List of vice presidents of the United States facts for kids

Number One Observatory Circle, official residence of the vice president of the United States, July 2001

There have been 49 vice presidents of the United States since the office came into existence in 1789. Originally, the vice president was the person who received the second most votes for president in the Electoral College. However, in the election of 1800 a tie in the electoral college between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr led to the selection of the president by the House of Representatives. To prevent such an event from happening again, the Twelfth Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1804, creating the current system where electors cast a separate ballot for the vice presidency.

The vice president is the first person in the presidential line of succession and assumes the presidency if the president dies, resigns, or is impeached and removed from office. Nine vice presidents have ascended to the presidency in this way – eight (John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry S. Truman, and Lyndon B. Johnson) through the president's death and one (Gerald Ford) through the president's resignation. In addition, the vice president serves as the president of the Senate and may choose to cast a tie-breaking vote on decisions made by the Senate. Vice presidents have exercised this latter power to varying extents over the years.

Prior to adoption of the Twenty-fifth Amendment in 1967, an intra-term vacancy in the office of the vice president could not be filled until the next post-election inauguration. Several such vacancies occurred—seven vice presidents died, one resigned and eight succeeded to the presidency. This amendment allowed for a vacancy to be filled through appointment by the president and confirmation by both chambers of the Congress. Since its ratification, the vice presidency has been vacant twice (both in the context of scandals surrounding the Nixon administration) and was filled both times through this process, namely in 1973 following Spiro Agnew's resignation, and again in 1974 after Gerald Ford succeeded to the presidency. The amendment also established a procedure whereby a vice president may, if the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office, temporarily assume the powers and duties of the office as acting president. Three vice presidents have briefly acted as president under the 25th Amendment: George H. W. Bush on July 13, 1985; Dick Cheney on June 29, 2002 and on July 21, 2007; and Kamala Harris on November 19, 2021.

The persons who have served as vice president were born in or primarily affiliated with 27 states plus the District of Columbia. New York has produced the most of any state as eight have been born there and three others considered it their home state. Most vice presidents have been in their 50s or 60s and had political experience prior to assuming the office. The youngest person to become vice president was John C. Breckinridge at 36 years of age while the oldest was Alben W. Barkley at 71 years of age. Two vice presidents—George Clinton and John C. Calhoun—served under more than one president.

There are currently five living former vice presidents: Dan Quayle, Al Gore, Dick Cheney, Joe Biden and Mike Pence. The most recent former vice president to die was Walter Mondale on April 19, 2021.

