Seven vice-presidents have died in office since 1789, whilst another two resigned.
The first vice-president to die in office was George Clinton, in 1812. The most recent was James Sherman, in 1912.
The first vice-president to resign was John C. Calhoun, in 1832. The second was Spiro T. Agnew, in 1973. Calhoun had been elected to the Senate, whilst Agnew resigned in the face of criminal charges.
No vice-president has ever been assassinated but nine left the office due to becoming president following the assassination, death or resignation of the president. They were: John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson and Gerald Ford.
The office of vice-president has been vacant 19 times for a total of 37 years, 290 days since 1789, around 17% of the time (as of 2017). The first vice-president, John Adams, was sworn in 48 days late, in 1789, as the new government took shape.
Until 1965, there was no provision to replace a vice-president who died or resigned. The passage of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution allowed the president to nominate a new vice-president with the approval of the Senate.
Since the 25th Amendment came into force, it has been used twice to replace a vice-president. In 1973, President Richard Nixon nominated Gerald Ford as vice-president, following the resignation of Spiro Agnew, who had pleaded no contest to corruption charges on condition he resigned. Following Nixon’s 1974 resignation due to the Watergate scandal, Ford became president and nominated Nelson Rockefeller as vice-president.
The table below lists the vice-presidents who died in office or resigned. It also shows the number of days the office of vice-president was vacant as a consequence. It includes the two vice-presidents who each served under two different presidents.
| U.S. Vice-Presidents Who Died In Office Or Resigned | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Incumbent Presidents |
Vice-Presidents | Vice-President’s Period in Office |
Vice-President’s Time in Office |
Reason | Age | Office Vacant |
| Thomas Jefferson James Madison |
George Clinton | 04.03.1809 – 20.04.1812 |
318 days | ||||
| James Madison | Elbridge Gerry | 832 days | |||||
| John Quincy Adams Andrew Jackson |
John C. Calhoun | 04.03.1829 – 28.12.1832 |
66 days | ||||
| Franklin Pierce | William Rufus DeVane King | 1,416 days | |||||
| Ulysses S. Grant | Henry Wilson | 468 days | |||||
| Grover Cleveland | Thomas A. Hendricks | 1,195 days | |||||
| William McKinley | Garret A. Hobart | 468 days | |||||
| William Howard Taft | James S. Sherman | 125 days | |||||
| Richard M. Nixon | Spiro T. Agnew | 57 days | |||||
See Also:
- Complete List of all the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the United States – includes details of Congressional control
- Ages of Presidents – the oldest and the youngest
- Presidents who died in office
- State-by-State Presidential Election Results Since 1972
