Vice president of the United States - wikipedia Vice president of the United States This article is currently protected from editing until September 2, 2018, or until editing disputes have been resolved. This protection is not an endorsement of the current version. See the protection policy and protection log for more details. Please discuss any changes on the talk page ; you may submit an edit request to ask an administrator to make an edit if it is uncontroversial or supported by consensus. You may also request that this page be unprotected. For a list of officeholders, see List of Vice Presidents of the United States. Second highest executive office in United States Vice President of the United States Seal of the Vice President Flag of the Vice President Incumbent Mike Pence since January 20, 2017 United States Senate Executive branch of the U.S. government Office of the Vice President Style Mr. Vice President ( informal ) The Honorable ( formal ) Mr. President ( as President of the Senate ) His Excellency ( international correspondence ) Status Second - highest executive branch officer President of the Senate Member of Cabinet National Security Council National Space Council ( Chairman ) United States Senate ( President ) Residence Number One Observatory Circle Seat Washington, D.C. Nominator President of the United States, Political parties Appointer Electoral College of the United States Term length 4 years, no term limit Constituting instrument United States Constitution Formation March 4, 1789 ( 229 years ago ) ( 1789 - 03 - 04 ) First holder John Adams April 21, 1789 Succession First Deputy President pro tempore of the United States Senate ( in the Senate ) Salary US $ 230,700 annually Website www.whitehouse.gov The Vice President of the United States of America ( informally referred to as VPOTUS, or Veep ) is the second - highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the President of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also an officer in the legislative branch, as President of the Senate. In this capacity, the vice president presides over Senate deliberations ( or delegates this task to a member of the Senate ), but may only vote to break a tie. The vice president also presides over joint sessions of Congress. The vice president is indirectly elected, together with the president, to a four - year term of office by the people of the United States through the Electoral College. Section 2 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment, ratified in 1967, created a mechanism for intra-term vice presidential succession, establishing that vice presidential vacancies will be filled by the president and confirmed by both houses of Congress. Previously, whenever a vice president had succeeded to the presidency or had died or resigned from office, the vice presidency remained vacant until the next presidential and vice presidential terms began. The vice president is also a statutory member of the National Security Council, and the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. The Office of the Vice President assists and organizes the vice president 's official functions. The role of the vice presidency has changed dramatically since the office was created during the 1787 constitutional Convention. Especially over the past 100 years, the vice presidency has evolved into a position of domestic and foreign policy political power, and is now widely seen as an integral part of a president 's administration. As the vice president 's role within the executive branch has expanded, their role within the legislative branch has contracted ; for example, they preside over the Senate only infrequently. The Constitution does not expressly assign the vice presidency to any one branch, causing a dispute among scholars about which branch of government the office belongs to : 1 ) the executive branch ; 2 ) the legislative branch ; 3 ) both ; or 4 ) neither. The modern view of the vice president as an officer of the executive branch ( isolated almost totally from the legislative branch ) is due in large part to the assignment of executive authority to the vice president by either the president or Congress. Mike Pence of Indiana is the 48th and current vice president. He assumed office on January 20, 2017. Contents 1 Origin 2 Roles of the vice president 2.1 Preside over the United States Senate 2.2 Preside over impeachment trials 2.3 Supervise electoral vote count 2.4 Succession to the presidency 2.5 Presidential disabilities 2.6 Informal roles 3 Selection process 3.1 Eligibility 3.2 Nominating process 3.3 Election 4 Tenure 4.1 Inauguration 4.2 Term of office 4.3 Impeachment 5 Salary 6 Office as stepping stone to the presidency 7 Vacancies 8 Growth of the office 9 Post-vice presidency 10 Timeline of vice presidents 11 References 12 Further reading 13 External links Origin No mention of an office of vice president was made at the 1787 Constitutional Convention until near the end, when an 11 - member committee on `` Leftover Business '' proposed a method of electing the chief executive ( president ). Delegates had previously considered the selection of the Senate 's presiding officer, deciding that, `` The Senate shall choose its own President, '' and had agreed that this official would be designated the executive 's immediate successor. They had also considered the mode of election of the executive but had not reached consensus. This all changed on September 4, when the committee recommended that the nation 's chief executive be elected by an Electoral College, with each state having a number of presidential electors equal to the sum of that state 's allocation of representatives and senators. The proposed presidential election process called for each state to choose members of the electoral college, who would use their discretion to select the candidates they individually viewed as best qualified. Recognizing that loyalty to one 's individual state outweighed loyalty to the new federation, the Constitution 's framers assumed that individual electors would be inclined to choose a candidate from their own state ( a so - called `` favorite son '' candidate ) over one from another. So they created the office of vice president and required that electors vote for two candidates, requiring that at least one of their votes must be for a candidate from outside the elector 's state, believing that this second vote could be cast for a candidate of national character. Additionally, to guard against the possibility that some electors might strategically throw away their second vote in order to bolster their favorite son 's chance of winning, it was specified that the first runner - up presidential candidate would become vice president. Creating this new office imposed a political cost on strategically discarded electoral votes, incentivizing electors to make their choices for president without resort to electoral gamesmanship and to cast their second ballot accordingly. The resultant method of electing the president and vice president, spelled out in Article II, Section 1, Clause 3, allocated to each state a number of electors equal to the combined total of its Senate and House of Representatives membership. Each elector was allowed to vote for two people for president ( rather than for both president and vice president ), but could not differentiate between their first and second choice for the presidency. The person receiving the greatest number of votes ( provided that it was an absolute majority of the whole number of electors ) would be president, while the individual who received the next largest number of votes became vice president. If there were a tie for first or for second place, or if no one won a majority of votes, the president and vice president would be selected by means of contingent elections protocols stated in the clause. The emergence of political parties and nationally coordinated election campaigns during the 1790s ( which the Constitution 's framers had not contemplated ) soon frustrated this original plan. In the election of 1796, Federalist John Adams won the presidency, but his bitter rival, Democratic - Republican Thomas Jefferson came second and became vice president. Thus, the president and vice president were from opposing parties ; and Jefferson used the vice presidency to frustrate the president 's policies. Then, four years later, in the election of 1800, Jefferson, and fellow Democratic - Republican Aaron Burr each received 73 electoral votes. In the contingent election that followed, Jefferson finally won on the 36th ballot, and Burr became vice president. Afterward, the system was overhauled through the Twelfth Amendment in time to be used in the 1804 election. Roles of the vice president This article is part of a series on the Politics of the United States of America Federal Government Constitution of the United States Law Taxation Legislature United States Congress House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan ( R ) Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy ( R ) Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi ( D ) Congressional districts Senate President Mike Pence ( R ) President Pro Tempore Orrin Hatch ( R ) President Pro Tempore Emeritus Patrick Leahy ( D ) Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R ) Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D ) Executive President of the United States Donald Trump ( R ) Vice President of the United States Mike Pence ( R ) Cabinet Federal agencies Executive Office Judiciary Supreme Court of the United States Chief Justice John Roberts Kennedy Thomas Ginsburg Breyer Alito Sotomayor Kagan Gorsuch Courts of Appeals District Courts ( list ) Other tribunals Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Off - year elections Political parties Democratic Republican Third parties Federalism State Government Governors Legislatures ( List ) State courts Local