The presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as President of the United States upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office (by impeachment and subsequent conviction) of a sitting president or a president-elect. The presidential seal is a well-known symbol of the presidency. ... Depiction of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, then President of the United States, in 1868. ...

Current order

This is a list of the current presidential line of succession, as specified by the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (3 U.S.C. § 19). The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (codified as Title 3, Chapter 1, Section 19 of the United States Code) establishes the order of succession to the office of President of the United States in the event neither a President nor Vice President is able to discharge the powers and duties... Title 3 of the United States Code outlines the role of the President of the United States in the United States Code. ...

Seal of the office of the Vice-President of the United States The Vice President of the United States is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death, resignation, or removal of the President. ... The President of the Senate is the title often given to the presiding officer, or chairman, of a senate. ... Richard Bruce Dick Cheney (born January 30, 1941), is the 46th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President George W. Bush. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the... Nancy Patricia DAlesandro Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is currently the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. ... Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia the current President pro tempore of the United States Senate. ... Robert Carlyle Byrd (born November 20, 1917) is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia and a member of the Democratic Party. ... Seal of the United States Department of State. ... Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954) is the 66th United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush to hold the office. ... The United States Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, concerned with finance and monetary matters, and, until 2003, some issues of national security and defense. ... Henry Merritt Hank Paulson, Jr. ... The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), concerned with the armed services and The role of the Secretary of Defense is to be the principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for the formulation of general defense... Robert Michael Gates, Ph. ... Seal of the United States Department of Justice The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see 28 U.S.C. Â§ 503) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. ... Alberto R. Gonzales (born August 4, 1955) is the 80th and current Attorney General of the United States. ... The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior, concerned with such matters as national parks and The Secretary is a member of the Presidents Cabinet. ... Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951 in San Diego, California), is the current U.S. Secretary of the Interior, serving since May 2006. ... The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture concerned with land and food as well as agriculture and rural development. ... Michael Owen Johanns (born June 18, 1950 in Osage, Iowa) is an American Republican politician. ... The office of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce in the mid-20th century. ... Carlos M. Gutierrez (originally Gutiérrez) (born November 4, 1953) is the 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce, succeeding Donald Evans. ... A natural-born citizen is a special term mentioned in the United States Constitution as a requirement for eligibility to serve as President or Vice President of the United States. ... The United States Secretary of Labor is the head of the United States Department of Labor. ... Elaine Lan Chao (Traditional Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chao Hsiao-lan;[1] born March 26, 1953) currently serves as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor in the Cabinet of President of the United States George W. Bush. ... A natural-born citizen is a special term mentioned in the United States Constitution as a requirement for eligibility to serve as President or Vice President of the United States. ... The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with The Secretary is a member of the Presidents Cabinet. ... Michael Okerlund Leavitt (born February 11, 1951 in Cedar City, Utah) is an American politician, and is currently the Secretary of Health and Human Services. ... The United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, concerned with The Secretary is a member of the Presidents Cabinet. ... Alphonso Roy Jackson (born September 9, 1945 in Marshall, Texas) is the current and 13th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). ... Seal of the United States Department of Transportation The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. ... Mary E. Peters Mary E. Peters is an American public servant and businesswoman and President George W. Bushs nominee for Department of Transportation Secretary. ... The United States Secretary of Energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, concerned as the name suggests, with The Secretary is a member of the Presidents Cabinet. ... Samuel Wright Bodman III, Sc. ... The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. ... Margaret Spellings (born Margaret Dudar on November 30, 1957) is the current Secretary of Education under the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush and was previously Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy to Bush. ... The United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans benefits and related matters. ... Robert James Jim Nicholson is the current United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. ... The United States Secretary of Homeland Security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the body concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. ... Michael Chertoff (born November 28, 1953) is the current United States Secretary of Homeland Security. ...

