15 vice presidents who became president themselves

Talia LakritzJul 22, 2024, 23:07 IST

President-elect Joe Biden served as vice president in the Obama administration.Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Fifteen former vice presidents have gone on to become president themselves.
Some were unexpectedly inaugurated after the president's resignation, assassination, or illness.

Throughout US history, 15 men who served as vice president have gone on to become president themselves.

Some vice presidents had no choice but to assume office due to the death or resignation of their predecessors, like Lyndon B. Johnson after John F. Kennedy's assassination. Others, like Joe Biden, chose to run for president after serving as second-in-command in the White House.

As Kamala Harris launches her presidential campaign following Biden's exit from the race, she could join the ranks of vice presidents who went on to serve as president.

Here are 15 vice presidents who became president of the United States.

After serving as the nation's first vice president under George Washington, John Adams became the second president of the United States in 1797.

John Adams.Stock Montage/Getty Images

Thomas Jefferson served as President John Adams' vice president, then defeated him in the election of 1800.

Thomas Jefferson.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Martin Van Buren served under President Andrew Jackson before being elected president in 1836.

Martin Van Buren.Universal History Archive/Getty Images

John Tyler was the first vice president to assume the presidency due to the death of a president.

John Tyler.Hulton Archive / Stringer / Getty Images

Millard Fillmore became president when President Zachary Taylor died in 1850.

Millard Fillmore.National Archives / Handout / Getty Images

Andrew Johnson took over the presidency after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.

Andrew Johnson.Library of Congress

Chester A. Arthur succeeded President James Garfield after he was assassinated just six months into his presidency in 1881.

Chester A. Arthur.Bettman/Getty Images

After President William McKinley was assassinated, his vice president Theodore Roosevelt took over in 1901.

Theodore Roosevelt.Hulton Archive / Stringer / Getty Images

Calvin Coolidge became president after President Warren G. Harding died in 1923.

Calvin Coolidge.Bettman/Getty Images

Franklin Delano Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1945, making Harry S. Truman the new president.

Harry S. Truman.Bettmann/Getty Images

Lyndon B. Johnson took office after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

Lyndon B. Johnson.Bettmann/ Getty Images

Richard Nixon served as vice president from 1953 to 1961, and then as president from 1969 to 1974.

Richard Nixon.AP Images

Gerald R. Ford assumed office after Nixon resigned in 1974.

Gerald R. Ford.Don Carl STEFFEN/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

George H.W. Bush served as Ronald Reagan's vice president from 1981 to 1989 before serving one term as president.

George H.W. Bush.AP/Ron Edmonds

President Joe Biden served as President Barack Obama's vice president for eight years before winning the 2020 presidential election himself.

President-elect Joe Biden.Susan Walsh/AP

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