14 men have been both vice-president and president of the United States. One was elected in the peculiar conditions before the twelfth amendment of 1804. Eight ascended to the presidency after the death of their predecessor, one after his resignation, and five after a subsequent election. Their presidencies, stretched out in time across the republic, are split between those who only served out their predecessor’s term—five—and those who won a full term in their own right (six). Only two previous vice-presidents—Thomas Jefferson and Richard Nixon—have won two presidential elections afterward, though Nixon had to resign in his second term, and of course lost the presidential election of 1960 as well. If electoral success is the measure of presidential success, the pattern is therefore, overwhelmingly negative. However, a number of former vice presidents have had consequential presidencies. Tyler created the precedent whereby vice-presidents ascend directly to the ...
This is a collection of personal and largely unedited observations covering the years from 2006 to now; I assert my copyright but am fine with links and footnotes. Some posts are obviously much more researched than others, and any errors are wholly mine except where I have innocently disseminated or linked to other bloggers or commentators.