Notes

† Non-natural-born citizens are ineligible 

It has been a subject of controversy whether cabinet officers who are not natural-born citizens, such as Carlos Gutierrez (born in Cuba) or Elaine Chao (born in Taiwan), are constitutionally ineligible to be acting President, because Article Two establishes only eligibility requirements for the office of President. The same question exists for officers in the line of succession who are not at least 35 years old or have not resided in the United States for 14 years. To avoid a needless constitutional dispute at what would likely be a time of great crisis, the statute (3 U.S.C. § 19(e)) specifies that even the acting President must meet the constitutional requirements for the office of President. Thus, Secretary Gutierrez and Secretary Chao are ineligible to serve as Acting President since they are not "natural-born citizens" of the United States.

†† Inclusion of Secretary of Homeland Security 

On March 9, 2006, President Bush signed HR 3199 as Pub.L. 109-177, which renewed the Patriot Act and amended the Presidential Succession Act to include the Secretary of Homeland Security in the line of succession after the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (§ 503). In the 109th Congress, legislation was introduced to place the Secretary of Homeland Security into the line of succession after the Attorney General but that bill expired at the end of the 109th Congress and has not been re-introduced.

'Acting' officers are ineligible 

To be in the line of succession, an officer must have been appointed, and confirmed by the United States Senate, prior to the death, resignation, removal from office, inability, or otherwise failure to qualify of the President pro tempore. Therefore, 'acting' officers who have not been confirmed into the position cannot be in the line of succession.

Members of the Presidential cabinet who are not heads of Departments -- for example the White House Chief of Staff and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations -- are not included in the line of succession. A natural-born citizen is a special term mentioned in the United States Constitution as a requirement for eligibility to serve as President or Vice President of the United States. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Article Two of the United States Constitution Article Two of the United States Constitution creates the executive branch of the government, comprising the President and other executive officers. ... Title 3 of the United States Code outlines the role of the President of the United States in the United States Code. ... March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (69th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-56), known as the USA PATRIOT Act or simply the Patriot Act, is an American act which President George W. Bush signed into law on October 26, 2001. ... The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (codified as Title 3, Chapter 1, Section 19 of the United States Code) establishes the order of succession to the office of President of the United States in the event neither a President nor Vice President is able to discharge the powers and duties... The United States Secretary of Homeland Security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the body concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. ... The United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans benefits and related matters. ... United States Capitol (2002) // The One Hundred Ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprised of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... A President Pro Tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of the United States Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the President of the Senate. ... In law, when someone is said to be acting in a position it can mean one of three things. ... Joshua B. Bolten, the current White House Chief of Staff. ... United States Ambassador to the United Nations, full title, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations (also known as the...

Constitutional foundation

The line of succession is mentioned in three places in the Constitution: in Article II, Section 1, in Section 3 of the 20th Amendment, and in the 25th Amendment. Article Two of the United States Constitution creates the executive branch of the government, comprising the President and other executive officers. ... Page 1 of Amendment XX in the National Archives Page 2 of the amendment Amendment XX (the Twentieth Amendment) of the United States Constitution, also called The Lame Duck Amendment, or the Norris Amendment,[] establishes some details of presidential succession and of the beginning and ending of the terms of... Amendment XXV (the Twenty-fifth Amendment) of the United States Constitution clarifies an ambiguous provision of the Constitution regarding succession to the Presidency, and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President as well as responding to Presidential disabilities. ...

• Article II, Section 1 makes the Vice President first in the line of succession and allows the Congress to provide by law for cases in which neither the President nor Vice President can serve. The current such law governing succession is the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (3 U.S.C. § 19).
• Section 3 of the 20th Amendment provides that if the President-elect dies before his or her term begins, the Vice President-elect becomes President on Inauguration Day and serves for the full term to which the President-elect was elected. The section also provides that if, on Inauguration Day, a president has not been chosen or the President-elect does not qualify for the presidency, the Vice President acts as president until a president is chosen or the President-elect qualifies. Finally, Section 3 allows the Congress to provide by law for cases in which neither a President-elect nor a Vice President-elect is eligible or available to serve.
• The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, clarified Article II, Section 1: that the Vice President is the direct successor of the President. He or she becomes President if the President dies, resigns or is removed from office. The 25th also provides for the situation where the President is temporarily disabled, such as if the President has a surgical procedure or becomes mentally unstable. It also required vice presidential vacancies to be filled by the President and confirmed by Congress. Previously, when a vice president had succeeded to the presidency or otherwise left the office empty (through death, resignation, or removal from office), the vice presidency remained vacant.

