Once upon a time, there was far less pomp and circumstance around the selection of vice presidential nominees.
In fact, the guy — because they were all guys until recently — who became VP was the second-place finisher in the presidential race.
In 1796, for example, John Adams, a Federalist, became the nation's second president. His vice president would be Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican.
Awkward!
Here are a few more interesting facts about the Office of the Vice President and some of its occupants:
—There have been 49 vice presidents of the U.S. since the office was established in 1789; there have been 46 presidents
— The vice president only has one official duty: to preside over the Senate and to cast a vote in the Senate if there is a tie
—William R. King is the only VP sworn in on foreign soil and was the shortest-tenured veep, serving under Franklin Pierce. Sworn in while recovering from illness in Cuba in 1853, he died 45 days into his term from tuberculosis. He was also the only vice president from Alabama
—The U.S. vice president is officially allocated a salary of $284,600 per year, although the actual sum the VP receives has been frozen at $235,100 since 2019. Additionally, the veep gets an expense allowance, free housing, free transportation and a staff of about 80 people (U.S. Dept. of Commerce)
—Until the 1970s, vice presidents did not have an official residence. In 1974, Congress designated the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., as the official home for the vice president. The first VP to live there was Walter Mondale in 1977 (New York Times)
—An official line of presidential succession wasn't created in the Constitution until the 25th Amendment was ratified in 1967 (National Constitution Center)
—The longest-serving vice presidents all served two full terms under their presidents. They are: Daniel D. Tompkins, Thomas R. Marshall, Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Joe Biden. Each served for 2,922 days, or 8 years.
