# VPs who later became president **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 9, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439 "2020-04-09T15:13:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/1 "2020-04-09T15:13:42Z")
Not counting VPs who took over when the president died or quit there are only 5 VPs who later became president, you would think the number would be higher: John Adams, Jefferson, Van Buren, Nixon, Bush Sr. Of those 5 only Nixon had a gap between being VP and being president. There are 9 VPs who took over when the president died or quit: Tyler, Filmore, A Johnson, C Arthur, T. Roosevelt, Coolidge ,Truman, LBJ , Ford There have been 48 VPs including Pence. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/2 "2020-04-09T15:15:49Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/3 "2020-04-09T15:19:16Z")
If Biden wins he would be the first Dem VP to be president by election since Van Buren in 1837. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/4 "2020-04-09T16:07:30Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > If Biden wins he would be the first Dem VP to be president by election since Van Buren in 1837. LBJ won the 1964 election. Though are you saying its different because he was President, fulfilling Kennedy’s term, at the time? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/5 "2020-04-09T16:14:31Z")
Three V.P.'s ran for President and failed to win: Nixon\*, Humphrey, Gore. Secretary of State was originally more prestigious than V.P. and six went on to become President: Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, J.Q. Adams, Van Buren, Buchanan. Secys of State who ran for President but lost include Clay, Webster, Calhoun, Seward, Gresham, Bryan, Hughes, Clinton, (Kerry). Kerry (and some of the others?) became Secy of State _after_ his Presidential run. (Calhoun was an important candidate several times, but was never a major party nominee.) ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/6 "2020-04-09T17:13:10Z")
Yes I don’t count LBJ, Truman Ford,etc because they ran as the incumbent president. Some GOP members were glad Clinton stayed in office after impeachment since Gore did not run as an incumbent. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/7 "2020-04-09T17:21:54Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Three V.P.'s ran for President and failed to win: Nixon\*, Humphrey, Gore. Are you not counting Mondale because he was only a former VP at the time he ran? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/8 "2020-04-09T18:41:57Z")
not sure Jesus could have beaten Reagan in 84 but Mondale saying he would raise taxes is probably a big reason he only won his home state and DC. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2020, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/9 "2020-04-09T22:18:57Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Not counting VPs who took over when the president died or quit there are only 5 VPs who later became president, you would think the number would be higher: > > John Adams, Jefferson, Van Buren, Nixon, Bush Sr. > > Of those 5 only Nixon had a gap between being VP and being president. > \*\* > There are 9 VPs who took over when the president died or quit: > > Tyler, Filmore, A Johnson, C Arthur, T. Roosevelt, Coolidge ,Truman, LBJ , Ford \*\* > > There have been 48 VPs including Pence. If Biden is elected his VP who we know will be a woman is almost certain to be the next Democratic nominee. And if something happens to him before his term is up our first female president will join that illustrious group of VPs who became President overnight. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Are you not counting Mondale because he was only a former VP at the time he ran? Mondale is not the only living former VP who sought the presidency as a former VP rather than an incumbent. Dan Quayle was much-maligned in office during his single term, and his brief run for the republican nomination for the 2000 election saw him drop out before a single primary contest. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/10 "2020-04-10T00:09:25Z")
I forgot Quayle ran but he dropped out in Sept. 1999 after he came in 8th in Iowa straw poll. He was only in the race 5 months. I was thinking Mondale died but his wife and daughter died. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/11 "2020-04-10T04:26:52Z")
President Quayle… That’s a wacky alternate universe. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/12 "2020-04-10T10:04:47Z")
> [@Boycott](#): > > Mondale is not the only living former VP who sought the presidency as a former VP rather than an incumbent. Dan Quayle was much-maligned in office during his single term, and his brief run for the republican nomination for the 2000 election saw him drop out before a single primary contest. But Quayle wasn’t his party’s nominee like Mondale. It seems like in any thread about how poorly former VPs do with regard to becoming president, you really have to add a bunch of exceptions. I’m sure you could take any category (Senator, Governor, Cabinet Member) and make a long list of how many of those people lost an election to become president. If you take out all of the exceptions and caveats, being a VP puts you on the catbird’s seat for becoming president. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/13 "2020-04-10T10:08:18Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > President Quayle… > > That’s a wacky alternate universe. Downright sane compared to the one we’re in. If he was going to run, he really should have run for the 1996 nomination. I don’t know if he could have beat Dole, but he’d have had a chance; he still had a decent following in the party. By 1999, he was yesterday’s news, and Shrub was basically the new, improved Quayle with lots of money backing him up. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/14 "2020-04-10T10:18:17Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > If you take out all of the exceptions and caveats, being a VP puts you on the catbird’s seat for becoming president. It certainly helps. We’ve had 12 Presidents in the post-WWII era; five of them (Truman, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, and Bush Sr.) had been veeps. And Gore was robbed of being #6. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/15 "2020-04-10T10:36:06Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > It certainly helps. We’ve had 12 Presidents in the post-WWII era; five of them (Truman, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, and Bush Sr.) had been veeps. And Gore was robbed of being #6. And another advantage is that they always get the “first look” by the media and the voting public. Unless they are just wholly unacceptable (Quayle) or decline to run (Cheney in 2008 for health reasons, Biden in 2016 because of the loss of his son) they are usually their party’s nominee the next time around. And while being the party’s nominee doesn’t guarantee a win (as by definition, half have lost) it puts a VP in a unique position of “if he ever could have won, he gets his chance” which is untrue for most of the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/16 "2020-04-10T11:12:25Z")
Joel Achenbach (who wrote the “Why Things Are” column for the Washington Post) did an analysis of this in one of his books. IIRC he concluded that the reason is that political winds in America have always been highly cyclical. So after a president has served two terms, it’s been rare that their party was still popular enough for the VP to be elected president. This is also partly why no president was elected more than twice until FDR (although Washington’s stepping down is often cited as precedent). ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/17 "2020-04-10T11:26:50Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Joel Achenbach (who wrote the “Why Things Are” column for the Washington Post) did an analysis of this in one of his books. IIRC he concluded that the reason is that political winds in America have always been highly cyclical. So after a president has served two terms, it’s been rare that their party was still popular enough for the VP to be elected president. This is also partly why no president was elected more than twice until FDR (although Washington’s stepping down is often cited as precedent). I disagree. Name a single election where a significant portion of the public said, “Well, we’ve had 8 (12) years of the Dems (or GOP) so I think it is time that we get a healthy dose of the GOP (or Dems)”? Let’s look 2016: Any Dem but Hillary beats Trump 2008: Barack Obama was self contained and won that election in his own right. 2000: Gore won the popular vote and was within 550 votes of winning it all 1992: Bill Clinton was self contained and won that election in his own right. 1988: No swing there. 1976: Very close election and Ford almost won despite Watergate. The Dems held the presidency from 1932-1952. The Republicans held the presidency from the end of the Civil War to 1912, with the exception of Grover Cleveland. I don’t see at any point in history where the voting public decided to make a political change for change’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/18 "2020-04-10T12:42:38Z")
I don’t think any president ran for a 3rd term before FDR right? LBJ dropped out early in 68 but his first term was only a little over a year. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/19 "2020-04-10T15:01:13Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > I don’t think any president ran for a 3rd term before FDR right? Do you count TR? Theodore Roosevelt served part of McKinley’s term and one full term of his own. Then he came back and ran again as the Progressive (Bull Moose) Party candidate, which would have been a 3rd term. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439/20 "2020-04-10T15:07:18Z")
Yes forgot about TR [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vps-who-later-became-president/851439.md?page=2)