The Vice President of the United States

Origins

The Vice Presidency was born out of the 1787 Constitutional Convention's "Leftover Business" session. Initially, the delegates focused on defining the role and selection process of the President, which led to the creation of the Vice Presidency as a secondary consideration. The idea of Congress electing the President was scrapped due to concerns about vote trading, leading to the establishment of an electoral body and the Vice Presidency to ensure meaningful voting 1.

The person receiving the most votes would be the president and the runner up would be the vice president.

--- Gary Arndt

The first two Vice Presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, were chosen through this system, but it quickly revealed flaws, especially when political rivals ended up in office together 2.

   

Early Challenges

Early on, the Vice Presidency was seen as a largely insignificant role, often considered a joke. The 12th Amendment was passed to address the flawed election system, giving electors separate votes for President and Vice President. Despite this, the Vice President's primary duty remained to assume the President's powers and duties in case of vacancy 3.

The precedent of the vice president, not only taking the duties of the president, but the office and title itself became important.

--- Gary Arndt

This precedent was first tested in 1841 when President William Henry Harrison died, and Vice President John Tyler asserted his role as the new President, setting a crucial precedent for future successions 3.