Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin was well-known for his “do-nothing” mentality, as he preferred using his office to grant favors and have some fun with the government’s money.
The Republican Party picked him to be Abraham Lincoln’s running mate, mostly because of geographical reasons. They needed some sort of East Coast politician to balance Lincoln’s Midwest roots, and Hamlin’s non-existent legislative record as a House representative made him the safest choice.
Thomas A. Hendricks
Nineteenth-century vice presidents had a very annoying habit of dying in the office. The vice-president spot was almost always vacant for almost a quarter of the 1800’s, and that’s probably because of the presidential succession rules that followed after the death of Hendricks, who was in command for only nine months.
He was a congressman, senator, and Indiana governor and a vehement opponent of African-American rights. He rapidly died in office on November 25, 1885, and at the time, both the Speaker of the House and Senate president were vacant, which left no one to replace him. The next year, Congress passed a law that placed cabinet members in the line of succession.