government Other countries Atlas Although delegates approved establishing the office, with both its executive and senatorial functions, not many understood the office, and so they gave the vice president few duties and little power. Only a few states had an analogous position. Among those that did, New York 's constitution provided that, `` The lieutenant - governor shall, by virtue of his office, be president of the Senate, and, upon an equal division, have a casting voice in their decisions, but not vote on any other occasion. '' As a result, the vice presidency originally had authority in only a few areas. The present day power of the office flows primarily from delegations from the President and Congress, as well as through constitutional amendments. Preside over the United States Senate Article I, Section 3, Clause 4 confers upon the vice president the title President of the Senate and authorizes him to preside over Senate meetings. In this capacity, the vice president is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing members to speak, and interpreting the Senate 's rules, practices, and precedent. The first two vice presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both of whom gained the ofice by virtue of being runners - up in presidential contests, presided regularly over Senate proceedings, and did much to shape the role of Senate president. Several 19th century vice presidents -- such as George Dallas, Levi Morton, and Garret Hobart -- followed their example and led effectively ; others were rarely present however. With this position comes the authority to cast a tie - breaking vote. In practice, the number of times vice presidents have exercised this right has varied greatly. John C. Calhoun holds the record at 31 votes, followed closely by John Adams with 29. During his first year in office ( through January 24, 2018 ), Mike Pence cast eight tie breaking votes ; his predecessor, Joe Biden, did not cast any during his eight years in office. As the framers of the Constitution anticipated that the vice president would not always be available to fulfil this responsibility, the Constitution provides that the Senate may appointment of a President pro tempore ( or `` president for a time '' ) in order to maintain the proper ordering of the legislative process. In practice, since the early 20th century, the President of the Senate rarely presides, nor does the President pro tempore. He regularly appoints delegates the task to other Senate members. Rule XIX, which governs debate, does not authorize the vice president to participate in debate, and grants only to members of the Senate ( and, upon appropriate notice, former presidents of the United States ) the privilege of addressing the Senate, without granting a similar privilege to the sitting vice president. Thus, Time magazine wrote in 1925, during the tenure of Vice President Charles G. Dawes, `` once in four years the Vice President can make a little speech, and then he is done. For four years he then has to sit in the seat of the silent, attending to speeches ponderous or otherwise, of deliberation or humor. '' Preside over impeachment trials As President of the Senate he may also preside over most of the impeachment trials of federal officers. However, whenever the President of the United States is on trial, the Constitution requires that the Chief Justice of the United States must preside. This stipulation was designed to avoid the possible conflict of interest in having the vice president preside over the trial for the removal of the one official standing between him and the presidency. Curiously, the framers made no mention of who would preside in the instance where the vice president is the officer impeached ; thus leaving a loophole whereby a vice president, as President of the Senate, could preside at their own impeachment trial. Supervise Electoral vote count The Twelfth Amendment, like the superseded Article II clause, provides that the vice president, in his capacity as President of the Senate, also presides over counting and presentation of the votes of the Electoral College. This process occurs during a joint session of Congress held, as prescribed by federal statute, on January 6 of the year following the presidential election. It will next take place following the 2020 presidential election, on January 6, 2021 ( unless Congress sets a different date by law ). In this capacity, four vice presidents have been able to announce their own election to the presidency : John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, and George H.W. Bush. In January 1961, it fell to Richard Nixon to preside over this process, and to announce the election of his 1960 opponent, John F. Kennedy. John C. Breckinridge, in 1861, and Al Gore, in 2001, have also had to announce their opponant 's election. In 1969, Vice President Hubert Humphrey would have done so as well, following his 1968 loss to Richard Nixon ; however, on the date of the Congressional joint session, Humphrey was in Norway attending the funeral of Trygve Lie, the first elected Secretary - General of the United Nations. The president pro tempore presided in his absence. Succession to the presidency 1888 illustration of John Tyler receiving the news of President Harrison 's death from Chief Clerk of the State Department Fletcher Webster Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 stipulates that the vice president takes over the `` powers and duties '' of the presidency in the event of a president 's removal, death, resignation, or inability. Even so, it does not clearly state whether the vice president became President of the United States or simply acted as president in a case of succession. Debate records from the 1787 Constitutional Convention, along with various participants ' later writings on the subject, show that the framers of the Constitution intended that the vice president would temporarily exercise the powers and duties of the office in the event of a president 's death, disability or removal, but not actually become President of the United States in their own right. This understanding was first tested in 1841, following the death of President William Henry Harrison, only 31 days into his term. Harrison 's vice president, John Tyler, asserted that he had succeeded to the office of President, not just to its powers and duties. He took the presidential oath of office, and declined to acknowledge documents referring to him as `` Acting President. '' Although some in Congress denounced Tyler 's claim as a violation of the Constitution, he adhered to his position. Tyler 's view ultimately prevailed when the Senate voted to acknowledge him as President, setting a momentous precedent for an orderly transfer of presidential power following a president 's death, one made explicit by Section 1 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment in 1967. In total, nine vice presidents have succeeded to the presidency intra-term. In addition to Tyler they are Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Gerald Ford. Presidential disabilities Even after the precedent regarding presidential succession following a president 's death was set, there remained ambiguity in the Article II succession clause regarding a disabled president. What constituted an `` inability '' ? Who determined the existence of an inability ? Did a vice president become president for the rest of the presidential term in the case of an inability ; or was the vice president merely `` acting as President '' ? During the 19th and first half of the 20th century several presidents experienced periods of severe illness, physical disability or injury, some lasting for weeks or month. During these times, even though the nation needed effective presidential leadership, no vice president wanted to seem like a usurper, and so power was never transferred. After President Dwight D. Eisenhower openly addressed his health issues and made it a point to enter into an agreement with Vice President Richard Nixon that provided for Nixon to act on his behalf in the event that Eisenhower became unable to provide effective presidential leadership ( Nixon did informally assumed some of the president 's duties for several weeks on each of three occasions when Eisenhower was ill ), discussions began in Congress about clearing - up the Constitution 's ambiguity on the subject. Sections 3 and 4 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment provide for situations where the president is temporarily unable to lead, such as if the president has a surgical procedure, becomes seriously ill or injured, or is otherwise unable to discharge the powers or duties of the presidency. Section 3 deals with self - declared incapacity, and Section 4 addresses incapacity declared by the joint action of the vice president and of a majority of the Cabinet. While Section 4 has never been invoked, Section 3 has been invoked on three occasions by two presidents. Ronald Reagan did so once, on July 13, 1985, before undergoing surgery -- Vice President George H.W. Bush was acting president for approximately eight hours. George W. Bush did so twice, on June 29, 2002 and July 21, 2007, prior to undergoing medical procedures, which were done under sedation -- Vice President Dick Cheney was acting president for approximately two hours on each occasion. Informal roles The extent of any informal roles and functions of the vice president depend on the specific relationship between the president and the vice president, but often include tasks such as drafter and spokesperson for the administration 's policies, adviser to the president, and being a symbol of American concern or support. The influence of the vice president in this role depends almost entirely on the characteristics of the particular administration. Dick Cheney, for instance, was widely regarded as one of President George W. Bush 's closest confidants. Al