Seal of the office of the Vice-President of the United States The Vice President of the United States is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death, resignation, or removal of the President. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican... The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (codified as Title 3, Chapter 1, Section 19 of the United States Code) establishes the order of succession to the office of President of the United States in the event neither a President nor Vice President is able to discharge the powers and duties... Title 3 of the United States Code outlines the role of the President of the United States in the United States Code. ... A President-elect is a candidate who has officially been elected President, but who has not yet acceded to his Office, as it is still occupied by the out-going President. ... Inauguration Day is the day on which the President of the United States is sworn in and takes office. ... Dick Cheney 46th and current Vice President (2001- ) The Vice President of the United States is the second-highest executive official of the United States government, the person who is a heartbeat from the presidency. ...

"Acting President" and "President"

New President Lyndon Johnson is sworn in aboard Air Force One, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy

Article II, Section 1 provides that: Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1200x1100, 324 KB) Description: Lyndon B. Johnson taking the oath of office on Air Force One following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963 ARC identifier for use at NARA: 194235 Photographer: Cecil Stoughton Date: November 22... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1200x1100, 324 KB) Description: Lyndon B. Johnson taking the oath of office on Air Force One following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963 ARC identifier for use at NARA: 194235 Photographer: Cecil Stoughton Date: November 22... “LBJ” redirects here. ... Lyndon B. Johnson taking the oath of office after the death of John F. Kennedy. ... For other uses, see Air Force One (disambiguation). ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also referred to as John F. Kennedy, Kennedy, John Kennedy, Jack Kennedy, or JFK, was the 35th President of the United States. ...

In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President … until the disability be removed, or a President elected.

This originally left open the question whether “the same” refers to “the said office” or only “the powers and duties of the said office”. Some historians argue that the framers' intention was that the Vice President would remain Vice President while executing the powers and duties of the Presidency; however, there is also much evidence to the contrary, the most compelling of which is Article I, section 2, of the Constitution itself, the relevant text of which reads:

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.

The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the office of President of the United States. (emphasis added)

This text appears to answer the hypothetical question of whether the office or merely the powers of the presidency devolved upon the Vice President on his succession. Thus, the 25th Amendment merely restates and reaffirms the validity of existing precedent, apart from adding valuable new protocols for presidential disability. But, of course, not everyone agreed with this interpretation when it was first put to the test, and it was left to John Tyler, the first presidential successor in U.S. history, to establish the precedent that was respected in the absence of the 25th Amendment.

In 1841, John Tyler became the first person to succeed to the presidency.

Upon the death of President William Henry Harrison in 1841, after a brief hesitation, Vice President John Tyler took the position that he was President, and not merely acting President, upon taking the presidential oath of office. He even returned mail sent to the “Acting President of the United States”. File links The following pages link to this file: John Tyler Vice President of the United States Categories: U.S. history images ... File links The following pages link to this file: John Tyler Vice President of the United States Categories: U.S. history images ... William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) was an American military leader, politician, and the ninth President of the United States. ... John Tyler, Jr. ... Acting President of the United States is a temporary office in the government of the United States, established under the auspices of the Constitution of the United States, particularly its 25th Amendment (ratified in 1967). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with President of the United States oath of office. ...

This precedent was followed thereafter, and was clarified by Section 1 of the 25th Amendment which specifies that: “In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.” The Amendment does not specify whether officers other than the Vice President can become President rather than Acting President in the same set of circumstances. However, the Presidential Succession Act makes clear that anyone who takes office under its provisions shall only "act as President" -- even if they "act" in that role for years. Thus only someone serving as Vice President can ever succeed to the title of "President of the United States." Amendment XXV (the Twenty-fifth Amendment) of the United States Constitution clarifies an ambiguous provision of the Constitution regarding succession to the Presidency, and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President as well as responding to Presidential disabilities. ...

