5. George H.W. Bush – Before he was President he was Ronnie Reagan’s VP. He was the VP of the 1980s. Served through the height of the Cold War and the AIDS Crisis. He also, as the VP is charged with many ceremonial duties, attended many state funerals. When Reagan was shot VP Bush was being whisked back to the White House but refused to chopper back stating “only the President lands on the South Lawn.”
4. John Adams – The second President of the United States was also the first Vice President. Kept an immaculate diary. NOT a fan of Alexander Hamilton. Cast 31 tie-breaking votes as head of the Senate but still was frustrated by the lack of power in his VP position.
3. Theodore Roosevelt – Bully For You, Teddy Roosevelt is the book I read about this man in the 4th grade. Our 3rd, out of 5 best American Vice Presidents of all time on our list, Replaced Vice President Garret Hobart after he died of heart failure. Roosevelt had to campaign among his party for the position as they didn’t want to give it to someone with such aggressive a personality. As it turns out, he won.
2. Harry Truman – Quite the opposite of Teddy Roosevelt, Truman, Vice President for another Roosevelt, did not campaign for the position. Vice President for 82 days before Roosevelt died and ushered him into office—he didn’t have much of a chance to take action. Still, he broke a tie in the senate and was photographed with Lauren Bacall playing the piano.
1. Al Gore – Vice President of the 1990s. Our number one on the list of best American Vice Presidents of all time, played second fiddle to President Bill Clinton—who he dined with at weekly lunches. During his Vice Presidency he did not invent the internet but he did popularize the term “Information Superhighway.” Of course he would go on to run for and lose the Presidency, but ultimately make his mark as a Climate Change pioneer—beginning with the documentary An Inconvenient Truth.