Gore was an important adviser to President Bill Clinton on matters of foreign policy and the environment. Under the American system of government the president is both head of state and head of government, and the ceremonial duties of the former position are often delegated to the vice president. The vice president will on occasion represent the president and the U.S. government at state funerals abroad, or at various events in the United States. This often is the most visible role of the vice president. The vice president may also meet with other heads of state at times when the administration wishes to demonstrate concern or support but can not send the president personally. Selection process Eligibility John Adams, the first Vice President of the United States To be Constitutionally eligible to serve as the nation 's vice president, a person must, according to the Twelfth Amendment, meet the eligibility requirements to become president ( which are stated in Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 ). Thus, to serve as vice president, an individual must : be a natural - born U.S. citizen ; be at least 35 years old ; be a resident in the U.S. for at least 14 years. A person who meets the above qualifications is still disqualified from holding the office of vice president under the following conditions : Under Article I, Section 3, Clause 7, upon conviction in impeachment cases, the Senate has the option of disqualifying convicted individuals from holding federal office, including that of vice president ; Under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, no person who has sworn an oath to support the Constitution, who has later has gone to war against the United States, or given aid and comfort to the nation 's enemies can serve in a state or federal office -- including as vice president. This disqualification, originally aimed at former supporters of the Confederacy, may be removed by a two - thirds vote of each house of the Congress. Nominating process Though the vice president does not need to have any political experience, most major - party vice presidential nominees are current or former United States Senators or Representatives, with the occasional nominee being a current or former Governor, a high - ranking military officer, or a holder of a major post within the Executive Department. The vice presidential candidates of the major national political parties are formally selected by each party 's quadrennial nominating convention, following the selection of the party 's presidential candidate. The official process is identical to the one by which the presidential candidates are chosen, with delegates placing the names of candidates into nomination, followed by a ballot in which candidates must receive a majority to secure the party 's nomination. In practice, the presidential nominee has considerable influence on the decision, and in the 20th century it became customary for that person to select a preferred running mate, who is then nominated and accepted by the convention. In recent years, with the presidential nomination usually being a foregone conclusion as the result of the primary process, the selection of a vice presidential candidate is often announced prior to the actual balloting for the presidential candidate, and sometimes before the beginning of the convention itself. The first presidential aspirant to announce his selection for vice president before the beginning of the convention was Ronald Reagan who, prior to the 1976 Republican National Convention announced that Richard Schweiker would be his running mate. Reagan 's supporters then sought to amend the convention rules so that Gerald R. Ford would be required to name his vice presidential running mate in advance as well. The proposal was defeated, and Reagan did not receive the nomination in 1976. Often, the presidential nominee will name a vice presidential candidate who will bring geographic or ideological balance to the ticket or appeal to a particular constituency. The vice presidential candidate might also be chosen on the basis of traits the presidential candidate is perceived to lack, or on the basis of name recognition. To foster party unity, popular runners - up in the presidential nomination process are commonly considered. While this selection process may enhance the chances of success for a national ticket, in the past it often insured that the vice presidential nominee represented regions, constituencies, or ideologies at odds with those of the presidential candidate. As a result, vice presidents were often excluded from the policy - making process of the new administration. Many times their relationships with the president and his staff were aloof, non-existent, or even adversarial. The ultimate goal of vice presidential candidate selection is to help and not hurt the party 's chances of getting elected, nonetheless several vice presidential selections have been controversial. In 1984, Democratic nominee Walter Mondale 's groundbreaking choice of Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate ( the first woman in U.S. history nominated for Vice President by a major political party ), became a drag on the ticket due to repeated questions about her husband 's finances. A selection whose positive traits make the presidential candidate look less favorable in comparison or which can cause the presidential candidate 's judgment to be questioned often backfire, such as in 1988 when Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis chose experienced Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen ; Bentsen was considered a more seasoned statesman in federal politics and somewhat overshadowed Dukakis. Questions about Dan Quayle 's experience were raised in the 1988 presidential campaign of George H.W. Bush, but the Bush - Quayle ticket still won handily. James Stockdale, the choice of third - party candidate Ross Perot in 1992, was seen as unqualified by many and Stockdale had little preparation for the vice presidential debate, but the Perot - Stockdale ticket still won about 19 % of the vote. In 2008, Republican John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate over his primary rivals and / or campaign surrogates such as Mitt Romney or Tom Ridge. This surprise move would, it was hoped, draw women voters disappointed by Hillary Clinton 's defeat in the Democratic presidential primaries into the McCain camp. Palin 's selection soon came to be seen as a negative for McCain, due to her several controversies during her gubernatorial tenure which were highlighted by the press, and her feuding with McCain campaign chairman Steve Schmidt. This perception continued to grow throughout the campaign, especially after her interviews with Katie Couric led to concerns about her fitness for the presidency. Historically, vice presidential candidates were chosen to provide geographic and ideological balance to a presidential ticket, widening a presidential candidate 's appeal to voters from outside his regional base or wing of the party. Candidates from electoral - vote rich states were usually preferred. However, in 1992, moderate Democrat Bill Clinton ( of Arkansas ) chose moderate Democrat Al Gore ( of Tennessee ) as his running mate. Despite the two candidates ' near - identical ideological and regional backgrounds, Gore 's extensive experience in national affairs enhanced the appeal of a ticket headed by Clinton, whose political career had been spent entirely at the local and state levels of government. In 2000, George W. Bush chose Dick Cheney of Wyoming, a reliably Republican state with only three electoral votes, and in 2008, Barack Obama mirrored Bush 's strategy when he chose Joe Biden of Delaware, a reliably Democratic state, likewise one with only three electoral votes. Both Cheney and Biden were chosen for their experience in national politics ( experience lacked by both Bush and Obama ) rather than the ideological balance or electoral vote advantage they would provide. Prior to the 2000 election, both George W. Bush and Dick Cheney lived in and voted in Texas. While nothing in the Constitution prohibits a presidential candidate and his or her running mate being from the same state, the `` inhabitant clause '' of the Twelfth Amendment does mandate that every presidential elector must cast a ballot for at least one candidate who is not from their own state. To avoid creating a potential problem for Texas ' electors, Cheney changed his residency back to Wyoming prior to the campaign. The first presidential candidate to choose his vice presidential candidate was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940. The last not to name a vice presidential choice, leaving the matter up to the convention, was Democrat Adlai Stevenson in 1956. The convention chose Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver over Massachusetts Senator ( and later president ) John F. Kennedy. At the tumultuous 1972 Democratic convention, presidential nominee George McGovern selected Senator Thomas Eagleton as his running mate, but numerous other candidates were either nominated from the floor or received votes during the balloting. Eagleton nevertheless received a majority of the votes and the nomination, though he later resigned from the ticket, resulting in Sargent Shriver becoming McGovern 's final running mate ; both lost to the Nixon - Agnew ticket by a wide margin, carrying only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. In cases where the presidential nomination is still in doubt as the convention approaches, the campaigns for the two positions may become intertwined. In 1976, Ronald Reagan, who was trailing President Gerald R. Ford in the presidential delegate count, announced prior to the Republican National Convention that, if nominated, he would select Senator Richard Schweiker as his running mate. This move backfired to a degree, as Schweiker 's relatively