On October 10, 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew (a Republican) was forced to resign following a controversy over his personal taxes. Under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a vice presidential vacancy is filled when the president nominates a candidate who is confirmed by both houses of Congress. President Richard Nixon (a Republican) thus had the task of selecting a vice president who could receive the majority support of both houses of Congress, which were then controlled by the Democrats.
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President Nixon considered selecting former Texas Governor and Treasury Secretary John Connally, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and California Governor Ronald Reagan.[1] However, Nixon settled on House Minority Leader Gerald Ford of Michigan, a moderate Republican who was popular among the members of Congress (in both parties) and who was good friends with Nixon.[1] Ford won the approval of both houses by huge margins, and was sworn in as the 40th vice president of the United States on December 6, 1973.[1][2]
On August 9, 1974, Ford ascended to the presidency after the Watergate scandal led to the resignation of President Nixon, becoming the only president in American history to have never been elected president or vice president.[a]
Confirmation votes
editBy a vote of 92 to 3 on November 27, 1973, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Gerald Ford.[3] The following week, on December 6, the House of Representatives gave its approval, 387 to 35.[4]
| 1973 U.S. House Vice presidential confirmation vote: |
Party | Total votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | ||
| Yes | 199 | 188 | 387 (91.7%) |
| No | 35 | 0 | 35 (8.3%) |
| Result: Confirmed | |||
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Other vice presidents have ascended to the presidency, but had been elected on a party ticket as running mate.
References
edit- ^ a b c Mieczkowski, Yanek (April 22, 2005). Gerald Ford and the Challenges of the 1970s. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 11–13. ISBN 0813172055. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ Woodward, Bob (December 29, 2006). "Ford, Nixon Sustained Friendship for Decades". Washington Post. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "To advise and consent to the nomination of Gerald R. Ford to be Vice-President of the U.S." govtrack.us. U.S. Senate–November 27, 1973. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- ^ "To pass H.Res. 735, confirming the nomination of Gerald R. Ford to be Vice-President". govtrack.us. U.S. House of Representatives–December 6, 1973. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
External links
edit- THE ESTABLISHMENT AND FIRST USES OF THE 25TH AMENDMENT, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Digital Library