History of succession law set by Congress

Main article: Presidential Succession Act

The Presidential Succession Act of 1792 was the first succession law passed by Congress. The act was contentious because of conflict between the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. The Federalists did not want the Secretary of State to appear next on the list after the Vice President because Thomas Jefferson was then Secretary of State and had emerged as a Democratic-Republican leader. There were also concerns about including the Chief Justice of the United States since that would go against the separation of powers. The compromise that was worked out established the President pro tempore of the Senate was next in line of succession after the Vice President, followed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In either case, these officers were to "act as President of the United States until the disability be removed or a president be elected." The Act called for a special election to be held in November of the year in which dual vacancies occurred (unless the vacancies occurred after the first Wednesday in October, in which case the election would occur the following year; or unless the vacancies occurred within the last year of the presidential term, in which case the next election would take place as regularly scheduled). The people elected President and Vice President in such a special election would have served a full four-year term beginning on March 4 of the next year, but no such election ever took place. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (codified as Title 3, Chapter 1, Section 19 of the United States Code) establishes the order of succession to the office of President of the United States in the event neither a President nor Vice President is able to discharge the powers and duties... The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (codified as Title 3, Chapter 1, Section 19 of the United States Code) establishes the order of succession to the office of President of the United States in the event neither a President nor Vice President is able to discharge the powers and duties... The Federalist Party (or Federal Party) was an American political party during the First Party System, in the period 1793 to 1816, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. ... The Democratic-Republican party was a United States political party, which evolved early in the history of the United States. ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the judicial branch of... Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia the current President pro tempore of the United States Senate. ... is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1881, after the death of President Garfield, and in 1885, after the death of Vice President Hendricks, there had been no President pro tempore in office, and as the new House of Representatives had yet to convene, no Speaker either, leaving no one at all in the line of succession. James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th President of the United States (1881) and the second U.S. President to be assassinated (Abraham Lincoln was the first). ... Thomas Andrews Hendricks (September 7, 1819–November 25, 1885) was a Representative and a Senator from Indiana and the twenty-first Vice President of the United States. ...

President Arthur, when he left on trips, would leave an envelope addressed to "The President", assuming, if worse came to worst, someone would pick it up and open it. When Congress convened in December, 1885, President Cleveland asked for a revision of the 1792 act. Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American politician who served as the twenty-first President of the United States. ... Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was the 22nd (1885–1889) and 24th (1893–1897) President of the United States, and the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms. ...

This was passed in 1886. Congress replaced the President pro tempore and Speaker with officers of the President's Cabinet with the Secretary of State first in line. In the first 100 years of the United States, six former Secretaries of State had gone on to be elected President, while only two Congressional leaders had advanced to that office. As a result, shuffling the order of the line of succession seemed reasonable. Cabinet meeting on May 16, 2001. ... Seal of the United States Department of State. ...

The Presidential Succession Act of 1947, signed into law by President Harry Truman, added the Speaker of the House and President pro tempore back in the line, but switched the two from the 1792 order. It remains the sequence used today. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (codified as Title 3, Chapter 1, Section 19 of the United States Code) establishes the order of succession to the office of President of the United States in the event neither a President nor Vice President is able to discharge the powers and duties... For the victim of Mt. ... 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Until 1971, the Postmaster General was the head of the Post Office Department. During most of that period, he was a member of the President's Cabinet and the postmaster was last in the presidential line of succession. Once the Post Office Department was re-organized into the United States Postal Service, a special agency independent of the executive branch, the Postmaster General ceased to be a member of the Cabinet and was thus removed from the line of succession. Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service. ... The Post Office Department was the former name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department. ... The presidential seal is a well-known symbol of the presidency. ... Cabinet meeting on May 16, 2001. ... The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent establishment of the executive branch of the United States government (see 39 U.S.C. Â§ 201) responsible for providing postal service in the U.S. Within the United States, it is colloquially referred to simply as the post office. ...

