Vice Presidential Facts – Presidents who were once a Vice President

Fourteen Presidents served as a Vice President before they became a President. Interesting how being Vice President worked out for them.

Vice Presidents who became President on the death of another President, but never got elected themselves:

• John Tyler   Became President on the death of WH Harrison   (1841-1845)

• Millard Fillmore   Became President on the death of Zachary Taylor   (1850-1853)

• Andrew Johnson   Became President on the death of Abraham Lincoln   (1865 – 1869)

• Chester Arthur   Became President on the death of James Garfield   (1881 – 1885)

The Vice President who became President but were not elected as Vice President on the original ticket (25th Amendment of the Constitution states that a Vice President shall be replaced if he is removed, resigns, or dies in office) (he was never elected President on his own):

• Gerald Ford    (he replaced Vice President Spiro Agnew, who resigned, then President Richard Nixon resigned)   President from 1974 – 1977

Vice Presidents who became President on the death of a President, but were elected by their own rights, too:

• Teddy Roosevelt (Became President on the death of William McKinley) Elected on his own in 1904

• Calvin Coolidge (Became President on the death of Warren Harding) Elected on his own in 1924

• Harry Truman (Became President on the death of Franklin Roosevelt) Elected on his own in 1948

• Lyndon Johnson (Became President on the death of John F. Kennedy) Elected on his own in 1964

Vice Presidents who became President by being elected on their own:

• John Adams (Was Vice President under President George Washington) Elected President in 1796

• Thomas Jefferson (Was Vice President under President John Adams) Elected President in 1800 & 1804

• Martin Van Buren (Was Vice President under President Andrew Jackson) Elected President in 1836

• Richard Nixon (Was Vice President under President Dwight Eisenhower) Elected President in 1968 & 1972 (resigned in 1974)

• George HW Bush (Was Vice President under President Ronald Reagan) Elected President in 1988

Sidenote: Thomas Jefferson was the only Vice President that was elected and served out two terms as President. Richard Nixon was elected to two terms but he resigned during the second term (in 1974) and did not finish out that second term.