Report Outline
Call for Change in Law of Succession
Past and Present Plans of Succession
Tangle of Unsettled Questions
Call for Change in Law of Succession
When President Roosevelt died in office, April 12, 1945, and was succeeded by Vice President Truman, the man next in line of succession to the presidency was Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., then Secretary of State. Next after Stettinius came Henry Morgenthau, Jr., then Secretary of the Treasury. Neither had ever held an elective office; neither commanded any considerable following among the people. This was the situation when President Truman sent a special message to Congress, June 19, urging early revision of the Presidential Succession Act of 1886 “in the interest of orderly, democratic government.”
The President recommended two principal changes in the law which places the line of succession in the Cabinet: (1) that the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate be placed first and second after the Vice President in the line of succession; (2) that provision be made for election of a new President and Vice President should vacancies in both of those offices occur more than 90 days before the mid-term congressional elections. “The question is of great importance now,” the President said, “because there will be no elected Vice President for almost four years.”
The first of the changes recommended by the President was embodied in a bill passed by the House of Representatives, June 29—ten days after his message had been received at the Capitol. The House bill is now awaiting action by the Senate. Until a new succession law is placed on the statute books, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury will remain first and second in the line of succession. These offices are now held by men better qualified to discharge the duties of the presidency than their predecessors, but it is generally agreed that a new succession law still is needed “in the interest of orderly, democratic government.” |
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| Executive Powers and the Presidency |
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Feb. 24, 2006 |
Presidential Power |
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Nov. 15, 2002 |
Presidential Power |
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Feb. 02, 2001 |
The Bush Presidency |
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Jun. 20, 1997 |
Line-Item Veto |
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Jun. 14, 1996 |
First Ladies |
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Oct. 21, 1988 |
Dangers in Presidential Transitions |
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Jun. 10, 1988 |
The Quandary of Being Vice President |
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Jan. 06, 1984 |
Presidential Advisory Commissions |
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Jul. 28, 1978 |
Presidential Popularity |
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Feb. 13, 1976 |
Evaluating Presidential Performance |
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Dec. 12, 1975 |
Presidential Protection |
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Jul. 11, 1973 |
Presidential Reorganization |
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Mar. 07, 1973 |
Presidential Accountability |
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Sep. 24, 1971 |
Presidential Diplomacy |
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Nov. 11, 1970 |
Vice Presidency |
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Oct. 02, 1968 |
Presidential Power |
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Mar. 14, 1966 |
War Powers of the President |
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Nov. 23, 1960 |
Transfer of Executive Power |
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Apr. 04, 1956 |
Vice Presidency |
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Oct. 15, 1952 |
Change of Presidents |
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Jun. 09, 1950 |
President and Mid-Term Elections |
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Oct. 20, 1948 |
Federal Patronage |
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Mar. 24, 1948 |
The South and the Presidency |
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Dec. 05, 1947 |
Military Leaders and the Presidency |
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Apr. 16, 1947 |
Veto Power of the President |
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Sep. 20, 1945 |
Succession to the Presidency |
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Sep. 12, 1940 |
The War Powers of the President |
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Feb. 11, 1938 |
Emergency Powers of the President |
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Jan. 06, 1938 |
The Power to Declare War |
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Dec. 28, 1937 |
Extension of the Veto Power |
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Dec. 28, 1936 |
Limitation of the President's Tenure |
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Mar. 12, 1935 |
The President and the Congress |
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Dec. 16, 1932 |
The Veto Power of the President |
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May 28, 1931 |
Presidential Commissions |
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Oct. 23, 1928 |
Presidential Appointments and the Senate |
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Mar. 21, 1928 |
Business Conditions in Presidential Years |
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Jan. 20, 1927 |
The Monroe Doctrine |
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Mar. 18, 1925 |
The President's Power of Appointment |
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Sep. 10, 1923 |
The President's Position on Patronage |
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