The order of Cabinet members set out in the statute has always been the same as the order in which their respective departments were established. However, when the United States Department of Homeland Security was created in 2002, its Secretary was not placed last in accordance with this tradition. Many in Congress wanted the Secretary to be placed at number eight on the list (below the Attorney General, above the Secretary of the Interior, and in the position held by the Secretary of the Navy prior to the creation of the Secretary of Defense) because the Secretary, already in charge of disaster relief and security, would presumably be more prepared to take over the presidency than some of the other Cabinet secretaries. Legislation to add the Secretary of Homeland Security to the bottom of the list was enacted on March 9, 2006. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), commonly known as Homeland Security, is a Cabinet department of the Federal Government of the United States with the responsibility of protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters. ...

Successions beyond Vice President

New President Gerald Ford is sworn in following the resignation of Richard Nixon

While nine vice presidents have succeeded to the office upon the death or resignation of the President, and two vice presidents have temporarily served as acting President, no other officer has ever been called upon to act as President. Caption: Gerald R. Ford is sworn in as the 38th President of the United States by Chief Justice Warren Burger as Mrs. ... Caption: Gerald R. Ford is sworn in as the 38th President of the United States by Chief Justice Warren Burger as Mrs. ... this guy is awsome i played him in a school play he also has some pretty funky history Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ...

On March 4, 1849, James Polk's presidency ended on a Sunday. President-elect Zachary Taylor declined to be sworn in on a Sunday, citing religious beliefs. Some believe that Senate President pro tempore David Rice Atchison was President for the day.^{[citation needed]} Many historians and constitutional scholars state that the Presidency is not dependent on the swearing-in.^{[citation needed]} is the 63rd day of the year (64th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795–June 15, 1849) was an American politician and the eleventh U.S. President, serving from March 4, 1845 to March 4, 1849. ... Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850)[2] was an American military leader and the twelfth President of the United States. ... David Rice Atchison (August 11, 1807 – January 26, 1886) was a mid-19th century Democratic United States Senator from Missouri. ...

In 1865, when Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency on the death of Abraham Lincoln, the office of Vice President became vacant. At that time, the Senate President pro tempore was next in line to the presidency. In 1868 Johnson was impeached, and had he been removed from office, President pro tempore Benjamin Wade would have become acting President. This posed a potential conflict of interest, as Wade's own vote on removal could have helped to determine whether he would succeed to the presidency. Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808 – July 31, 1875) was the seventeenth President of the United States (1865–1869), succeeding to the presidency upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... The impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in 1999, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist presiding. ... Benjamin Franklin Wade (October 27, 1800–March 2, 1878) was a U.S. lawyer. ...

During the 1973 vice-presidential vacancy, House Speaker Carl Albert was first-in-line. As the Watergate scandal made President Nixon's removal or resignation possible, Albert would have become Acting President and — under Title 3, Section 19(c) of U.S. Code — would have been able to "act as President until the expiration of then current Presidential term." Albert openly questioned whether it was appropriate for him, a Democrat, to assume the powers and duties of the presidency when there was a public mandate for the presidency to be held by a Republican. Albert announced that should he need to assume the presidential powers and duties, he would do so only as a caretaker. Presumably, Acting President Albert would have appointed a Republican Vice President because, upon the confirmation of that individual, Albert's term as Acting President would have immediately ended and that person would become President. However, with the nomination and confirmation of Gerald Ford to the Vice Presidency, these series of events were never tested. Albert again became first-in-line during the first four months of Ford's presidency, before the confirmation of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller. Spiro Theodore Agnew (November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th Vice President of the United States serving under President Richard M. Nixon, and the 55th Governor of Maryland. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the... Carl Bert Albert (May 10, 1908 – February 4, 2000) was a lawyer and a Democratic American politician from Oklahoma. ... The Watergate scandal was a 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at a Watergate Office Building in Washington, D.C. by members of Richard Nixons administration and the resulting cover-up which led to the resignation of the President. ... Acting President of the United States is a temporary office in the government of the United States, established under the auspices of the Constitution of the United States, particularly its 25th Amendment (ratified in 1967). ... The United States Code (U.S.C.) is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal law of the United States. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... In politics, a mandate is the authority granted by an electorate to act as its representative. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... this guy is awsome i played him in a school play he also has some pretty funky history Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. ... Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was an American Vice President, governor of New York State, philanthropist and businessman. ...