liberal voting record alienated many of the more conservative delegates who were considering a challenge to party delegate selection rules to improve Reagan 's chances. In the end, Ford narrowly won the presidential nomination and Reagan 's selection of Schweiker became moot. In the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries which pitted Hillary Clinton against Barack Obama, Clinton suggested a Clinton - Obama ticket with Obama in the vice president slot as it would be `` unstoppable '' against the presumptive Republican nominee. Obama rejected the offer outright saying `` I want everybody to be absolutely clear. I 'm not running for vice president. I 'm running for president of the United States of America '' while noting `` With all due respect. I won twice as many states as Sen. Clinton. I 've won more of the popular vote than Sen. Clinton. I have more delegates than Sen. Clinton. So, I do n't know how somebody who 's in second place is offering vice presidency to the person who 's in first place ''. Obama stated that the nomination process would have to be a choice between himself and Clinton, saying `` I do n't want anybody here thinking that ' Somehow, maybe I can get both ' '', by nominating Clinton as president and assuming he would be her running mate ``. Some suggested that it was a ploy by the Clinton campaign to denigrate Obama as less qualified for the presidency. Later, when Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee, former President Jimmy Carter cautioned against Clinton being picked for the vice president slot on the ticket, saying `` I think it would be the worst mistake that could be made. That would just accumulate the negative aspects of both candidates '', citing opinion polls showing 50 % of US voters with a negative view of Hillary Clinton. Election Map of the United States showing the number of electoral votes allocated following the 2010 census to each state and the District of Columbia for the 2012, 2016 and 2020 presidential elections ; it also notes that Maine and Nebraska distribute electors by way of the Congressional District Method. 270 electoral votes are required for a majority out of 538 votes possible. Main article : Electoral College ( United States ) The vice president is elected indirectly by the voters of each state and the District of Columbia through the Electoral College, a body of electors formed every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president to concurrent four - year terms. As prescribed by the Twelfth Amendment, each state is entitled to a number of electors equal to the size of its total delegation in both houses of Congress. Additionally, the Twenty - third Amendment provides that the District of Columbia is entitled to the number it would have if it were a state, but in no case more than that of the least populous state. Currently, all states and D.C. select their electors based on a popular election held on Election Day. In all but two states, the party whose presidential - vice presidential ticket receives a plurality of popular votes in the state has its entire slate of elector nominees chosen as the state 's electors. Maine and Nebraska deviate from this winner - take - all practice, awarding two electors to the statewide winner and one to the winner in each congressional district. On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, about six weeks after the election, the electors convene in their respective states ( and in Washington D.C. ) to vote for president and, on a separate ballot, for vice president. The certified results are opened and counted during a joint session of Congress, held in the first week of January. A candidate who receives an absolute majority of electoral votes for vice president ( currently 270 of 538 ) is declared the winner. Otherwise, the Senate must meet to elect a vice president using a contingent election procedure in which senators, casting votes individually, choose between the two candidates who received the most electoral votes for vice president. For a candidate to win, he or she must receive votes from an absolute majority of senators ( currently 51 of 100 ). There has been only one vice presidential contingent election since the Twelfth Amendment was ratified. It occurred on February 8, 1837, after no candidate received a majority of the electoral votes cast for vice president in the 1836 election. By a 33 -- 17 vote, Richard Mentor Johnson ( Martin Van Buren 's running mate ) was elected the nation 's ninth vice president over Francis Granger. Tenure Inauguration Main article : United States presidential inauguration Four vice presidents : L-R, outgoing President Lyndon B. Johnson ( the 37th Vice President ), incoming President Richard Nixon ( 36th ), ( Everett Dirksen administering oath ), incoming Vice President Spiro Agnew ( 39th ), and outgoing Vice President Hubert Humphrey ( 38th ), January 20, 1969 Pursuant to the Twentieth Amendment, the vice president 's term of office begins at noon on January 20, as does the president 's. The first presidential and vice presidential terms to begin on this date, known as Inauguration Day, were the second terms of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Vice President John Nance Garner in 1937. Previously, Inauguration Day was on March 4. As a result of the date change, the first term ( 1933 -- 37 ) of both men had been shortened by 43 days. Also in 1937, the Vice President 's swearing - in ceremony was held on the Inaugural platform on the Capitol 's east front immediately before the president 's swearing in. Up until then, most Vice Presidents took the oath of office in the Senate chamber, prior to the President 's swearing - in ceremony. Although the Constitution contains the specific wording of the presidential oath, it only contains a general requirement, in Article VI, that the vice president and other government officers shall take an oath or affirmation to support the Constitution. The current form, which has been used since 1884 reads : I, ( first name last name ), do solemnly swear ( or affirm ) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic ; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same ; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion ; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. Term of office The term of office for both the vice president and the president is four years. While the Twenty - Second Amendment generally restricts the president to two terms, there is no such limitation on the office of vice president, meaning an eligible person could hold the office as long as voters continued to vote for electors who in turn would reelect the person to the office ; one could even serve under different presidents. This has happened twice : George Clinton ( 1805 -- 1812 ) served under both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison ; and John C. Calhoun ( 1825 -- 1832 ) served under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. Additionally, neither the Constitution 's eligibility provisions nor the Twenty - second Amendment 's presidential term limit explicitly disqualify a twice - elected president from serving as vice president. As of the 2016 election cycle however, no former president has tested the amendment 's legal restrictions or meaning by running for the vice presidency. Impeachment Further information : Impeachment in the United States Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution allows for the removal of federal officials, including the president, from office for `` treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. '' Article I, Section 2, Clause 5 authorizes the House of Representatives to serve as a `` grand jury '' with the power to impeach said officials by a majority vote. Article I, Section 3, Clause 6 authorizes the Senate to serve as a court with the power to remove impeached officials from office, by a two - thirds vote to convict. No vice president has ever been impeached. Salary The vice president 's salary is $230,700. The salary was set by the 1989 Government Salary Reform Act, which also provides an automatic cost of living adjustment for federal employees. The vice president does not automatically receive a pension based on that office, but instead receives the same pension as other members of Congress based on his position as President of the Senate. The vice president must serve a minimum of two years to qualify for a pension. Office as stepping stone to the presidency In recent decades, the vice presidency has frequently been used as a platform to launch bids for the presidency. The transition of the office to its modern stature occurred primarily as a result of Franklin Roosevelt 's 1940 nomination, when he captured the ability to nominate his running mate instead of leaving the nomination to the convention. Prior to that, party bosses often used the vice presidential nomination as a consolation prize for the party 's minority faction. A further factor potentially contributing to the rise in prestige of the office was the adoption of presidential preference primaries in the early 20th century. By adopting primary voting, the field of candidates for vice president was expanded by both the increased quantity and quality of presidential candidates successful in some primaries, yet who ultimately failed to capture the presidential nomination at the convention. Of the thirteen presidential elections from 1956 to 2004, nine featured the incumbent president ; the other four ( 1960, 1968, 1988, 2000 ) all featured the incumbent vice president. Former vice presidents also ran in 1984 ( Walter Mondale ) and in 1968 ( Richard Nixon, against the incumbent vice president, Hubert Humphrey ). The presidential election of 2008 was the first presidential election since 1928 that saw neither an incumbent president nor an incumbent or former vice president take part in any primary or general election