoover) was the first person of color to hold the office? He was a member of the Kaw Nation and grew up on a reservation.
Then there’s the "accidental" presidents. Eight VPs took over because the President died. One (Gerald Ford) took over because of a resignation. Another (John Tyler) had to literally fight Congress to prove he was actually the President and not just an "Acting" placeholder. They called him "His Accidency" as an insult.
He didn't care. He moved into the White House anyway and set the precedent for every succession that followed.
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What Actually Happens Behind the Scenes?
The modern vice presidents of the United States have three main jobs, even if only two are in the Constitution.
- The Tie-Breaker: In a split Senate, the VP is the MVP. Kamala Harris broke the record for the most tie-breaking votes in history, proving that the legislative side of the job still matters when the margins are razor-thin.
- The Emissary: If the President can't go to a funeral in London or a summit in Tokyo, the VP goes. It’s about "showing the flag."
- The Policy Lead: Every President gives their VP a "project." For Mike Pence, it was the Space Council and the COVID-19 Task Force. For JD Vance, it often involves being a bridge to specific political bases or handling specific domestic initiatives.
Actionable Insights: Why This Matters for You
If you’re watching the news today, don't ignore the Vice President. They are the ultimate "leading indicator" of an administration's priorities.
Watch who they meet with. If the VP is meeting with tech CEOs, that’s where the regulation is coming. If they are spending all their time in the rust belt, that’s where the campaign focus is.
Look at their staff. Often, the people working for the VP are the ones who will be running the Cabinet in ten years. The vice presidency is the ultimate "finishing school" for future presidents.
Actually, nearly one-third of all vice presidents of the United States have ended up as President. Whether by election or by tragedy, the person standing a heartbeat away is usually the person who will eventually shape the country’s future.
Next Steps for You:
If you want to understand the current administration's direction, follow the Vice President’s official schedule for one week. Compare it to the President’s. You’ll quickly see the "division of labor" that defines modern American power. Check the Senate's tie-breaking records if you want to see exactly which laws wouldn't exist without the VP’s intervention.