In 1981, when President Ronald Reagan was shot, Vice President George H.W. Bush was traveling in Texas. Secretary of State Alexander Haig responded to a reporter's question regarding who was running the government by stating; The Reagan assassination attempt occurred on March 30, 1894, just 70 days into the presidency of Ronald Reagan. ... Order: 41st President Vice President: Dan Quayle Term of office: January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 Preceded by: Ronald Reagan Succeeded by: Bill Clinton Date of birth: June 12, 1924 Place of birth: Milton, Massachusetts First Lady: Barbara Pierce Bush Political party: Republican George Herbert Walker Bush, KBE (born... Seal of the United States Department of State. ... For other persons named Alexander Haig, see Alexander Haig (disambiguation). ...

A bitter dispute ensued over the meaning of Haig's remarks. Some people claimed Haig was referring to the line of succession (which would have been an error), while Haig and his supporters say he only meant that he was running things temporarily until radio contact could be established with Air Force Two, the plane of the Vice President.

Constitutional concerns

Several constitutional law experts have raised questions as to the constitutionality of the provisions that the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate succeed to the Presidency.^[1] James Madison, one of the authors of the Constitution, raised similar constitutional questions about the Presidential Succession Act of 1792 in a 1792 letter to Edmund Pendleton.^[2] Two of these issues can be summarized: James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836), an American politician and fourth President of the United States of America (1809–1817), was one of the most influential Founders of the United States. ... The Presidential Succession Act of 1792 established the original order of succession to the office of President of the United States in the event neither a President nor Vice President is able to discharge the powers and duties of the office. ... Edmund Pendleton (September 9, 1721-October 23, 1803) was a Virginia politician, lawyer and judge, active in the American Revolutionary War. ...

• The term "Officer" in the relevant clause of the Constitution is most plausibly interpreted to mean an "Officer of the United States", who must be a member of the Executive or Judicial Branch. The Speaker and the President pro tempore are not officers in this sense.

• Under the principle of separation of powers, the Constitution specifically disallows legislative officials from also serving in the executive branch. For the Speaker or the President pro tempore to become President, they must resign their position, at which point they are no longer in the line of succession. This forms a constitutional paradox to some.

In 2003, the Continuity of Government Commission, a private nonpartisan think tank, suggested that the current law has "at least seven significant issues … that warrant attention," including:^[3] Look up paradox in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the institution. ...

1. The reality that all figures in the current line of succession work and reside in the vicinity of Washington, D.C. In the event of a nuclear, chemical, or biological attack, it is possible, perhaps even likely, that everyone on the list would be killed or incapacitated.
2. Doubt (such as those expressed above by James Madison) that Congressional leaders are eligible to act as President.
3. A concern about the wisdom of including the President pro tempore in the line of succession as the "largely honorific post traditionally held by the longest-serving Senator of the majority party." For example, from January 20, 2001 to June 6, 2001, the President pro tempore was 98-year-old Strom Thurmond of South Carolina.
4. A concern that the current line of succession can force the presidency to abruptly switch parties mid-term, as the Speaker and the President Pro Tempore are not necessarily of the same party as the President.
5. A concern that the succession line is ordered by the dates of creation of the various executive departments, without regard to the skills or capacities of the persons serving as their Secretary.
6. The fact that, should a cabinet member begin to act as President, the law allows the House to elect a new Speaker (or the Senate, a new President pro tempore), who could in effect remove the cabinet member and assume the office him- or herself at any time.
7. The absence of a provision where a President is disabled and the Vice Presidency is vacant (for example, if an assassination attempt simultaneously wounded the President and killed the Vice President).