for the presidency on a major party ticket. Nixon is the only vice president to have been elected president while not an incumbent, as well as the only person elected twice to both the presidency and vice presidency. Vacancies ( Left to right ) President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon with Gerald Ford and Betty Ford after President Nixon nominated Ford to be Vice President, October 13, 1973. Prior to ratification of the Twenty - fifth Amendment in 1967, no constitutional provision existed for filling an intra-term vacancy in the vice presidency. As a result, when one occurred, the office was left vacant until filled through the next ensuing election and inauguration. Between 1812 and 1967, the vice presidency was vacant on sixteen occasions -- as a result of seven deaths, one resignation, and eight cases in which the vice president succeeded to the presidency. Section 2 of the Twenty - fifth Amendment established a procedure for filling such a vacancy : Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress. This procedure has been implemented twice since the amendment came into force. The first instance occurred in 1973 following the October 10 resignation of Spiro Agnew, when Gerald Ford was nominated by President Richard Nixon and confirmed by Congress. The second occurred 10 months later following Ford 's August 9, 1974 accession to the presidency upon Nixon 's resignation, when Nelson Rockefeller was nominated by President Ford and confirmed by Congress. Had it not been for this new constitutional mechanism, the vice presidency would have remained vacant after Agnew 's resignation and Speaker of the House Carl Albert would have become Acting President when Nixon resigned, under the terms of the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. Vice-presidential vacancies Period of vacancy Cause of vacancy Length How vacancy filled 01 April 20, 1812 -- March 4, 1813 Death of George Clinton 7002318000000000000 ♠ 318 days Election of 1812 02 November 23, 1814 -- March 4, 1817 Death of Elbridge Gerry 7002832000000000000 ♠ 832 days Election of 1816 03 December 28, 1832 -- March 4, 1833 Resignation of John C. Calhoun 7001660000000000000 ♠ 66 days Election of 1832 04 April 4, 1841 -- March 4, 1845 Accession of John Tyler as president 7003143000000000000 ♠ 1,430 days Election of 1844 05 July 9, 1850 -- March 4, 1853 Accession of Millard Fillmore as president 7002969000000000000 ♠ 969 days Election of 1852 06 April 18, 1853 -- March 4, 1857 Death of William R. King 7003141600000000000 ♠ 1,416 days Election of 1856 07 April 15, 1865 -- March 4, 1869 Accession of Andrew Johnson as president 7003141900000000000 ♠ 1,419 days Election of 1868 08 November 22, 1875 -- March 4, 1877 Death of Henry Wilson 7002468000000000000 ♠ 468 days Election of 1876 09 September 19, 1881 -- March 4, 1885 Accession of Chester A. Arthur as president 7003126200000000000 ♠ 1,262 days Election of 1884 10 November 25, 1885 -- March 4, 1889 Death of Thomas A. Hendricks 7003119500000000000 ♠ 1,195 days Election of 1888 11 November 21, 1899 -- March 4, 1901 Death of Garret Hobart 7002468000000000000 ♠ 468 days Election of 1900 12 September 14, 1901 -- March 4, 1905 Accession of Theodore Roosevelt as president 7003126700000000000 ♠ 1,267 days Election of 1904 13 October 30, 1912 -- March 4, 1913 Death of James S. Sherman 7002125000000000000 ♠ 125 days Election of 1912 14 August 2, 1923 -- March 4, 1925 Accession of Calvin Coolidge as president 7002580000000000000 ♠ 580 days Election of 1924 15 April 12, 1945 -- January 20, 1949 Accession of Harry S. Truman as president 7003137900000000000 ♠ 1,379 days Election of 1948 16 November 22, 1963 -- January 20, 1965 Accession of Lyndon B. Johnson as president 7002425000000000000 ♠ 425 days Election of 1964 17 October 10, 1973 -- December 6, 1973 Resignation of Spiro Agnew 7001570000000000000 ♠ 57 days Confirmation of successor 18 August 9, 1974 -- December 19, 1974 Accession of Gerald Ford as president 7002132000000000000 ♠ 132 days Confirmation of successor Growth of the office Though prominent as a Missouri Senator, Harry Truman had been vice president only three months when he became president ; he was never informed of Franklin Roosevelt 's war or postwar policies while vice president. For much of its existence, the office of vice president was seen as little more than a minor position. John Adams, the first vice president, was the first of many frustrated by the `` complete insignificance '' of the office. To his wife Abigail Adams wrote, `` My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man... or his imagination contrived or his imagination conceived ; and as I can do neither good nor evil, I must be borne away by others and met the common fate. '' John Nance Garner, who served as vice president from 1933 to 1941 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, claimed that the vice presidency `` is n't worth a pitcher of warm piss. '' Harry Truman, who also served as vice president under Roosevelt, said that the office was as `` useful as a cow 's fifth teat. '' Thomas R. Marshall, the 28th vice president, lamented : `` Once there were two brothers. One ran away to sea ; the other was elected Vice President of the United States. And nothing was heard of either of them again. '' His successor, Calvin Coolidge, was so obscure that Major League Baseball sent him free passes that misspelled his name, and a fire marshal failed to recognize him when Coolidge 's Washington residence was evacuated. When the Whig Party asked Daniel Webster to run for the vice presidency on Zachary Taylor 's ticket, he replied `` I do not propose to be buried until I am really dead and in my coffin. '' This was the second time Webster declined the office, which William Henry Harrison had first offered to him. Ironically, both of the presidents making the offer to Webster died in office, meaning the three - time presidential candidate could have become president if he had accepted either. Since presidents rarely died in office, however, the better preparation for the presidency was considered to be the office of Secretary of State, in which Webster served under Harrison, Tyler, and later, Taylor 's successor, Fillmore. In the first 100 years of the United States no fewer than seven proposals to amend the constitution to abolish the office of Vice President were advanced in the United States Congress. The first such amendment was presented by Samuel W. Dana in 1800 and was defeated by a vote of 27 to 85 in the United States House of Representatives. A second proposed amendment, introduced by United States Senator James Hillhouse in 1808 was also defeated. During the late - 1860s and 1870s, five additional amendments were proposed. One supporter of the proposals, James Mitchell Ashley, opined that the office of Vice President was `` superfluous '' and dangerous. Garret Hobart, the first vice president under William McKinley, was one of the very few vice presidents at this time who played an important role in the administration. A close confidant and adviser of the president, Hobart was called `` Assistant President. '' However, until 1919, vice presidents were not included in meetings of the President 's Cabinet. This precedent was broken by President Woodrow Wilson when he asked Thomas R. Marshall to preside over Cabinet meetings while Wilson was in France negotiating the Treaty of Versailles. President Warren G. Harding also invited his vice president, Calvin Coolidge, to meetings. The next vice president, Charles G. Dawes, did not seek to attend Cabinet meetings under President Coolidge, declaring that `` the precedent might prove injurious to the country. '' Vice President Charles Curtis was also precluded from attending by President Herbert Hoover. In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt raised the stature of the office by renewing the practice of inviting the vice president to cabinet meetings, which every president since has maintained. Roosevelt 's first vice president, John Nance Garner, broke with him over the `` court - packing '' issue, early in his second term, and became Roosevelt 's leading critic. At the start of that term, on January 20, 1937, Garner had been the first Vice President to be sworn into office on the Capitol steps in the same ceremony with the president ; a tradition that continues. Prior to that time, vice presidents were traditionally inaugurated at a separate ceremony in the Senate chamber. Gerald R. Ford and Nelson A. Rockefeller, who were both appointed to the office under the terms of the 25th amendment, were inaugurated in the House and Senate chambers, respectively. Henry Wallace, Roosevelt 's vice president during his third term ( 1941 -- 1945 ), was given major responsibilities during World War II. However, after numerous policy disputes between Wallace and other Roosevelt Administration and Democratic Party officials, he was denied renomination to office at the 1944 Democratic National Convention. Harry Truman was selected instead. During his 82 day vice presidency, Truman was not informed about any war or post-war plans, including the Manhattan Project, leading Truman to remark, wryly, that the job of the Vice President was to `` go to weddings and funerals. '' As a result of this experience, Truman, after succeeding to the presidency upon Roosevelt 's death, recognized the need to keep the Vice President informed on national security issues. Congress made the vice president one of four statutory members of the National Security Council in 1949. The stature of the vice presidency grew again while Richard Nixon was in office ( 1953 -- 1961 ). He attracted the attention of the media and the Republican party, when Dwight Eisenhower authorized him to preside at Cabinet meetings in his absence. Nixon was also the first vice president to formally assume temporary control of the executive branch, which he did after