OT: President Gerald R. Ford has passed away

Aethelred

Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States passed away tonight.

Cladiator

He was the oldest living Pres. yes?

Aethelred

<< <i>He was the oldest living Pres. yes? >>



Yes, he passed Ronald Reagan just a month or two ago.

Ford lived to 93
Reagan lived to 93
John Adams lived to 90

newsman

The news media are calling him America's only unelected president, but that's not true. Anyone know who the other one was?

Aethelred

<< <i>The news media are calling him America's only unelected president, but that's not true. Anyone know who the other one was? >>



Tyler

Aethelred

John Tyler was VP under William Henry Harrison, who died after just one month in office. Tyler finished Harrison's term of 1841-1845.

newsman

<< <i>John Tyler was VP under William Henry Harrison, who died after just one month in office. Tyler finished Harrison's term of 1841-1845. >>



Tyler was elected as vice president. This person never served as vice president.

Aethelred

<< <i>

<< <i>John Tyler was VP under William Henry Harrison, who died after just one month in office. Tyler finished Harrison's term of 1841-1845. >>



Tyler was elected as vice president. This person never served as vice president. >>

newsman

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>John Tyler was VP under William Henry Harrison, who died after just one month in office. Tyler finished Harrison's term of 1841-1845. >>



Tyler was elected as vice president. This person never served as vice president. >>



>>



PM sent.

Aethelred

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>John Tyler was VP under William Henry Harrison, who died after just one month in office. Tyler finished Harrison's term of 1841-1845. >>



Tyler was elected as vice president. This person never served as vice president. >>



>>



PM sent. >>



Interesting bit of trivia, I will not spill the beans.

spinaker2000

Was Washington actually elected??

newsman

<< <i>Was Washington actually elected?? >>



I don't know if there was a popular vote, but there was an Electoral College vote, so he would be considered elected under the Constitution.

coinnut86

Bailathacl

Alexander Haig?

USAROK

David Rice Atchison served as an unelected president of the United States on March 4th, 1849, after James K. Polk and before Zachary Taylor, as a result of a gap between the expiration of Polk's term and the date of Taylor's inauguration.

shirohniichan

<< <i>Alexander Haig? >>



Ha! That's what I was going to say.

newsman

<< <i>David Rice Atchison served as an unelected president of the United States on March 4th, 1849, after James K. Polk and before Zachary Taylor, as a result of a gap between the expiration of Polk's term and the date of Taylor's inauguration. >>



That's an urban legend. Atchison never held presidential powers.

The person I'm thinking of served a full term as president without ever having been elected.

spoon

<< <i>The news media are calling him America's only unelected president, but that's not true. Anyone know who the other one was? >>

Is this a reference to John Hanson, the so-called first president? (He was actually only the first to serve a full term as President of the Continental Congress.)

danglen

George W. Bush comes to mind.....

wybrit

John Quincy Adams was voted in by the US House. In 1824, he was not the leading vote getter or electoral college vote getter (Andrew Jackson was).

newsman

<< <i>John Quincy Adams was voted in by the US House. In 1824, he was not the leading vote getter or electoral college vote getter (Andrew Jackson was). >>



That's the one.

wybrit

Stork

<< <i>Alexander Haig? >>

That's funny!!!




<< John Quincy Adams was voted in by the US House. In 1824, he was not the leading vote getter or electoral college vote getter (Andrew Jackson was). >>
I vauguely remember from school. How did that happen?


Cathy

spinaker2000

<< <i>I vauguely remember from school. How did that happen? >>



I vauguely remember school!!

coinkat

Ford was considered as Nixon's running mate in 1960... he was an interesting man with a certain Main Street charm. I recall meeting him at the Claremont College campus in 1980 around the time of the Reagan-Anderson duel in the Republican primaries before Anderson announced that he would run as an Independent. A draft Ford movement really never got off the ground because Anderson left and it became apparent the election of 1980 was Reagan's to loose.

The 1976 election of course was different... Carter selected the right running mate and tried in vain to re-create the "New Deal Coalition" and even though Ford made an effort to Whip Inflation Now... he was in a no win situation... much worse than TRUMAN faced in '48. Perhaps if Ford could have persuaded Rockefeller to stay on the ticket, it may have had a more suspenseful ending.

satootoko

<< <i>John Quincy Adams was voted in by the US House. In 1824, he was not the leading vote getter or electoral college vote getter (Andrew Jackson was).

I vauguely remember from school. How did that happen? >>



There were 11 candidates who received votes in the Electoral College, and none got a majority. Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams and William H. Crawford were the three top elector college picks, in that order. Under the 12th Amendment the House of Representatives had to choose from among those three, and Adams got the nod.

Actually he was the second president elected by Congress instead of the Electoral College. In 1800 Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr were tied in the Electoral College. At that time the top vote getter became President and the runner-up became Vice President. That was the first time the race was thrown into the House, where it took 36 ballots for Jefferson to be chosen our third president.

Ford may have been the third president who was not chosen by the Electoral College, but he was in fact the first to take office without ever receiving a single popular vote, or Electoral College vote, for President.