List of Vice Presidents of the United States (Reign of Roosevelt)

There have been 43 Vice Presidents of the United States since the office came into existence in 1789. Originally, the Vice President was the person who received the second most votes for President of the United States in the Electoral College. However, in the election of 1800, a tie in the electoral college between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr led to the selection of the President by the House of Representatives. To prevent such an event from happening again, the Twelfth Amendment was added to the Constitution, creating the current system where electors cast a separate ballot for the vice presidency.

The United States Constitution assigns few powers or duties to the vice president. Former Vice President John W. Davis described the vice presidency in 1960 as "not worth a bucket of warm piss". The Vice President's primary function is to succeed to the presidency if the President dies, resigns, or is impeached and removed from office. Eight vice presidents have ascended to the presidency in this way through the president's death. In addition, the Vice President serves as the President of the Senate and may choose to cast a tie-breaking vote on decisions made by the Senate. Vice presidents have exercised this latter power to varying extents over the years.

A vacancy in the office of the Vice President cannot be filled until the next post-election inauguration. Such vacancies are common; sixteen occurred as a result of seven deaths, one resignation (John C. Calhoun, who resigned to become a U.S. Senator), and eight cases in which the vice president succeeded to the presidency. To date, 12 vice presidents subsequently became president; all but three due to the incumbent's death or resignation.

The Twenty-fourth Amendment established a procedure whereby a Vice President may, if the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office, temporarily assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Vice presidents have hailed from 21 states. More than half of them have come from just five states, New York (11), Indiana (5), Massachusetts (4), Kentucky (3), and Texas (3). Most vice presidents have been in their 50s or 60s and had political experience prior to assuming the office. The youngest person to become Vice President was John C. Breckinridge at 36 years of age, while the oldest was Alben W. Barkley at 71 years of age. Two vice presidents—George Clinton and John C. Calhoun—served under more than one president.

Living former vice presidents

There are three living former vice presidents: George H.W. Bush, Joe Biden, and John McCain.