Eisenhower suffered a heart attack on September 24, 1955, ileitis in June 1956, and a stroke in November 1957. Until 1961, vice presidents had their offices on Capitol Hill, a formal office in the Capitol itself and a working office in the Russell Senate Office Building. Lyndon B. Johnson was the first vice president to be given an office in the White House complex, in the Old Executive Office Building. The former Navy Secretary 's office in the OEOB has since been designated the `` Ceremonial Office of the Vice President '' and is today used for formal events and press interviews. President Jimmy Carter was the first president to give his vice president, Walter Mondale, an office in the West Wing of the White House, which all vice presidents have since retained. Because of their function as Presidents of the Senate, vice presidents still maintain offices and staff members on Capitol Hill. Though Walter Mondale 's tenure was the beginning of the modern day power of the vice presidency, the tenure of Dick Cheney saw a rapid growth in the office of the vice president. Vice President Cheney held a tremendous amount of power and frequently made policy decisions on his own, without the knowledge of the President. After his tenure, and during the 2008 presidential campaign, both vice presidential candidates, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, stated the office had expanded too much under Cheney 's tenure and both claimed they would reduce the role to simply being an adviser to the president. This rapid growth has led to calls for abolition of the vice presidency from various constitutional scholars and political commentators such as : Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Matthew Yglesias, and Bruce Ackerman. Post-vice presidency See also : List of Vice Presidents of the United States § Subsequent public office There are currently ( since January 20, 2017 ) six living former vice presidents. In order of office they are : Walter Mondale ( age 90 ) since 1981 George H.W. Bush ( age 94 ) since 1989 Dan Quayle ( age 71 ) since 1993 Al Gore ( age 70 ) since 2001 Dick Cheney ( age 77 ) since 2009 Joe Biden ( age 75 ) since 2017 Since 1977, former presidents and vice presidents who are elected or re-elected to the Senate are entitled to the largely honorific position of Deputy President pro tempore. To date, the only former vice president to have held this title is Hubert Humphrey following his return to the Senate. Also, under the terms of an 1886 Senate resolution, all former vice presidents are entitled to a portrait bust in the Senate wing of the United States Capitol, commemorating their service as presidents of the Senate. Dick Cheney is the most recent former vice president to be so honored. Unlike former presidents, whose pension is fixed at the same rate, regardless of their time in office, former vice presidents receive their retirement income based on their role as President of the Senate. Additionally, Since 2008, each former vice president and their immediate family is entitled ( under the `` Former Vice President Protection Act of 2008 '' ) to Secret Service protection for up to six months after leaving office, and again temporarily at any time thereafter if warranted. Timeline of vice presidents This is a graphical timeline listing of the Vice Presidents of the United States. References Jump up ^ Maier, Pauline ( 2010 ). Ratification : The People Debate the Constitution, 1787 -- 1788. New York, New York : Simon & Schuster. p. 433. ISBN 978 - 0 - 684 - 86854 - 7. Jump up ^ `` March 4 : A forgotten huge day in American history ''. Philadelphia : National Constitution Center. March 4, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2018. Jump up ^ Smith, Page ( 1962 ). John Adams. Volume Two 1784 - 1826. Garden City, New York : Doubleday. p. 744. ^ Jump up to : Feerick, John. `` Essays on Amendment XXV : Presidential Succession ''. The Heritage Guide to the Constitution. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved July 3, 2018. ^ Jump up to : `` Executive Branch : Vice President ''. The US Legal System. U.S. Legal Support. Retrieved February 20, 2018. ^ Jump up to : Garvey, Todd ( 2008 ). `` A Constitutional Anomaly : Safeguarding Confidential National Security Information Within the Enigma That Is the American Vice Presidency ''. William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal. Williamsburg, Virginia : William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository. 17 ( 2 ) : 565 -- 605. Retrieved July 28, 2018. ^ Jump up to : Brownell II, Roy E. ( Fall 2014 ). `` A Constitutional Chameleon : The Vice President 's Place within the American System of Separation of Powers Part I : Text, Structure, Views of the Framers and the Courts '' ( PDF ). Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy. pp. 1 -- 77. Retrieved July 27, 2018. Jump up ^ Goldstein, Joel K. ( 1995 ). `` The New Constitutional Vice Presidency ''. Wake Forest Law Review. Winston Salem, NC : Wake Forest Law Review Association, Inc. 30 : 505. Jump up ^ `` Michael R. Pence Vice President of the United States ''. whitehouse.gov. Washington, D.C. : The White House. Retrieved July 30, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Major Themes at the Constitutional Convention : 8. Establishing the Electoral College and the Presidency ''. TeachingAmericanHistory.org. Ashland, Ohio : Ashbrook Center at Ashland University. Retrieved February 21, 2018. ^ Jump up to : Albert, Richard ( Winter 2005 ). `` The Evolving Vice Presidency ''. Temple Law Review. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Temple University of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education. 78 ( 4 ) : 811 -- 896. Retrieved July 29, 2018 -- via Digital Commons @ Boston College Law School. Jump up ^ Holcombe, Randall G. ( November 9, 2000 ). `` Origins of the Electoral College ''. Mises Daily. Auburn, Alabama : Mises Institute. Retrieved July 30, 2018. Jump up ^ Rathbone, Mark ( December 2011 ). `` US Vice Presidents ''. History Review. No. 71. London : History Today. Retrieved February 21, 2018. ^ Jump up to : Kuroda, Tadahisa. `` Essays on Article II : Electoral College ''. The Heritage Guide to The Constitution. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved July 27, 2018. ^ Jump up to : Neale, Thomas H. ( May 15, 2017 ). `` The Electoral College : How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections '' ( PDF ). CRS Report for Congress. Washington, D.C. : Congressional Research Service. p. 13. Retrieved July 29, 2018. Jump up ^ Fried, Charles. `` Essays on Amendment XII : Electoral College ''. The Heritage Guide to the Constitution. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved February 20, 2018. ^ Jump up to : `` Vice President of the United States ( President of the Senate ) ''. senate.gov. Washington, D.C. : Secretary of the Senate. Retrieved July 28, 2018. Jump up ^ `` The Senate and the United States Constitution ''. senate.gov. Washington, D.C. : Secretary of the Senate. Retrieved February 20, 2018. Jump up ^ Schramm, Peter W. `` Essays on Article I : Vice President as Presiding Officer ''. Heritage Guide to the Constitution. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved July 27, 2018. Jump up ^ Fischer, Jordan ( January 24, 2018 ). `` Mike Pence breaks into top 10 for vice presidential tiebreaking votes ''. theindychannel.com. WRTV, Scripps TV Station Group. Retrieved July 29, 2018. Jump up ^ Forte, David F. `` Essays on Article I : President Pro Tempore ''. Heritage Guide to the Constitution. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved July 27, 2018. Jump up ^ `` President Dawes ''. The Congress. Time. Vol. 6 no. 24. New York, New York. December 14, 1925. Jump up ^ Gerhardt, Michael J. `` Essays on Article I : Trial of Impeachment ''. Heritage Guide to the Constitution. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved July 27, 2018. ^ Jump up to : `` Electoral Vote Challenge Loses ''. St. Petersburg Times. January 7, 1969. pp. 1, 6. Retrieved July 29, 2018 -- via Google News. Jump up ^ Glass, Andrew ( December 4, 2014 ). `` Senate expels John C. Breckinridge, Dec. 4, 1861 ''. Arlington County, Virginia : Politico. Retrieved July 29, 2018. Jump up ^ Glass, Andrew ( January 6, 2016 ). `` Congress certifies Bush as winner of 2000 election, Jan. 6, 2001 ''. Arlington County, Virginia : Politico. Retrieved July 29, 2018. ^ Jump up to : Feerick, John D. ( 2011 ). `` Presidential Succession and Inability : Before and After the Twenty - Fifth Amendment ''. Fordham Law Review. New York City : Fordham University School of Law. 79 ( 3 ) : 907 -- 949. Retrieved July 7, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Neale, Thomas H. ( September 27, 2004 ). `` Presidential and Vice Presidential Succession : Overview and Current Legislation '' ( PDF ). CRS Report for Congress. Washington, D.C. : Congressional Research Service. Retrieved July 27, 2018. Jump up ^ Feerick, John D. ; Freund, Paul A. ( 1965 ). From Failing Hands : the Story of Presidential Succession. New York City : Fordham University Press. p. 56. LCCN 65 - 14917. ^ Jump up to : Freehling, William. `` John Tyler : Domestic Affairs ''. Charllotesville, Virginia : Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Retrieved July 29, 2018. Jump up ^ Abbott, Philip ( December 2005 ). `` Accidental Presidents : Death, Assassination, Resignation, and Democratic Succession ''. Presidential Studies Quarterly. 35 ( 4 ) : 627, 638. doi : 10.1111 / j. 1741 - 5705.2005. 00269. x. JSTOR 27552721. Jump up ^ `` Presidential Succession ''. US Law. Mountain View, California : Justia. Retrieved July 29, 2018. ^ Jump up to : Kalt, Brian C. ; Pozen, David. `` The Twenty - fifth Amendment ''. The Interactive Constitution. