March 27, 2024
A brief history of the US presidency
By Mark C. Ross
After George Washington, things got kind of dicey. Jefferson verses Adams happened twice. The first time, Adams won, and the next time, Jefferson won. Sound familiar? The election of 1800 showcased the introduction of the ticket — the coupling of president and vice president — rather than making the electoral runner-up vice president...since, under the old rule, both were likely to be bitter rivals. The ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804 formalized this process.
Partially due to the limits of early 19th-century medical ability, presidents had a tendency to die in office. Between Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln, no president was ever inaugurated for a second term — eight presidents over a period of 28 years — though some of these results may have also reflected the opinions of the voters. Lincoln was the first president to be murdered while in office, and the practice continued with Garfield and McKinley shortly thereafter. Kennedy’s murder didn’t happen until over 60 years after McKinley’s, the delay possibly being due to more sophisticated security...until...
A most interesting story concerns John Tyler, who, as vice president, succeeded William Henry Harrison, when Harrison managed to catch cold at his inauguration and die 30 days later. In 1843, aboard the USS Princeton on a “pleasure” cruise down the Potomac, Tyler was below deck when a topside gun exploded while firing a salute. The U.S. secretaries of state and the Navy were killed. The Navy secretary’s daughter was down below with Tyler, and they married soon thereafter. Almost sounds like pulp fiction.
more
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/03/a_brief_history_of_the_us_presidency.html
