1973 United States vice presidential confirmation

November 27, 1973 (1973-11-27) (Senate) December 6, 1973 (1973-12-06) (House) 1974 →
100 and 435 members of the Senate and House Majority of both Senate and House votes needed to win
Nominee Gerald Ford Party Republican Home state Michigan Electoral vote 92 (Senate) 387 (House) Percentage 96.8% (Senate) 91.7% (House)
Vote by house district   Republican "Aye"   Democratic "Aye"   Democratic "No"   Absent/Not voting
Vice President before election Spiro Agnew Confirmed Vice President Gerald Ford

This article is part of a series about Gerald Ford
Early life Electoral history Pre-vice presidency Military service U.S. Representative for Michigan's 5th Warren Commission 40th Vice President of the United States Confirmation Tenure Resignation of Richard Nixon 38th President of the United States Presidency Timeline Inauguration Policies Environmental Foreign International trips Pardons Appointments Cabinet Judiciary Tenure Pardon of Richard Nixon Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974 Education for All Handicapped Children Act Assassination attempts Sacramento San Francisco Timeline '74 '75 '76–77 Presidential campaign 1976 Primaries Convention Debates Election Post-presidency Presidential Library Activities AEI World Forum Death and state funeral
v t e

On October 10, 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew (a Republican) was forced to resign following a controversy over his personal taxes. Under the terms of the 25th Amendment, a vice presidential vacancy is filled when the president nominates a candidate who is confirmed by both houses of Congress. President Richard Nixon (a Republican) thus had the task of selecting a vice president who could receive the majority support of both houses of Congress, which were then controlled by the Democrats.

President Nixon considered selecting former Texas Governor and Treasury Secretary John Connally, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and California Governor Ronald Reagan.^[1] However, Nixon settled on House Minority Leader Gerald Ford of Michigan, a moderate Republican who was popular among the members of Congress (in both parties) and who was good friends with Nixon.^[1] Ford won the approval of both houses by huge margins, and was sworn in as the 40th vice president of the United States on December 6, 1973.^[1][2]

On August 9, 1974, Ford ascended to the presidency after the Watergate scandal led to the resignation of President Nixon, becoming the only president in American history to have never been elected president or vice president.^[a]

Confirmation votes

By a vote of 92 to 3 on November 27, 1973, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Gerald Ford.^[3] The following week, on December 6, the House of Representatives gave its approval, 387 to 35.^[4]