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Accidental presidents : death, assassination, resignation, and democratic succession / Philip Abbott.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Abbott, Philip.
- Series:
- Evolving American presidency
- The evolving American presidency series
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Vice-presidents--United States--Biography.
- Vice-presidents.
- United States.
- Presidents--United States--Biography.
- Presidents.
- Presidents--Succession--United States.
- Presidents--Succession.
- Genre:
- Biographies.
- Physical Description:
- 233 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.
- Edition:
- First edition.
- Place of Publication:
- New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
- Summary:
- One of the commonly stated virtues of modern constitutional democracies is their capacity to ensure reliable and accepted methods of political succession through election. This book focuses on one complication in the democratic mode of political succession: American vice-presidents who assume office as a result of the death, assassination, or resignation of a president. Three basic strategies by "accidental presidents" to establish and enhance their legitimacy are identified and evaluated. While none are reliably successful, each provides a lens to study the nature of presidential power and authority as well as to contribute to a democratic theory of succession.
- Contents:
- Succession and democratic theory
- John Tyler: "I can never consent to being dictated to"
- Millard Fillmore: "God save us from Whig vice presidents"
- Andrew Johnson : "I care not about my dignity"
- Theodore Roosevelt: "There's only one life between that madman and the presidency"
- Chester A. Arthur: "He isn't Chet anymore, he's the president"
- Harry S. Truman: "I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me"
- Lyndon Baines Johnson: "For millions of Americans I was still illegitimate, a naked man with no presidential covering, a pretender to the throne, an illegal usurper"
- Calvin Coolidge: "I thought I could swing it"
- Gerald Ford: "I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your president"
- Conclusion: Refounding succession.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [207]-225) and index.
- ISBN:
- 0230607667
- 9780230607668
- OCLC:
- 182662553
- Online:
- Contributor biographical information
- Publisher description
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