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : The National Constitution Center. Retrieved July 28, 2018. Jump up ^ Woolley, John ; Peters, Gerhard. `` List of Vice-Presidents Who Served as `` Acting '' President Under the 25th Amendment ``. The American Presidency Project ( online ). Gerhard Peters ( database ). Santa Barbara, California : University of California ( hosted ). Retrieved June 18, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Our Government : The Executive Branch ''. whitehouse.gov. Washington, D.C. : The White House. Retrieved July 31, 2018. ^ Jump up to : `` Twelfth Amendment ''. Annenberg Classroom. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : The Annenberg Public Policy Center. Retrieved February 21, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Fourteenth Amendment ''. Annenberg Classroom. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : The Annenberg Public Policy Center. Retrieved February 21, 2018. Jump up ^ Nagourney, Adam ( September 30, 2008 ). `` Concerns About Palin 's Readiness as Big Test Nears ''. The New York Times. p. A16. Retrieved April 9, 2011. Jump up ^ The `` Veepstakes '' : Strategic Choice in Presidential Running Mate Selection, by Lee Sigelman and Paul J. Wahlbeck, American Political Science Review, December 1997 Jump up ^ Stratton, Allegra ; Nasaw, Daniel ( March 11, 2008 ). `` Obama scoffs at Clinton 's vice-presidential hint ''. The Guardian. London. Jump up ^ `` Obama rejects being Clinton 's No. 2 ''. CNN. March 11, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Trump throws 2008 Obama ad in Clinton 's face ''. Politico. June 10, 2016. Jump up ^ Freedland, Jonathan ( June 4, 2008 ). `` US elections : Jimmy Carter tells Barack Obama not to pick Hillary Clinton as running mate ''. The Guardian. London. Jump up ^ `` Twenty - third Amendment ''. Annenberg Classroom. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : The Annenberg Public Policy Center. Retrieved July 30, 2018. Jump up ^ `` About the Electors ''. U.S. Electoral College. Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 2, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Maine & Nebraska ''. fairvote.com. Takoma Park, Maryland : FairVote. Retrieved August 1, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Split Electoral Votes in Maine and Nebraska ''. 270towin.com. Retrieved August 1, 2018. Jump up ^ `` What is the Electoral College ? ''. U.S. Electoral College. Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 2, 2018. Jump up ^ Bomboy, Scott ( December 19, 2016 ). `` The one election where Faithless Electors made a difference ''. Constitution Daily. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : National Constitution Center. Retrieved July 30, 2018. Jump up ^ Larson, Edward J. ; Shesol, Jeff. `` The Twentieth Amendment ''. The Interactive Constitution. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : The National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 15, 2018. Jump up ^ `` The First Inauguration after the Lame Duck Amendment : January 20, 1937 ''. Washington, D.C. : Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved July 24, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Commencement of the Terms of Office : Twentieth Amendment '' ( PDF ). Constitution of the United States of America : Analysis and Interpretation. Washington, D.C. : United States Government Printing Office, Library of Congress. pp. 2297 -- 98. Retrieved July 24, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Vice President 's Swearing - in Ceremony ''. inaugural.senate.gov. Washington, D.C. : Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Retrieved July 30, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Oath of Office ''. senate.gov. Washington, D.C. : Secretary of the Senate. Retrieved July 30, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Twenty - second Amendment ''. Annenberg Classroom. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : The Annenberg Public Policy Center. Retrieved July 30, 2018. Jump up ^ Baker, Peter ( October 20, 2006 ). `` VP Bill ? Depends on Meaning of ' Elected ' ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2018. Jump up ^ See : Peabody, Bruce G. ; Gant, Scott E. ( 1999 ). `` The Twice and Future President : Constitutional Interstices and the Twenty - Second Amendment '' ( PDF ). Minnesota Law Review. Minneapolis, Minnesota : Minnesota Law Review. 83 : 565. Jump up ^ Presser, Stephen B. `` Essays on Article I : Impeachment ''. Heritage Guide to the Constitution. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved August 3, 2018. Jump up ^ Gerhardt, Michael J. `` Essays on Article I : Trial of Impeachment ''. Heritage Guide to the Constitution. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved August 3, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Current salary information ''. Usgovinfo.about.com. Retrieved March 13, 2011. Jump up ^ Purcell, Patrick J. ( January 21, 2005 ). `` Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress '' ( PDF ). Washington, D.C. : Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress. Jump up ^ Emily Yoffe ( January 3, 2001 ). `` Pension information ''. Slate.com. Retrieved August 9, 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` Succession : Presidential and Vice Presidential Fast Facts ''. CNN. September 26, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2017. Jump up ^ Gup, Ted ( November 28, 1982 ). `` Speaker Albert Was Ready to Be President ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved July 24, 2018. Jump up ^ Smith, Page ( 1962 ). John Adams. Volume II 1784 -- 1826. New York : Doubleday. p. 844. LCCN 63 - 7188. Jump up ^ `` John Nance Garner quotes ''. Retrieved August 25, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Nation : Some Day You 'll Be Sitting in That Chair ''. Time.com. November 29, 1963. Retrieved October 3, 2014. Jump up ^ `` A heartbeat away from the presidency : vice presidential trivia ''. Case Western Reserve University. October 4, 2004. Retrieved September 12, 2008. Jump up ^ Greenberg, David ( 2007 ). Calvin Coolidge profile. Macmillan. pp. 40 -- 41. ISBN 0 - 8050 - 6957 - 7. Jump up ^ Binkley, Wilfred Ellsworth ; Moos, Malcolm Charles ( 1949 ). A Grammar of American Politics : The National Government. New York : Alfred A. Knopf. p. 265. ^ Jump up to : Ames, Herman ( 1896 ). The Proposed Amendments to the Constitution of the United States During the First Century of Its History. American Historical Association. pp. 70 -- 72. Jump up ^ `` Garret Hobart ''. Retrieved August 25, 2008. Jump up ^ Harold C. Relyea ( February 13, 2001 ). `` The Vice Presidency : Evolution of the Modern Office, 1933 -- 2001 '' ( PDF ). Congressional Research Service. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on November 9, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2012. Jump up ^ `` U.S. Senate Web page on Charles G. Dawes, 30th Vice President ( 1925 -- 1929 ) ''. Senate.gov. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2009. Jump up ^ Kenneth T. Walsh ( October 3, 2003 ). `` Dick Cheney is the most powerful vice president in history. Is that good ? ''. U.S. News and World Report. Archived from the original on February 5, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Full Vice Presidential Debate with Gov. Palin and Sen. Biden ''. YouTube. Retrieved October 30, 2011. Jump up ^ Natoli, Marie ( 1979 ). `` Abolish the Vice-Presidency ? ''. Presidential Studies Quarterly. 9 ( 2 ) : 202 -- 203. JSTOR 27547463. Jump up ^ Yglesias, Matthew ( July 2009 ). `` End the Vice Presidency ''. The Atlantic. Retrieved December 28, 2017. Jump up ^ Ackerman, Bruce ( October 2, 2008 ). `` Abolish the vice presidency ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 28, 2017. Jump up ^ Feinman, Ronald L. ( November 11, 2017 ). `` Seven Living Vice Presidents, Most For Second Time In American History, And Longevity Of Presidents And First Ladies ''. The Progressive Professor. Retrieved August 3, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection ''. senate.gov. Washington, D.C. : Secretary of the Senate. Retrieved August 3, 2018. Jump up ^ Adamczyk, Alacia ( January 20, 2017 ). `` Here 's How Much Money Obama and Biden Will Get From Their Pensions ''. Time Inc. Retrieved August 3, 2018. Jump up ^ `` H.R. 5938 -- Former Vice President Protection Act of 2008, 110th Congress ( 2007 -- 2008 ) ''. congress.gov. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress. Retrieved August 3, 2018. Further reading Goldstein, Joel K. ( 1982 ). The Modern American Vice Presidency. