List of vice presidents of the United States facts for kids

Number One Observatory Circle, the official home of the Vice President of the United States.

The vice president of the United States is a very important leader in the U.S. government. They are the second-highest official after the president of the United States. The Vice President also leads the Senate, which is part of Congress. If there's a tie vote in the Senate, the Vice President can cast the deciding vote. This power has been used differently by VPs over time. A couple of VPs, George Clinton and John C. Calhoun, even served under different presidents.

The current Vice President is JD Vance. He became the 50th Vice President on January 20, 2025.

Understanding the Vice President's Role

The office of the Vice President was created in 1789. There have been 50 U.S. Vice Presidents since then.

How Vice Presidents Are Chosen

Originally, the person who came in second place for president in the Electoral College became Vice President. But after the election of 1800, there was a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. The House of Representatives had to choose the winner. To prevent this from happening again, the Twelfth Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1804. Now, voters cast separate ballots for President and Vice President.

Taking Over as President

The Vice President is the first person in the line of succession. This means they become President if the President dies, resigns, or is removed from office. Nine Vice Presidents have become President this way. Also, many Vice Presidents have later been elected President on their own.

Filling a Vacancy

Before 1967, if the Vice President's office became empty, it stayed empty until the next election. This happened many times. Seven Vice Presidents died in office, one resigned, and eight became President.

The Twenty-fifth Amendment changed this in 1967. Now, if the Vice President's office is empty, the President can choose a new Vice President. Both parts of Congress must approve this choice.

Since 1967, the Vice President's office has been empty twice. Both times were during the Nixon administration. New Vice Presidents were chosen using this new rule.

The 25th Amendment also allows the Vice President to temporarily act as President. This happens if the President is unable to do their job. Three Vice Presidents have briefly served as acting president:

• George H. W. Bush on July 13, 1985.
• Dick Cheney on June 29, 2002, and July 21, 2007.
• Kamala Harris on November 19, 2021.

List of Vice Presidents

List of vice presidents of the United States from 1789 – till date.

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term	Party		Election	President
1		John Adams (1735–1826)	April 21, 1789 – March 4, 1797		Pro-Administration	1788–89 1792	George Washington
					Federalist
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 1820	James Monroe
7		John C. Calhoun (1782–1850)	March 4, 1825 – December 28, 1832		Democratic-Republican	1824 1828	John Q. Adams
					Nullifier		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 1916	Woodrow Wilson
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 1936	Franklin D. Roosevelt
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 1956	Dwight D. Eisenhower
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 1972	Richard Nixon
—	Office vacant October 10 – December 6, 1973
40		Gerald Ford (1913–2006)	December 6, 1973 – August 9, 1974		Republican	1973
—	Office vacant August 9 – December 19, 1974						Gerald Ford
41		Nelson Rockefeller (1908–1979)	December 19, 1974 – January 20, 1977		Republican	1974
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 1984	Ronald Reagan
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 1996	Bill Clinton
46		Dick Cheney (b. 1941)	January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009		Republican	2000 2004	George W. Bush
47		Joe Biden (b. 1942)	January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017		Democratic	2008 2012	Barack Obama
48		Mike Pence (b. 1959)	January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021		Republican	2016	Donald Trump
49		Kamala Harris (b. 1964)	January 20, 2021 – January 20, 2025		Democratic	2020	Joe Biden
50		JD Vance (b. 1984)	January 20, 2025 – Incumbent		Republican	2024	Donald Trump

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Vicepresidentes de los Estados Unidos para niños

• 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