Claim: Gerald Ford succeeded to office as a result of a mid-term vacancy.
Evidence: Prior to this he served eight months as the 40th Vice President of the United States , following the resignation of Spiro Agnew.
Spiro Theodore `` Ted '' Agnew -LRB- -LSB- ˈspɪroʊ_ˈæɡnuː -RSB- November 9 , 1918 -- September 17 , 1996 -RRB- was an American politician who served as the 39th Vice President of the United States from 1969 to 1973 , under President Richard Nixon.
Nixon later replaced Agnew by appointing House Minority Leader Gerald Ford as Vice President.