Image: Daniel Schwen via WikiCommons
About This Quiz
When it comes to the American government, there are two figures who function as the face of politics: the president and the vice president. Since 1789, these offices have been given varying levels of power, but have often been referred to as the most powerful men in the world. Though anyone can tell you the power of the president, few know what the vice president actually does.Â
We know that the vice president's role is to take over power should the president become incapacitated in any way, but there are other essential duties that he or she must fill. The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) doesn't just serve in the executive branch (as the second in command), but also plays an important role in the legislative branch, functioning as the president of the Senate. Though they cannot vote in the Senate, they can preside over deliberations and cast tie-breaking votes when necessary.Â
With so much power, the role of vice president is incredibly important in American politics. Therefore, when a presidential candidate chooses a running mate, people pay attention. While you may know a few of the more recent vice presidents, do you think you can name some of the previous ones? Take this quiz to see if you know the history of the office.
Joe Biden
He's currently running in the 2020 primaries, but Joe Biden is often seen as Barack Obama's buddy. There was a series of memes in which the two are joking around together with genuine smiles.
Al Gore
Dick Cheney
Mike Pence
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Spiro Agnew
Both Gerald Ford and Spiro Agnew played the role of vice president to Richard Nixon, but Spiro Agnew was his first. Though Nixon has a lot of blemishes on his record, his first-term approval rating was exceptionally high.
Gerald Ford
Alben Barkley
He didn't have a vice president the first term.
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Lyndon Johnson
William Taft
Harry Truman
Richard Nixon
Before Richard Nixon was president, he ran for president against JFK and lost. Before that, he was the vice president to Dwight D. Eisenhower for eight years. He had quite a bit of political experience, but lost to Kennedy due to a televised debate.
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Nelson Rockefeller
Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney may have a series of questions surrounding his actions while he was in office, but his work as the vice president during the 9/11 tragedies is what he will be known for.
George H.W. Bush
John Kenning
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John F. Kennedy
Harry S. Truman
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson is the most recent vice president to have to take on the role of president after the untimely death of the president who was elected. After John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Johnson was elected for another term.
Gerald R. Ford
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Walter Mondale
Dan Quayle
Joe Biden
Al Gore
Al Gore spent a lot of time as the face of politics. Though he ran for president after his work as VPOTUS, he lost the Electoral College vote and won the popular vote. He is an advocate for clean energy and fighting climate change.
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George Clinton
John Adams
John Adams functioned as the vice president to George Washington. They served two terms together from 1789-1797. Adams later became the second president of the United States for a single term.
Elbridge Gerry
James Madison
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Walter Mondale
Hubert humphrey
Dan Quayle
Although we have memorable moments between Dan Quayle and Candice Bergen, we will all remember the vice president's misspelling of a certain word (potato). He served one term with George H.W. Bush.
Gerald Ford
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George Wallace
Hubert Humphrey
Henry Wallace
Franklin Roosevelt was president for three terms and one year. He was the longest sitting president of the United States. During this time, he had three different vice presidents, including Henry Wallace and Harry Truman.
Theodore Roosevelt
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Henry Wallace
Nelson Rockefeller
Born in 1908, Nelson Rockefeller was a life-long businessman and politician. He served as the 49th governor of New York for 14 years before he took on the vice presidency from 1974 to 1977 when Gerald Ford took over for the resigning Nixon.
Jimmy Carter
George H.W. Bush
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Henry Wilson
John Tyler
Schuyler Colfax
Hannibal Hamlin
Abraham Lincoln was elected for two terms, and he selected a different vice president for each. For his first term, Hannibal Hamlin took the office. However, it was the VPOTUS of his second term, Andrew Johnson, who took over his duties after his assassination.
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John Garner
Dan Quayle
Bill Clinton
George H. W. Bush
While George H.W. Bush only had one term as the POTUS, he did serve two terms as the VPOTUS. Following Reagan as the president was a lot of work and some big shoes to fill. Bush lost to Bill Clinton in 1992.
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Andrew Jonson
He didn't have one.
While running for president, Grover Cleveland selected Thomas A. Hendricks as his running mate. However, Hendricks only served as the vice president from March of 1885 to his death in November of 1885. The office remained vacant for the remainder of the term.
Charles Fairbanks
James Sherman
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Garret A. Hobart
Henry Wallace
James Sherman
James Sherman was a politician for decades before he took on the role of the vice president. He served as the VPOTUS from 1909 until his death in 1912. The remainder of Taft's presidency went without a vice president.
Harry Truman
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Walter Mondale
Though Jimmy Carter wasn't hampered in his term by post-Vietnam and post-Nixon national discontent, his choice of vice president was ready to take on the world. However, Walter Mondale suffered a terrible defeat against Ronald Reagan in 1984.
Ross Perot
Dick Cheney
Michael Bush
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Charles Curtis
Calvin Coolidge
Warren G. Harding was only in office for about two years before his sudden death. Calvin Coolidge took over for him as the president of the United States in 1923. Coolidge went on to serve another term as the POTUS.
