The Coolidge examiner., 1935-11-15

land with men choseD more for political expedi-
ency than for ability. An even stronger man
Hesitation of that custom was shown in the next
campaign when William Henry Harrison, the
Whig candidate, defeated Van Buren, the Demo-
crat, for reelection. Harrsons running mate
was John Tyler, who was not even a Whig but
a Virginia Democrat.
Just month after Harrison's Inauguration,
"Od Tippecanoe" died and John Tyler became
the first vice president to win the Presidency
through the death of his predecessor. The
Constitution had left undetermined the question
whether vice president, upon the death of the
President, should become President in fact or
should merely discharge the duties of the office
until the congress should decide what to do next.
For half century after its adoption one
knew the answer to that question nor apparently
even thought much about it, When Tyler be
came President, he settled the questiOn-tO his
own satisfaction, at least-by acting on the as
sumption that he was President in fact. Since
no one challenged his right to do So he estab-
lished the precedent, followed since, that
the vice president who succeeds to the highest
office through the death of his predecessor shall
serve out the remainder of the term for which
that predecessor was elected. Moreover, during
Tyler's administration the country was without
vice president for the longest period in its
history-three years and IL months.
In 1850, when President Zachary Taylor died
after having been in office only little more than
year, Vice President Millard Fillmore followed
the precedent established by Tyler and served as
President for the next three years. Again there
was a vacancy in the Office of vice president dur
ing the greater part of an administration There
was another vacancy during the next admins
tratiOn, that of Franklin A. Pierce, for six weeks
after William r. King became vice president he
was dead
incidentally. King was the only vice president
who ever took the oath of office outside the
| United States. Before his Inauguration his
health began to fail and he went to Cuba to re-
cuperate. When it became apparent that he
would be unable to attend the Inauguration cere-
monies in Washington, the congress on March .,
1858, passed an act authorizing William L.
Sharkey, United States consul at Havana. to ad-
minister the oath of office ION the fourth day of
March next or some subsequent date" King was
accordingly sworn in by Sharkey March 4
and he died on the following April IS shortly
after his return to his home in Alabama.
In 1865, for the third time in history, the vice
president became the occupant of the White
House through the death of a President when
the assassination of Lincoln elevated Andrew
Johnson the Tennessee cObbler, to that position.
Seven years later another cObbler became vice
president. He was Henry Wilson, native of
New Hampshire, who was born jeremiah Jones
| Colbaith, but had his name changed by the legs-
lature when he came of age. Wilson was the
Republican candidate for vice president when
Grant was reelected President in 1873 He died
in 1879 before completing his term The next
vice president who died in Office Garret A.
Hobart, elected with William Mckinley in 1897.
Hobart died in 1899 and another two years saw
the death of Mckinley with the result that an
other vice president entered the White House.
His name Theodore Roosevelt.
In 1912 James SchoOlcraft Sherman was vice
president under William Howard Taft Sherman
was also candidate for reelection but Oc-
tober 80 he died, thus creating the only instance
in the history of the United States in which p
candidate for either of the two offices at tb
head of the national ticket had died on the eve
of election. Sherman's death raised the question
of whether any attempt should be made to fill
the vacancy. Naming a new candidate would
have been the ordinary procedure, but because
of the nearnesS of the election it was not pos
sbe to do so in this case.
The Republican national committee held a
meeting in New York city and Chairman Hilles
announced that Sherman's death would not in
validate the ballots because voting, legally, was
| for electors in each state and not directly for
President and vice president. However, the com
mittee selected Nicholas Murray Butler, presi-
dent of Columbia university, to fiji Sherman's
place on the ballot. But this was little more than
| an empty gesture, for the Democratic ticket
headed by Woodrow Wilson, swept the country.
-" &Wsstern Newspaper Union.