The vice president of the United States is the second-highest office in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidenti
March 2026 Official Vice Presidential Portrait of JD Vance
John Adams, the first vice president of the United States
Though prominent as a Missouri Senator, Harry S. Truman had been vice president only three months when he became president; he was never informed of Franklin D. Roosevelt's war or postwar policies while serving as vice president. This led to several statutory reforms concerning the office.
1888 illustration of John Tyler receiving the news of President William Henry Harrison's death from Chief Clerk of the State Department Fletcher Webster
The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief
Vice President of the United States
…of the United States (VPOTUS, VP, or informally veep) is the second-highest office in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also an officer in the legislative branch, as the president of the Senate…
Official Presidential Portrait of President Donald J. Trump
George Washington, the first president of the United States
President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers a radio address in 1933.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the 1964 Civil Rights Act at the White House on July 2, 1964, as Martin Luther King Jr. and others look on.