On October 10, 1973,
Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Theodore Agnew (November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th vice president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. He is the second vice president to resign the position, the other being John ...
(a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
) was forced to resign following a controversy over his personal taxes. Under the terms of the
25th Amendment, a vice presidential vacancy is filled when the president nominates a candidate who is confirmed by both houses of Congress.
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
(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.
President Nixon considered selecting former Texas Governor and Treasury Secretary
John Connally
John Bowden Connally Jr. (February 27, 1917June 15, 1993) was an American politician. He served as the 39th governor of Texas and as the 61st United States secretary of the Treasury. He began his career as a Democrat and later became a Republic ...
, New York Governor
Nelson Rockefeller, and California Governor
Ronald Reagan.
[ However, Nixon settled on ]House Minority Leader
Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...
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.[ 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.]
On August 9, 1974, Ford ascended to the presidency after the Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's contin ...
led to the resignation of President Nixon, becoming the only unelected president in American history.
Confirmation votes
By a vote of 92 to 3 on November 27, 1973, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Gerald Ford. The following week, on December 6, the House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
gave its approval, 387 to 35. 35 representatives and three senators voted no. The three senators voting no were, Senators William Hathaway of Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
, Thomas Eagleton
Thomas Francis Eagleton (September 4, 1929 – March 4, 2007) was an American lawyer serving as a United States senator from Missouri, from 1968 to 1987. He was briefly the Democratic vice presidential nominee under George McGovern in 1972. H ...
of Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
, and Gaylord Nelson
Gaylord Anton Nelson (June 4, 1916July 3, 2005) was an American politician and environmentalist from Wisconsin who served as a United States senator and governor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day, which launch ...
of Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
.
See also
* 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution
*1974 United States vice presidential confirmation
On August 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon (a Republican) was forced to resign amid the Watergate scandal. Vice President Gerald Ford ascended to the presidency, leaving the office of vice president vacant. Under the terms of the 25th Amendment, ...
Notes
References
External links
THE ESTABLISHMENT AND FIRST USES OF THE 25TH AMENDMENT
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Digital Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vice presidential confirmation, 1973
Vice presidency of the United States
Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
93rd United States Congress
1973 in American politics