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0 - 691 - 02208 - 9. Tally, Steve ( 1992 ). Bland Ambition : From Adams to Quayle -- The Cranks, Criminals, Tax Cheats, and Golfers Who Made It to Vice President. Harcourt. ISBN 0 - 15 - 613140 - 4. External links Government of the United States portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vice President of the United States. White House website for the Vice President Mike Pence Vice-President Elect Chester Arthur on Expectations of VP Shapell Manuscript Foundation A New Nation Votes : American Election Returns 1787 -- 1825 Current U.S. presidential line of succession Preceded by None 1st in line Succeeded by Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan Vice Presidents of the United States ( list ) John Adams ( 1789 -- 1797 ) Thomas Jefferson ( 1797 -- 1801 ) Aaron Burr ( 1801 -- 1805 ) George Clinton ( 1805 -- 1812 ) Elbridge Gerry ( 1813 -- 1814 ) Daniel D. Tompkins ( 1817 -- 1825 ) John C. Calhoun ( 1825 -- 1832 ) Martin Van Buren ( 1833 -- 1837 ) Richard M. Johnson ( 1837 -- 1841 ) John Tyler ( 1841 ) George M. Dallas ( 1845 -- 1849 ) Millard Fillmore ( 1849 -- 1850 ) William R. King ( 1853 ) John C. Breckinridge ( 1857 -- 1861 ) Hannibal Hamlin ( 1861 -- 1865 ) Andrew Johnson ( 1865 ) Schuyler Colfax ( 1869 -- 1873 ) Henry Wilson ( 1873 -- 1875 ) William A. Wheeler ( 1877 -- 1881 ) Chester A. Arthur ( 1881 ) Thomas A. Hendricks ( 1885 ) Levi P. Morton ( 1889 -- 1893 ) Adlai Stevenson ( 1893 -- 1897 ) Garret Hobart ( 1897 -- 1899 ) Theodore Roosevelt ( 1901 ) Charles W. Fairbanks ( 1905 -- 1909 ) James S. Sherman ( 1909 -- 1912 ) Thomas R. Marshall ( 1913 -- 1921 ) Calvin Coolidge ( 1921 -- 1923 ) Charles G. Dawes ( 1925 -- 1929 ) Charles Curtis ( 1929 -- 1933 ) John Nance Garner ( 1933 -- 1941 ) Henry A. Wallace ( 1941 -- 1945 ) Harry S. Truman ( 1945 ) Alben W. Barkley ( 1949 -- 1953 ) Richard Nixon ( 1953 -- 1961 ) Lyndon B. Johnson ( 1961 -- 1963 ) Hubert Humphrey ( 1965 -- 1969 ) Spiro Agnew ( 1969 -- 1973 ) Gerald Ford ( 1973 -- 1974 ) Nelson Rockefeller ( 1974 -- 1977 ) Walter Mondale ( 1977 -- 1981 ) George H.W. Bush ( 1981 -- 1989 ) Dan Quayle ( 1989 -- 1993 ) Al Gore ( 1993 -- 2001 ) Dick Cheney ( 2001 -- 2009 ) Joe Biden ( 2009 -- 2017 ) Mike Pence ( 2017 -- present ) List Category Lists related to the Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States List of Presidents List of Vice Presidents Presidents Age Autobiographies Burial places Death Historical rankings Lifespan timeline Number living Time in office Portraits Professional careers Approval rating Assassination attempts and plots Campaign slogans Control of Congress Doctrines Inaugurations International trips Judicial appointments Libraries Military rank Military service Other offices held Pardons Previous experience Vetoes Personal life Coats of arms Deaths in office Education Facial hair Firsts Freemasons Multilingualism Net worth Nicknames Pets Home state Religious affiliation Residences Slave owners Vice Presidents Age Burial places Coats of arms Education Number living Other offices held Place of primary affiliation Religious affiliation Tie - breaking votes Time in office Succession Acting President Designated survivor Line of succession Elections Electoral College margin Popular vote margin Summary Winner lost popular vote Candidates Democrat Republican Third party Green Libertarian Progressive National Republican / Whig African American Female Received at least one electoral vote Number of votes received Height Unsuccessful major party candidates Lost their home state Families First Families First Ladies Second Ladies Children Namesakes, honors Memorial sites U.S. postage stamp appearances Educational institution names Currency appearances U.S. county names U.S. Senate vice presidential bust collection In fiction Presidents actors Vice Presidents actors Candidates Line of succession U.S. Government Portal Biography Portal Presidents of the United States Presidential line of succession in the United States of America Vice President ( Mike Pence ) Speaker of the House of Representatives ( Paul Ryan ) President pro tempore of the Senate ( Orrin Hatch ) Secretary of State ( Mike Pompeo ) Secretary of the Treasury ( Steven Mnuchin ) Secretary of Defense ( Jim Mattis ) Attorney General ( Jeff Sessions ) Secretary of the Interior ( Ryan Zinke ) Secretary of Agriculture ( Sonny Perdue ) Secretary of Commerce ( Wilbur Ross ) Secretary of Labor ( Alex Acosta ) Secretary of Health and Human Services ( Alex Azar ) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ( Ben Carson ) Secretary of Transportation ( Elaine Chao * ) Secretary of Energy ( Rick Perry ) Secretary of Education ( Betsy DeVos ) Secretary of Veterans Affairs ( Robert Wilkie ) Secretary of Homeland Security ( Kirstjen Nielsen ) * Ineligible to act as president United States presidential elections Elections by year 1788 -- 89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 2000 2008 2012 2016 2020 Elections by state Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington, D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Primaries and caucuses Iowa caucuses New Hampshire primary South Carolina primary Super Tuesday Nominating conventions Brokered convention Convention bounce Superdelegate Electoral College and Popular vote Results Summary Elections in which the winner lost the popular vote Electoral College margins Electoral College results by state Electoral vote changes between elections Electoral vote recipients Popular vote margins Contingent election Faithless elector Unpledged elector Voter turnout Related topics Campaign slogans Historical election polling Election Day Major party tickets Major party losers Presidential debates October surprise Red states and blue states Swing state Election recount House elections Senate elections Gubernatorial elections United States articles History By event Timeline of U.S. history Pre-Columbian era Colonial era Thirteen Colonies military history Continental Congress American Revolution War American frontier Confederation Period Drafting and ratification of Constitution Federalist Era War of 1812 Territorial acquisitions Territorial evolution Mexican -- American War Civil War Reconstruction Era Indian Wars Gilded Age Progressive Era African - American civil rights movement 1865 -- 1896 / 1896 -- 1954 / 1954 -- 1968 Spanish -- American War Imperialism World War I Roaring Twenties Great Depression World War II home front Nazism in the United States American Century Cold War Korean War Space Race Feminist Movement Vietnam War Post-Cold War ( 1991 -- 2008 ) War on Terror War in Afghanistan Iraq War Recent events ( 2008 -- present ) By topic Outline of U.S. history Demographic Discoveries Economic debt ceiling Inventions before 1890 1890 -- 1945 1946 -- 91 after 1991 Military Postal Technological and industrial Geography Territory counties federal district federal enclaves Indian reservations insular zones minor outlying islands populated places states Earthquakes Extreme points Islands Mountains peaks ranges Appalachian Rocky National Park Service National Parks Regions East Coast West Coast Great Plains Gulf Mid-Atlantic Midwestern New England Pacific Central Eastern Northern Northeastern Northwestern Southern Southeastern Southwestern Western Longest rivers Arkansas Colorado Columbia Mississippi Missouri Red ( South ) Rio Grande Yukon Time Water supply and sanitation Politics Federal Executive Cabinet Civil service Executive departments Executive Office Independent agencies Law enforcement President of the United States Public policy Legislative House of Representatives current members Speaker Senate current members President pro tempore Vice President Judicial Courts of appeals District courts Supreme Court Law Bill of Rights civil liberties Code of Federal Regulations Constitution federalism preemption separation of powers Federal Reporter United States Code United States Reports Intelligence Central Intelligence Agency Defense Intelligence Agency Federal Bureau of Investigation National Geospatial - Intelligence Agency National Reconnaissance Office National Security Agency Office of the Director of National Intelligence Uniformed Armed Forces Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard National Guard NOAA Corps Public Health Service Corps 51st state political status of Puerto Rico District of Columbia statehood movement Elections Electoral College Foreign relations Foreign policy Hawaiian sovereignty movement Ideologies anti-Americanism exceptionalism nationalism Local government Parties Democratic Republican Third parties Red states and blue states Purple America Scandals State government governor state legislature state court Uncle Sam Economy By sector Agriculture Banking Communications Energy Insurance Manufacturing Mining Tourism Trade Transportation Companies by state Currency Exports Federal budget Federal Reserve System Financial position Labor unions Public debt Social welfare programs Taxation Unemployment Wall Street Society Culture Americana Architecture Cinema Cuisine Dance Demography Education Family structure Fashion Flag Folklore Languages American English Indigenous languages ASL Black American Sign Language HSL Plains Sign Talk Arabic Chinese French German Italian Russian Spanish Literature Media Journalism Internet Newspapers Radio Television Music Names People Philosophy Public holidays Religion Sexuality Sports Theater Visual art Social class Affluence American Dream Educational attainment Homelessness Home - ownership Household income Income inequality Middle class Personal income Poverty Professional and working class conflict Standard of living Wealth Issues Ages of consent Capital punishment Crime incarceration Criticism of government Discrimination Ableism affirmative action antisemitism intersex rights Islamophobia LGBT rights racism same - sex marriage Drug policy Energy policy Environmental movement Gun politics Health care abortion health insurance hunger obesity smoking Human rights Immigration illegal International rankings National security Mass surveillance Terrorism Separation of church and state Outline Index Book Category Portal Deputy heads of government of North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vice_President_of_the_United_States&oldid=856593408 '' Categories : Vice Presidency of the United States Vice presidents Leaders of the United States Senate Hidden categories : Pages using Timeline CS1 : Julian -- Gregorian uncertainty Wikipedia pages protected due to dispute Articles with short description Use mdy dates from August 2018 Articles which contain graphical timelines Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Languages Aragonés Azərbaycanca Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Bikol Central Български Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Hrvatski Ilokano Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska עברית Basa Jawa ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Қазақша Kurdî Latina Latviešu Lumbaart Magyar مصرى Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Română Русский Scots Simple English Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Winaray 中文 51 more Edit links This page was last edited on 26 August 2018, at 09 : 18 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did the runner up stop becoming vice president
Answer: 1940