Acting Vice President of the United States
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Acting Vice President of the United States is a title that, prior to the Presidential Succession Act of 1886, was occasionally used to describe the President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate when the office of Vice President was vacant.[citation needed] In such cases, the President Pro Tempore would assume two of constitutional duties associated with the Office of the Vice President, namely presiding over the Senate and serving as Acting President (only the Vice President may become President upon a President's death, resignation or removal form office) in the event of a vacancy of the Presidency. In the event of a vacancy of the Vice Presidency, the President Pro Tempore was not given the authority to cast tie-breaking votes. Although the President Pro Tempore would sometimes be referred to as the "Acting Vice President," unlike the Acting President of the United States, no such office exists under the Constitution or other laws of the United States.
Since the Presidential Succession Act of 1886, which placed the United States Secretary of State ahead of the President Pro Tempore in the line of Presidential succession, the Vice President's office has been vacant many times but the Secretary of State could not properly be referred to as "Acting Vice President" because he or she would not be the presiding officer of the Senate. The same is true with the Speaker of the House after the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, which placed the Speaker ahead of the President Pro Tempore. Theoretically, if the Vice President's office and Speaker's chair were both vacant at the same time, the President Pro Tempore could again be referred to as "Acting Vice President."
No person who was ever referred to as "Acting Vice President" has ever succeeded to the powers & duties of the Presidency, although Benjamin Wade was the closest as he would have become Acting President had Andrew Johnson been removed from office in 1868. Some historians believe David Rice Atchison was Acting President for a day on March 4, 1849 and Thomas W. Ferry [1] believed he was Acting President for a day on March 4, 1877 because Taylor and Hayes were formally inaugurated on March 5th. Despite the fact Hayes took the oath privately on March 3, 1877, the President-elect becomes President at noon on Inauguration Day, not when they take the oath of office. Therefore these assumptions were wrong.
The last person known to assume the title was Sen. James O. Eastland, Senator from Mississippi, who was referred to as "Acting Vice President" twice, following the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew and the succession of Gerald Ford to the Presidency. The 25th Amendment, enacted in 1967, provided for appointment of Vice Presidents in the case of a vacancy.[1]
Contents |
[edit] List of people who could have been referred to as "Acting Vice President"
[edit] After the original Presidential Succession Act of 1792
[edit] See also
- Presidential Succession Act
- Vice Presidential Service Badge
- Second Lady of the United States- "Second Lady" is the unofficial title given to the Vice President's wife.
- List of United States Vice-Presidents by Longevity
[edit] External links
[edit] Further reading
- 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.