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Theories regarding exhaustion of the list

Though the statutory list of Presidential succession has only 18 officials, there are conspiracy theories about the existence of a much longer, secret list that lists hundreds of politicians, statesmen and officials, including all governors and senators. Though it is possible a longer list could have been devised as a part of the Continuity of Operations Plan in the anticipation of nuclear war, such a list would be unlikely to have any legal or constitutional standing. To avoid such an unprecedented situation, the government specifically makes sure that there are no occurrences in which the President and all of the potential successors are present in the same place. For gatherings like the State of the Union Address, one eligible cabinet member is randomly selected and is hidden in an undisclosed location. Thus, if for whatever reason catastrophe struck the Capitol (such as a nuclear explosion), there would still be a person—the designated survivor—to assume the presidency. A conspiracy theory attempts to attribute the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually political, social, or historical events), or the concealment of such causes from public knowledge, to a secret, and often deceptive plot by a covert alliance of powerful or influential people or organizations. ... The U.S. Government has for some time had Continuity of Operations Plans (or Continuity of Government) plans. ... Nuclear War is a card game designed by Douglas Malewicki, and originally published in 1966. ... 2003 State of the Union address given by U.S. President George W. Bush The State of the Union Address is an annual event in which the President of the United States reports on the status of the country, normally to a joint session of the U.S. Congress (the... A designated survivor is a member of the United States Cabinet who stays at a physically distant, secure, undisclosed location when the countrys top leaders, including the president are gathered at a single location such as during State of the Union Addresses and presidential inaugurations, in order to maintain...

There are no explicit provisions for what would happen if everyone on the list were dead, unable to serve, or otherwise ineligible to assume the Presidency.

Deputy secretaries would not be eligible, as the line of succession only applies to full Cabinet members. In the event of the death of their superior, deputy secretaries only assume the responsibilities as “acting secretary”—positions that are not counted in the line of presidential succession. It appears, however, that if Congress were still able to convene then the House could elect a new Speaker or the Senate could elect a new President pro tempore who would then immediately act as President.

This scenario often occurs in state governments, which lack extensive succession lists to determine who becomes governor in the case of multiple resignations or deaths. However, at the federal level this procedure has the problem that it may be extremely time consuming in case of national emergency, and would be even more so if casualties were so high that neither house of Congress was quorate, as the House of Representatives can only be filled by special elections, while state governors appoint replacements for Senators. This possibility has caused some discussion on constitutional or legal remedies, although no formal action has been taken. For other uses, see Governor (disambiguation). ...

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, one Member of the House of Representatives and one Senator from each political party have served as designated survivors concurrently with the Cabinet member so designated; so they can succeed to the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives or President pro tempore of the Senate (the offices that are respectively first and second in the line of succession to the presidency after the Vice President)^{[citation needed]}. A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... Political parties Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the... Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia the current President pro tempore of the United States Senate. ... Seal of the office of the Vice-President of the United States The Vice President of the United States is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death, resignation, or removal of the President. ...

See also

• Fiction regarding United States presidential succession

The somewhat elaborate rules and laws governing succession to the Presidency have long provided fodder for creators of fiction. ...

External links

• Ask Gleaves: Presidential Succession
• 3 U.S.C. § 19 - "Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act"
• Presidential Succession Act of 1792, 1 Stat. 239
• “Presidential Line of Succession Examined”, September 20, 2003
• “WI Presidential Succession Act of 1947 held unconstitutional”, David Tenner, Usenet group: soc.history.what-if, January 14, 2003.
• Presidential line of succession at various times in history
• Fools, Drunkards, & Presidential Succession
• Continuity of Government Commission
• Testimony of M. Miller Baker
• Amendment25.com

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