Theodore Roosevelt
John Garner
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Franklin D. Roosevelt
Hubert Humphrey
Charles Curtis
Serving as the 31st vice president, Charles Curtis was a known politician in Kansas. He ran with Herbert Hoover, and became the VPOTUS from 1929 to 1933, helping America through some if its toughest times.
Charles G. Dawes
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John Breckinridge
Before serving as the vice president, John C. Breckenridge was a lawyer, soldier and representative of the state of Kentucky. As the VPOTUS, he cast 10 tie-breaking votes in the Senate.
Andrew Carnegie
William Wheeler
Levi P. Morton
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Andrew Johnson
Shortly after being elected for a second term, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theater. Andrew Johnson was in the role of the vice president at the time and assumed the role of president after the assassination.
Ulysses S. Grant
Grover Cleveland
John Tyler
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Levi Morton
Daniel Tompkins
As only the fourth governor of New York, Tompkins made a name for himself in some of the most populated areas of our country. He soon became the sixth VPOTUS under James Monroe in 1817.
Henry Wallace
Calvin Coolidge
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Martin Van Buren
Nelson Rockefeller
Aaron Burr
During the Revolutionary War, Aaron Burr was an officer of the Continental Army. His work as a soldier gained him recognition among other politicians, and he soon became the third vice president. His political career ended after he killed Hamilton in the duel.
Elbridge Gerry
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Charles Dawes
Calvin Coolidge was the vice president to Warren G. Harding. After Harding's death in 1923, Coolidge took over without a vice president for two years. Upon the next term, he chose Charles Dawes to run with him as the vice president.
James Sherman
Charles Curtis
Alben Barkley
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George Dallas
Millard Fillmore
He didn't have a vice president during this time.
John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun was the "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" of vice presidents. He served under two different presidents for two consecutive terms, but was never given the title of POTUS.
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John C. Calhoun
While many vice presidents never get to be the president, John C. Calhoun spent a lot of time as the second-most-powerful man in the United States. His work as VPOTUS spanned two presidencies.
George Washington Carver
Richard Johnson
John Tyler
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George Clinton
John Tyler
After William Henry Harrison died in his first year in office, John Tyler took over for the remainder of the four years. Tyler finished off the term and was not reelected for another term. He never had a vice president.
Millard Fillmore
John Quincy Adams
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Bill Clinton
Rutherford Clinton
George Clinton
George Clinton must have been excellent in the office of vice president, as he was twice considered for the role and twice won the role. He served as vice president from 1805 to 1812.
John Clinton
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John Tyler
William King
John Brekenridge
Martin Van Buren
After serving one term with Andrew Jackson as the vice president, Martin Van Buren became president from 1837-1841. He will go down in history as the first president to be born after America's independence from the British Empire.
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William R. King
William R. King was the 13th vice president. However, his political career started in the American south. He was a representative from North Carolina and later became a senator for Alabama. He was only VP for a short time before dying of tuberculosis.
Schuyler Colfax
Richard Johnson
William Wheeler
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Garret Hobart
Levi Morton
Levi Morton held the office of the vice president from 1889 to 1893. The well-read and well-spoken gentleman had a long career in politics, including time as an ambassador to France and a representative of New York.
He didn't have a vice president.
Charles Fairbanks
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Ulysses Dent
Rutherford B. Hayes
He didn't have a vice president.
There were many sitting presidents who didn't have vice presidents before 1967. This is because there was no proper way to fill the role of VP between elections. The 25th Amendment changed this.
Grover Cleveland
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Adlai Stevenson
Chester Arthur
Hannibal Hamlin
Theodore Roosevelt
While many of us think of Theodore Roosevelt as an adventurous president who loved nature and conservation, few realize that he functioned as the vice president in 1901 under William McKinley.
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George M. Dallas
Though you may not have heard of George M. Dallas in your history classes, he had a short political history. He served as the mayor of Philadelphia and eventually became the 11th vice president.
Andrew Johnson
Henry Wilson
Schuyler Colfax
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Robert Miller
Schuyler Colfax
Ulysses S. Grant served as the president from 1869 to 1877. His vice presidents were Schuyler Colfax and Henry Wilson. From 1875 to 1877, the office of vice president was vacant after Wilson's death.
Johnathan Tillmore
Levi Morton
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Marshall Thomas
Harry Truman
Thomas Marshall
The 28th VPOTUS was Thomas Marshall. A scholar and a politician, Marshall served under Woodrow Wilson, from 1913 to 1921. He cast nine tie-breaking votes as the president of the Senate.
Truman Harold
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Theodore Roosevelt
Charles Curtis
John Garner
Adlai Stevenson I
The 23rd vice president in office, Adlai Stevenson I served from 1893 to 1897. Before his time as the VPOTUS, he was a representative of Illinois for several years. He died in 1914 in Chicago.
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