Vice presidents

#	Portrait	Vice President	Term	Party		Election	President
1		John Adams (1735–1826)	April 21, 1789 – March 4, 1797		Pro-Administration	1788–89	George Washington
					Federalist	1792
2		Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)	March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801		Democratic-Republican	1796	John Adams
3		Aaron Burr (1756–1836)	March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1805		Democratic-Republican	1800	Thomas Jefferson
4		George Clinton (1739–1812)	March 4, 1805 – April 20, 1812		Democratic-Republican	1804
						1808	James Madison
	Office vacant April 20, 1812 – March 4, 1813
5		Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814)	March 4, 1813 – November 23, 1814		Democratic-Republican	1812
	Office vacant November 23, 1814 – March 4, 1817
6		Daniel D. Tompkins (1774–1825)	March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825		Democratic-Republican	1816	James Monroe
						1820
7		John C. Calhoun (1782–1850)	March 4, 1825 – December 28, 1832		Democratic-Republican	1824	John Q. Adams
					Nullifier	1828	Andrew Jackson
	Office vacant December 28, 1832 – March 4, 1833
8		Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)	March 4, 1833 – March 4, 1837		Democratic	1832
9		Richard Mentor Johnson (1780–1850)	March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1841		Democratic	1836	Martin Van Buren
10		John Tyler (1790–1862)	March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841		Whig	1840	William H. Harrison
	Office vacant April 4, 1841 – March 4, 1845						John Tyler
11		George M. Dallas (1792–1864)	March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849		Democratic	1844	James K. Polk
12		Millard Fillmore (1800–1874)	March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850		Whig	1848	Zachary Taylor
	Office vacant July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853						Millard Fillmore
13		William R. King (1786–1853)	March 4, 1853 – April 18, 1853		Democratic	1852	Franklin Pierce
	Office vacant April 18, 1853 – March 4, 1857
14		John C. Breckinridge (1821–1875)	March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861		Democratic	1856	James Buchanan
15		Hannibal Hamlin (1809–1891)	March 4, 1861 – March 4, 1865		Republican	1860	Abraham Lincoln
16		Andrew Johnson (1808–1875)	March 4, 1865 – April 15, 1865		National Union	1864
	Office vacant April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869						Andrew Johnson
17		Schuyler Colfax (1823–1885)	March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1873		Republican	1868	Ulysses S. Grant
18		Henry Wilson (1812–1875)	March 4, 1873 – November 22, 1875		Republican	1872
	Office vacant November 22, 1875 – March 4, 1877
19		William A. Wheeler (1819–1887)	March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881		Republican	1876	Rutherford B. Hayes
20		Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886)	March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881		Republican	1880	James A. Garfield
	Office vacant September 19, 1881 – March 4, 1885						Chester A. Arthur
21		Thomas A. Hendricks (1819–1885)	March 4, 1885 – November 25, 1885		Democratic	1884	Grover Cleveland
	Office vacant November 25, 1885 – March 4, 1889
22		Levi P. Morton (1824–1920)	March 4, 1889 – March 4, 1893		Republican	1888	Benjamin Harrison
23		Adlai Stevenson I (1835–1914)	March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897		Democratic	1892	Grover Cleveland
24		Garret Hobart (1844–1899)	March 4, 1897 – November 21, 1899		Republican	1896	William McKinley
	Office vacant November 21, 1899 – March 4, 1901
25		Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)	March 4, 1901 – September 14, 1901		Republican	1900
	Office vacant September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1905						Theodore Roosevelt
26		Charles W. Fairbanks (1852–1918)	March 4, 1905 – March 4, 1909		Republican	1904
27		James S. Sherman (1855–1912)	March 4, 1909 – October 30, 1912		Republican	1908	William H. Taft
	Office vacant October 30, 1912 – March 4, 1913
28		Thomas R. Marshall (1854–1925)	March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1921		Democratic	1912	Woodrow Wilson
						1916
29		Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)	March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923		Republican	1920	Warren G. Harding
	Office vacant August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1925						Calvin Coolidge
30		Charles G. Dawes (1865–1951)	March 4, 1925 – March 4, 1929		Republican	1924
31		Charles Curtis (1860–1936)	March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933		Republican	1928	Herbert Hoover
32		John Nance Garner (1868–1967)	March 4, 1933 – January 20, 1941		Democratic	1932	Franklin D. Roosevelt
						1936
33		Henry A. Wallace (1888–1965)	January 20, 1941 – January 20, 1945		Democratic	1940
34		Harry S. Truman (1884–1972)	January 20, 1945 – April 12, 1945		Democratic	1944
	Office vacant April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1949						Harry S. Truman
35		Alben W. Barkley (1877–1956)	January 20, 1949 – January 20, 1953		Democratic	1948
36		Richard Nixon (1913–1994)	January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961		Republican	1952	Dwight D. Eisenhower
						1956
37		Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973)	January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963		Democratic	1960	John F. Kennedy
	Office vacant November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1965						Lyndon B. Johnson
38		Hubert Humphrey (1911–1978)	January 20, 1965 – January 20, 1969		Democratic	1964
39		Spiro Agnew (1918–1996)	January 20, 1969 – October 10, 1973		Republican	1968	Richard Nixon
						1972
	Office vacant October 10 – December 6, 1973
40		Gerald Ford (1913–2006)	December 6, 1973 – August 9, 1974		Republican
	Office vacant August 9 – December 19, 1974						Gerald Ford
41		Nelson Rockefeller (1908–1979)	December 19, 1974 – January 20, 1977		Republican
42		Walter Mondale (1928–2021)	January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981		Democratic	1976	Jimmy Carter
43		George H. W. Bush (1924–2018)	January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989		Republican	1980	Ronald Reagan
						1984
44		Dan Quayle (b. 1947)	January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993		Republican	1988	George H. W. Bush
45		Al Gore (b. 1948)	January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001		Democratic	1992	Bill Clinton
						1996
46		Dick Cheney (b. 1941)	January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009		Republican	2000	George W. Bush
						2004
47		Joe Biden (b. 1942)	January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017		Democratic	2008	Barack Obama
						2012
48		Mike Pence (b. 1959)	January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021		Republican	2016	Donald Trump
49		Kamala Harris (b. 1964)	January 20, 2021 – Incumbent		Democratic	2020	Joe Biden

Subsequent public office

Twenty-six vice presidents held other high state or federal government positions after leaving the vice presidency. Fifteen went on to become president: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry S. Truman, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush and Joe Biden (nine of them did so following their predecessor's death or resignation); and six served in the Senate: John C. Calhoun, John C. Breckinridge, Hannibal Hamlin, Andrew Johnson, Alben W. Barkley and Hubert Humphrey. Several served as a member of the U.S. Cabinet or as an ambassador in later administrations, or in state government.

See also

• Acting President of the United States
• Founding Fathers of the United States
• List of presidents of the United States
• Presiding Officer of the United States Senate
• United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection