At the President's Side

Timothy Walch

An informative examination of the most overlooked national office in America. Walch, director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, has gathered together papers presented at a recent conference on the vice presidency in the 20th century. Most of the pieces included here explore the historical, political, and constitutional forces that have shaped the office. Theodore Roosevelt's ascendancy to the presidency on the assassination of McKinley in 1901 led future party leaders to more strongly consider the choice of a vice president, because despite his very strong presidency, Roosevelt was considered a loose cannon by establishment Republicans. The vice presidents under Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman ranged from colorful--as in the case of John Nance Garner, FDR's first vice president, who labeled his office ""not worth a pitcher of warm piss""--to sturdy ""company men"" like...

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