The role of the Vice President of the United States has undergone significant evolution since the country’s founding, transforming from a position deemed "not worth a bucket of warm spit," as Vice President John Nance Garner famously quipped, into one that can wield considerable influence over national policy. Originally, the vice presidency was conceived primarily as a backup role, with the main responsibility being to succeed the president in case of death, resignation, or incapacitation. Aside from this, the Vice President’s constitutional duties were limited to presiding over the Senate and casting tie-breaking votes—powers that many vice presidents found unsatisfying and largely ceremonial.
Historically, the vice presidency was considered a relatively powerless office, and many who held the position felt sidelined or underutilized. Garner’s remark in the 1930s reflected the frustration of those who occupied a role that provided little real authority. However, the role began to evolve significantly in the mid-20th century, particularly after World War II, as the United States' global leadership expanded and the complexity of governance grew. Presidents began to rely more on their vice presidents as trusted advisors, gradually involving them in more substantive areas of governance.
The passage of the 25th Amendment in 1967 formalized the line of succession and allowed for the appointment of a new vice president if the office became vacant. This amendment proved critical during Richard Nixon’s presidency when Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973. Under the 25th Amendment, Nixon appointed Gerald Ford as his replacement, and less than a year later, when Nixon resigned amid the Watergate scandal, Ford became president. The amendment thus solidified the importance of the vice presidency as an immediate pathway to the presidency in unforeseen circumstances.
Despite these institutional changes, the influence of a vice president still largely depends on the preferences of the sitting president. Some presidents have kept their vice presidents at arm’s length, while others, such as Jimmy Carter with Walter Mondale, Ronald Reagan with George H.W. Bush, and Barack Obama with Joe Biden, have integrated them deeply into decision-making processes. These partnerships demonstrate how vice presidents can play pivotal roles in shaping national and foreign policy when empowered to do so.
While the vice presidency is still occasionally lampooned as a ceremonial or secondary job, modern examples show how the office can be a powerful position. The vice president's potential to shape policy, engage in diplomacy, and assume the presidency underscores the evolving significance of the role in contemporary American governance.
PBS American Experience: The American Vice President explores the little-known story of the second-highest office in the land, tracing its evolution from a constitutional afterthought to a position of political consequence. Focusing on the fraught period between 1963 and 1974, when a grief-stricken and then scandal-plagued America was forced to clarify the role of the vice president, the film examines the passage and first uses of the 25th Amendment and offers a fresh and surprising perspective on succession in the executive branch.
The American Vice President premieres Tuesday, October 1, 2024, 8-9 pm ET (check local listings) on American Experience on PBS and will stream on PBS.org and the PBS app.
Guest:
Joel Goldstein is a historian and Vice Presidential scholar. He is the author of “The Modern American Vice Presidency: The Transformation of a Political Institution” and “The White House Vice Presidency: The Path to Significance, Mondale to Biden.”
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*This interview will be recorded on Tuesday, October 1 2024.
