I awoke one morning thinking about the importance of selecting a vice president. My interest grew as I researched this Republic from its early years forward. Here are just a few important examples of vice presidents who assumed the presidency.

When Washington retired, Adams and Jefferson ran for president. Adams received 71 electoral votes and Jefferson received 68. Adams became president and Jefferson became VP. Adams was a member of the Federalist Party and Jefferson was a member of the Democratic Republican party, so they clashed on many issues. While Jefferson was VP he presided over the senate with dignity and skill and wrote a manual of Parliamentary Practice for the use of the senate still in use today.

In the 1800 election, Adams, Jefferson and Aaron Burr ran for president. Because of voter misunderstanding it was settled by the House of Representatives. Alexander Hamilton had disdain for Jefferson but he hated Aaron Burr. Because of Hamilton's influence the House selected Jefferson as president and Burr as VP. In 1800 the Constitution was amended and the electors specified president and VP.

The brilliance and accomplishments of Jefferson are well known. In the 1804 election, Jefferson won by a large majority.

When William Henry Harrison died in office after serving only 30 days as president VP John Tyler assumed the presidency. Actually he was acting president as no provision in the constitution had been made for a VP. As president he vetoed the creation of the Third Bank of the U.S. twice and it was sustained at the chagrin of his own party, who quickly abandoned him. He annexed Texas just prior to leaving office.

In 1865, upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln - which by the way also included the attempted assassination of Secretary of State William Seward, who is the great, great, great uncle of our own beloved Rick Seward here in Cd'A - VP Andrew Johnson assumed the Presidency. Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached.

After James Garfield was assassinated, Chester A. Arthur became president. Both his older son and his wife died before he became VP; leaving him with two small children. He continued the spoils system instituted by Andrew Jackson. His administration was also corrupt.

William McKinley selected Theodore Roosevelt as his running mate in his 2nd term. McKinley was assassinated Sept. 6, 1901, and died eight days later, at which time TR became president. TR was a two-term president. Thousands of pages have been written about the magnitude of his presidency: The Trust Buster, Panama Canal he negotiated and built, the Big Stick policy, five National Parks and 150 million acres for the beginning of the U.S. Forest Service, Roosevelt Dam and 25 irrigation projects out west and our own little Teddy Bear to name a few. He was our youngest President at the age of 42. He appointed William Howard Taft as Secretary of War and later as his trouble shooter. TR used to say, "Taft kept the lid on things because he was sitting on the lid."

The Executive Mansion was officially named the White House by TR in 1901. When Teddy Roosevelt left office he said, "I do not believe anyone else has ever enjoyed the White House as much as I have." When Taft left the presidency he told Woodrow Wilson, "It was the lonesomest place in the world." Eight years later he became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He said it was the highest honor anyone could have.

Warren Harding died on Aug. 2, 1923 in San Francisco. VP Calvin Coolidge was at his father's farm in Vermont. At 2:45 a.m. he went downstairs and his father, a notary public, administered the oath of office, placing his hand on the family Bible. He then went upstairs and slept. Eighteen days later he was administered the 2nd oath by Chief Justice William Howard Taft.

Coolidge tried to restore the dignity and prestige of the presidency after the cronyism and scandals of the Harding administration. He let business flourish and reduced the deficit by $1 billion per year. Coolidge was frugal with government money as well as his own words. On Aug. 4, 1927 while in South Dakota he handed the reporters a slip of paper. It only said, "I do not choose to run for President in 1928."

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, during his fourth term, Harry Truman - who had only served as VP for 83 days - suddenly became president. He had not been briefed on the atomic bomb. We were still engaged in two wars. Truman had to make tough, controversial decisions. These are a few of them; VE day May 8, 1945, Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima Aug, 6, 1945 and Nagasaki three days later, Japanese surrender Aug. 14 1945, Marshall Plan, NATO, Berlin Airlift and Korean War. SSN was given to 10 million more people. His national health care plan was defeated. Truman relieved Gen. Douglas MacArthur of his command in Korea.

Lyndon Bains Johnson took office upon the assassination of John .F Kennedy on Nov. 22 1963. Johnson's Great Society, War on Poverty, and the escalation of the Vietnam War were some of his main goals.

Richard M. Nixon was VP under Eisenhower and became president in 1968. During this time he managed to bring the country together, end the American fighting in Vietnam and improve relations with the U.S.S.R. and China. Certain environmental laws were passed during this administration, which are still in force today. In 1972 Nixon's administration became embroiled in the Watergate break-in scandal. In 1973 VP Spiro Agnew resigned due to his own scandal. Gerald Ford became VP. Nixon, plagued by Watergate and almost certain impeachment, resigned Aug. 9, 1974 and Ford became president. Gov. Nelson Rockefeller became VP, who himself always wanted to be President.

Bob Hollingsworth is a resident of Kootenai County.